Japan takes enormous pride in its culture but has a poor record on its preservation. This is particularly true of the Meiji Era (1868-1912), perhaps the most dynamic period in the country¡¯s history, when Japan emerged from more than 200 years of self-imposed isolation and laid the foundations of a modern nation state through the rapid assimilation of Western culture and technology.

Remnants of Meiji remain. Even amid the drab jumble of concrete cubes that are Japan¡¯s modern cities one occasionally stumbles across a beautiful old building, a tantalizing reminder of a bygone age of elegance and style.

If you enjoy those rare finds you will love Meiji Mura -- over 60 original Meiji Era buildings rebuilt in 1 million sq. meters of beautifully landscaped parkland overlooking Lake Iruka in Inuyama, Aichi Prefecture.