[Fukui Prefecture] Enjoy the world of Mizukami Mizukami! The charm of Wakashu Itteki Bunko and bamboo puppet Bunraku

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Wakashu Itteki Bunko is a literary museum established in the hometown of Mizukami Tsutomu, a writer from Oi Town, Fukui Prefecture . It features a library housing 20,000 books from Mizukami's collection, a three-story wooden main building including a calligraphy and painting exhibition room, and a Kurumaisu Theater where bamboo puppet Bunraku puppetry is performed. It is a place where you can explore the origins of Mizukami literature.

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Visit North Kansai

We are a voluntary tourism organization that promotes the attractions of the northern part of Kinki, including Tamba, Tajima, Tango, and Wakasa. The flavors of Northern Kinki are not limited to crab, a representative winter sea delicacy, but also include oysters, yellowtail, and pufferfish, as well as cockles, rock oysters, and white squid in the summer, and mountain flavors such as Tamba chestnuts, Tamba black beans, and the summer fruit, sand dune melon. This is an area where you can enjoy gourmet food all year round. I would be delighted to visit the vast northern Kinki region many times and provide information on railway journeys.

Table of Contents
What is Wakashu Itteki Bunko?
Facility Map
Information
How to get to Wakashu Itteki Bunko

What is Wakashu Itteki Bunko?

The Jakushu Itteki Bunko is a literary museum that exhibits materials related to religion, art, literature, etc. and is the base of the Jakushu Ningyoza Theatre, which is presided over by the Japanese novelist Mizukami Mizukami. It was opened in 1985 in Oi Town , Fukui Prefecture , the hometown of Mizukami Mizukami.

The name was chosen by Mizukami Tsutomu with the idea of "not wasting even a drop of water," and it also conveys his hope that children will encounter books and pick up new beginnings in their lives and their dreams.

Inside the museum, various materials related to Mizukami works, including the novel "Fangs of the Sea," are on display. The adjacent Bamboo Doll Museum was built as an exhibition space for bamboo puppets for the Wakashu Puppet Theatre, which Mizukami Tsutomu presides over. Japanese houses stand in a row in the spacious Japanese garden, allowing you to experience the world of Mizukami Tsutomu along with the scenery of the four seasons.

Facility Map

Main Building

The main building is a replica of an old Japanese house and can be visited by wheelchair users. In addition to a gallery of materials related to Mizukami literature and paintings by authors closely connected to Mizukami's literature, such as Jun Watanabe, the library has about 20,000 books, including those by Mizukami Mizukami, which can be freely read.

The exhibition room on the first floor of the main building hosts special exhibitions with changing themes throughout the year. Please check the official website for the special exhibition event schedule.

Bamboo Doll Museum

This museum was built as an exhibition space for bamboo puppets by the Wakashu Puppet Theatre, which is led by Mizukami Mizukami. Approximately 60 bamboo puppets of characters from Mizukami's works, as well as approximately 250 puppet heads, are on display, one for each work.

On the second floor, there are exhibits of colored paper by artists who have visited the Jakushu Itteki Bunko, as well as original illustrations for Mizukami's works. Regular performances of bamboo puppet Bunraku are held here by the Jakushu Puppet Theatre.

Wheelchair Theater

There is a large opening at the back of the theatre, making it a rare venue in which the bamboo grove behind it also forms part of the stage.

Hexagonal Hall

The hexagonal hall in the Chuo of the Jakushu Itteki Bunko was built as a resting place for people to chat. From inside the building, you can see almost the entire Jakushu Itteki Bunko, and there is an open hearth. Noodles, mugwort mochi, drinks, etc. are sold here.

Business hours: 9:00-15:30 (last order)

Thatched roof building

Kayabukikan is an old Japanese house with a thatched roof. In the past, Mizukami Mizukami also talked with visitors to the Wakashu Itteki Bunko here. Currently, each room can be rented out.

garden

At Wakashu Itteki Bunko, there are plants that can be enjoyed in every season. They are planted to blend in with the surrounding mountains and buildings, allowing you to enjoy the beauty of a Japanese garden. Please enjoy the seasonal flowers such as nanjamonja trees, crape myrtle, camellia, plum, weeping cherry, and Chinese quince.

Information

location

33-2-1 Okada, Oi-cho , Oi Town, Fukui Prefecture

Opening hours

9:00 to 17:00

Closed every Tuesday (or the following day if Tuesday is a public holiday), and during the New Year holidays (December 29th to January 3rd)

Admission fee

Main Exhibition Room/Bamboo Doll Museum: 300 yen for adults, free for high school students and younger

*The Main Building Lounge, Library, Bunna's Room, Rokukakudo, and Kuruma Isu Theatre are available for free use.

How to get to Wakashu Itteki Bunko

Take the train to Wakashu Itteki Bunko

●From Kyoto Station

From JR Kyoto Station, take the Maizuru Express to JR Higashi-Maizuru Station. Transfer to the Obama at JR Higashi-Maizuru Station and get off at JR Wakasa Station. It takes about 3 hours from Kyoto Station. From JR Wakasa Wada Station to Wakashu Itteki Bunko, it is about a 35-minute walk or an 8-minute taxi ride.

●From Tokyo Station

From JR Tokyo Station, take the Tokaido Shinkansen to JR Kyoto Station. Transfer to the Obama at JR Higashi-Maizuru Station and get off at JR Wakasa Station. It takes about 5 hours from Tokyo Station. From Wakasa Wada Station to Wakashu Itteki Bunko, it is about a 35-minute walk or an 8-minute taxi ride.

Drive to Wakashu Itteki Bunko

From Kyoto, take National Route 9 on the Kyoto Jukan Expressway to the Kutsukake IC. From the Kutsukake IC, go through Ayabe JCT, enter the Maizuru Wakasa Expressway, and get off at the Oi Takahama IC. From the Oi Takahama IC, take Prefectural Route 16 and Prefectural Route 1 to Wakashu Hitoteki Bunko. It takes about 2 hours from Kyoto Station to Wakashu Hitoteki Bunko.

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Written by

Visit North Kansai

Kyoto

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