Photo by Zao Kokeshi Museum

Photo by Roger Smith

Photo by Roger Smith

  • Located a stone's throw from Togatta Onsen, the Zao Kokeshi Museum boasts boasts a collection of kokeshi dolls 5,500 strong—the largest in Japan! Kokeshi are a traditional craft that originated in the hot springs regions of northern Japan. Characteristics such as the shapes and facial features of the dolls are unique to each region. At the Zao Kokeshi Museum, you can wander through displays of kokeshi from all over the Tohoku region. If you time your visit right, you may be lucky enough to witness a kokeshi artisan at work. Visitors can also try their hand at painting their own original kokeshi.

  • Last Update
    October 6, 2023

    Area Mt. Zao

Details

ADDRESS

Shinchinishiurayama-36-135 Togattaonsen, Zao-machi, Katta-gun, Miyagi-ken 989-0916

ACCESS BY PUBLIC TRANSIT

By highway bus: 70 minutes from Sendai Station, followed by a 10-minute walk.

Board bus bound for Murata・Zao・Togatta (村田・蔵王・遠刈田) at Sendai Station Bus Stop 33. Alight at the Togatta Onsen (遠刈田温泉) bus stop. Timetable here.

ADMISSION

Museum entry: Adults ¥350, ¥200 children ages elementary to junior high school, children ages kindergarten & younger free.
Kokeshi painting: ¥1,000

CREDIT CARDS

Accepted

LANGUAGES

Japanese only

HANDICAP ACCESSIBLE

Yes

HOURS

9:00–17:00 (Last entry 16:30)

CLOSED DAYS

New Year's holiday period (Dec 29–Jan 3)

PHONE

0224-34-2385

OFFICIAL URL

http://kokeshizao.com/