At the entrance to this house, there are two stone pillars, which make up a gatepost. That is also a characteristic of an oshi home. The priests would hang paper lanterns from them as a signal that guests were welcome.

So now you know several characteristics of an oshi home: if it’s situated on a narrow street, if it’s bordered by Yana River, and if there are paper lanterns, pine trees, stone monuments, or stone pillar gate posts. You might also see lanterns made of stone, metal, or wood, or perhaps a pond in the yard. There used to be lanterns in front of each house in the middle of the main street, actually, and they indicated who lived there. For the ponds, people would bring fish from Yamanaka Lake and Kawaguchi Lake, and sometimes they would even cook and eat them.

There are many more oshi homes here that we haven’t pointed out. Try to see if you can find them as you walk along the main street.