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TONO itself is a small town set among flat rice-lands, with orchards and pine forests clothing the surrounding hills. Although it's mainly of interest for its hotels, banks and other facilities, there are a couple of museums to see before setting off round the valley. From Tono Station it's an eight-minute walk straight across town and over the river to the Tono Municipal Museum (daily: April-Oct 9am-5pm; closed last day of the month & hols; Jan-March, Nov & Dec also closed Mon; Y300, or Y500 with Tono Folk Village), at the back of a red-brick building which doubles as the library. This entertaining museum gives a good overview of life in Tono - its festivals, crafts and agricultural traditions - and you can watch beautifully presented cartoon versionsof the most famous legends which, though narrated in Japanese, are simple tales and easy to follow. Walking back towards the station, turn left just across the river for Tono Folk Village (daily: April-Nov 9am-5pm; closed last day of the month & Sept 20-30; Jan-March & Dec also closed Mon; Y300). The "village" consists of several buildings, including the ryokan where Yanagita stayed while researching his legends, and an old storehouse containing more dramatizations of the stories. Look out for the translations of Japanese fairy-tales by Lafcadio Hearn , compiled in the late nineteenth century; his interest in these stories helped keep them alive.
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