Iyashi no Sato is now made up of more than twenty houses that have been converted into shops, restaurants, museums and galleries. Each of the shops specializes in a traditional craft such as pottery, incense or weaving. Some of the handicraft shops, provide hands on workshops for visitors to try making traditional products, including washi paper, charcoal and soba noodles. The village stands on the site of a former farming village on the western shores of Lake Saiko. The village was destroyed by a landslide during a typhoon in 1966. Forty years later the village's traditional thatched roofed houses were reconstructed and reopened as an open-air museum and traditional craft village where people can learn about the culture and try out and purchase different local handicrafts.