Saiko Iyashi-no-Sato Nenba
By Andrew Liyan · Last updated: October 9, 2026 · Facts verified: October 9, 2026
Saiko Iyashi-no-Sato Nenba (西湖いやしの里根場) is a rebuilt village of about 20 thatched houses above Lake Saiko, facing Mount Fuji, on the site of a farming hamlet destroyed by a debris flow in 1966. Entry costs 500 yen for adults and 250 yen for children. It is open daily from 9:00 to 17:00 from March to November and 9:30 to 16:30 from December to February (last entry 30 minutes before closing), and the craft workshops inside cost extra. The Saiko loop bus from Kawaguchiko Station takes about 40 minutes.
Photo: Davide Mauro, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0; resized
- Area
- Saiko, Fujikawaguchiko
- Best For
- Traditional houses, Crafts, Mount Fuji views, Western lakes
What Iyashi-no-Sato Nenba is
Nenba was a farming hamlet of thatched houses built in the kabuto-zukuri style, with steep helmet-shaped roofs, on a fan of land facing Mount Fuji across Lake Saiko. On 25 September 1966, after days of typhoon rain, the slope above it collapsed and a debris flow destroyed or damaged 37 of its 41 houses. In 2006 the town of Fujikawaguchiko rebuilt about 20 thatched houses on the site, using old timbers, as a place to show the old village and local crafts.
Photo: Davide Mauro, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0; resized
Today each house is a shop, workshop, small museum or restaurant: incense, pottery, glass and metal work, silk, chirimen fabric crafts, soba and a tea house, plus an erosion-control (sabo) museum, a reminder of why the original hamlet was lost. One older house, the former Watanabe residence, is a registered tangible cultural property. The paths between the houses frame Mount Fuji, which is why most people come.
It is a paid, managed site rather than a living village, and it is a different visit from Oshino Hakkai, the free spring ponds on the other side of the mountain. On the western lakes, it is the most practical stop to reach without a car.
What to do at Iyashi-no-Sato Nenba
Walk the village paths for the Mount Fuji view
The rebuilt houses sit on the slope facing Mount Fuji, so the paths between them frame the roofs against the mountain on clear days.
Make something in a workshop
Incense sachets from 900 yen, metal engraving, kaleidoscopes, silk dyeing, pottery and chirimen crafts are run by separate workshops in the houses. Book by phone with the workshop you want.
Learn what happened in 1966
The village stands where the debris flow struck in 1966. The erosion-control (sabo) museum and the operator's history page tell the story of the hamlet before it was lost.
See the former Watanabe residence
This house is a nationally registered tangible cultural property, one of the buildings that gives a sense of the original kabuto-zukuri style.
Eat soba or grilled dango
There is a soba restaurant, a set-meal restaurant and a tea house in the village.
Dress up in kimono
Kimono rental in the village is booked separately online.
How to Get to Saiko Iyashi-no-Sato Nenba
The village is on the northwest shore of Lake Saiko in Fujikawaguchiko town, west of Lake Kawaguchiko.
By bus from Kawaguchiko Station
The Saiko loop bus (Green Line) takes about 40 minutes to the Saiko Iyashi-no-Sato stop, by the entrance. Check the Fujikyu bus timetable for the last bus back before you set out.
By car
About 20 to 25 minutes from the Kawaguchiko Interchange on the Chuo Expressway. Parking is free.
- •Check the return bus time before you go in, so you do not miss the last Saiko loop bus.
- •Parking is free.
- •On 31 October 2026 roads around Lake Saiko are restricted for a high school relay race; the operator posts the details.
Best Time to Visit Saiko Iyashi-no-Sato Nenba
Clear mornings for Mount Fuji; mid-April to early May for weeping cherries; late October to mid-November for autumn leaves.
- •Go early on a clear day: the view of Mount Fuji over the roofs is the main reason to come.
- •Weeping cherries flower from mid-April to early May and autumn leaves peak from late October to mid-November.
- •Winter hours are shorter (9:30 to 16:30, last entry 16:00).
The prefectural tourism body gives this as the peak; timing varies with the year.
The busiest season for photographs of the roofs with Mount Fuji.
Shorter hours (9:30 to 16:30, last entry 16:00) and the clearest views of the mountain.
Entry Fee & Hours
| Category | Price (JPY) | Approx. (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Adult (high school and older) | ¥500 | ~$3.30 |
| Child (elementary and junior high) | ¥250 | ~$1.70 |
| Adult with a disability certificate | ¥150 | ~$1 |
| Child with a disability certificate | ¥50 | ~$0.30 |
Groups of 20 or more pay 450 yen (adults) and 200 yen (children). Parking is free. Craft workshops, food and kimono rental cost extra. JPY amounts are official; USD amounts are approximate and change with the exchange rate.
- •Entry covers walking the village and the museum houses. Workshops, food, shopping and kimono rental are paid separately.
- •Workshops are booked by phone with each workshop. Same-day or no-show cancellations are charged in full and day-before cancellations at 50%, except for bad weather or disasters. The operator plans to revise workshop prices from fiscal 2027.
- •Open every day of the year, with occasional temporary closures announced on the operator site.
- •Dogs can walk the paths with you but cannot enter the buildings. Smoking is not allowed.
Nearby Attractions
Back toward Kawaguchiko Station
Lake Kawaguchiko
Oishi Park
Mt. Fuji Panoramic Ropeway
Nenba on a western-lakes day
Use the morning bus out so you are back at Kawaguchiko by mid-afternoon.
Kawaguchiko and Nenba by bus
Morning
Saiko loop bus from Kawaguchiko Station, about 40 minutes
Late morning
Walk the village, then a workshop or lunch
Afternoon
Bus back to Kawaguchiko Station for the Mt. Fuji Panoramic Ropeway or the lakeshore
Frequently Asked Questions
References
View references
Saiko Iyashi-no-Sato Nenba
Fujikawaguchiko Town Tourism
Yamanashi Tourism Organization
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