Naramachi

photo by Kochizufan · CC BY-SA 4.0

photo by Kochizufan · CC BY-SA 4.0

Under the eaves hangs a small stuffed monkey that is believed to absorb other people's misfortunes.

Under the eaves of the neighbourhood's houses hangs a small stuffed red monkey, the migawari-zaru: it is believed to take on misfortunes in place of the residents. In the Koshi-no-ie museum house, a faithful reconstruction of a townhouse from the late Edo or Meiji period, narrow at the front and deep, you can see the wooden lattices typical of the neighbourhood.

Naramachi, which grew up within the former grounds of Gangō-ji, is the best-preserved merchant district in Nara city. Its townhouses, narrow at the front and deep, still carry under their eaves the migawari-zaru, the small stuffed red monkey believed to absorb misfortunes in place of whoever lives in the house.

🚉 Kintetsu Nara · 12 min walk

Sources: naramachiinfo.jp

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