Takai Kozan Memorial Hall Takai Kozan was not only a wealthy farmer who also engaged in trading, but also a highly cultured individual who studied Confucianism, Sinology, and Western sciences, in the late Yedo period (1603 - 1867). He was an excellent poet, painter, and a writer as well. Kozan often invited Katsushika Hokusai to Obuse and supported his artistic activities as a patron. Kozan's study and Hokusai's workshop are reproduced in the memorial hall, in which paintings, books, a self portrait by Kozan as well as the works by his associated artists and sketches by Hokusai are displayed. Entrance fee Adult 200 yen/ Open 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. (9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. between November and March), closed 12/29〜1/1 / 026-247-4049 8 min. walk from Obuse Station

Hokusai Museum During Hokusai's stay in Obuse, resulting from an invitation by Takai Kozan, the artist painted on hanging scrolls, screens, and frames. About forty of those hand painting pieces, as well as two festival floats with his paintings on the ceiling are exhibited. A dragon and phoenix with brilliant coloring are depicted on one of the ceiling paintings, and on the other, raging waves are illustrated on two frames (male waves and female waves) with a title "Doto". Although visitors can only see them through glass, Hokusai's spirit is conveyed through his masterstrokes. It is also interesting to see the relationship between Hokusai's aestheticism and Obuse in the screen theater. Entrance fee 500 yen/ open 9 a.m. -5 p.m. (9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. between November and March)/ 026-247-5206 12 min. walk from Obuse Station

The Obuse Museum/ The Nakajima Chinami Gallery Nakajima Chinami, a representative figure in contemporary Japanese painting circles, donated more than 400 pieces of the artist's own work. They are on permanent exhibition while the other cultural properties in town and private collections are displayed on occasion. Also, five out of seven festival floats (except the two in Hokusai Museum) are exhibited. Entrance fee Adult 400 yen/ Open 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.(9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. between December and March), closed 12/29〜1/1 / 026-247-6111 12 min. walk from Obuse Station

The Japanese Lamp Museum Paper lanterns, candle stands, lamps, and other lighting devices from Kanebako Masami's collection are displayed. The most outstanding items are 963 lamp devices which had been used in the Yedo period (1603 - 18867) through the Taisho period (1912 - 1926) in the Shin-etsu (present Nagano) region. They have been acknowledged as ethnically as well as academically valuable materials, and have been designated as tangible cultural properties by the government. Each displayed piece has different characteristics from the others. Some have highly sophisticated designs, and the others contain novel structures. The building, remodeled from an old storehouse is also interesting. Entrance fee Adult 500 yen/ Open 9:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. (9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. between November 21 and March 20), closed on Wednesdays・12/29〜1/1 / 026-247-5669 7 min. walk from Obuse Station