Mino Washi Akari Art Museum
Paper lanterns illuminate the streets of the Udatsu Preservation District during the month-long Mino Washi Akari Art Festival. The lanterns are made by artists, lighting designers, and amateurs from around Japan, using Mino washi paper. Many lanterns are displayed year-round at Mino Washi Akari Art Museum.
The second floor of the museum has been designed to resemble the streets of the historical district at night, with a large photographic backdrop of traditional merchant houses. The room is lit by the soft glow of dozens of lanterns, each using translucent Mino washi paper as a sculptural medium. On the first floor is a display of lanterns made by local schoolchildren. Visitors can also purchase fans, cards, lanterns, and many other washi products, including kits to make lanterns at home.
The museum is in the former Minomachi Industrial Hall. The two-story wooden structure was built in 1941 and is the largest surviving wooden building from the Showa era (1926–1989) in Mino. The building is a Registered Tangible Cultural Property.