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 Takayama
Hotels & Travel
guide to Takayama Japan - Hida-Takayama (飛騨高山), locally just plain Takayama
(高山), is a city near the northern Japan Alps of Gifu prefecture, in the
Chubu region of Japan.
Want
to see the real Japan? Then Takayama is the place for you. A unique chance
to step back in time. “Takayama” the unspoilt secret village that
has lay forgotten in the Japanese Alps for centuries.
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Takayama
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Getting to Takayama
Takayama is the major
transport hub of the Hida region.
By Train
From Tokyo Station, you can reach Takayama by taking
a Tokaido Shinkansen train (Nozomi
or Hikari) to Nagoya and then transfer to the Wide
View Hida (ワイドビューひだ) Limited Express train for the run to Takayama. The ride
takes just over 4 hours via Nozomi with a good connection, and costs ¥14800.
By Hikari it takes 4 1/2 hours, but the ride is fully included in the Japan
Rail Pass.
From Osaka and Kyoto in
Kansai, Takayama is reachable by train in 3 1/2
hours.
By Bus
Buses to and from the Oku-Hida Onsen Villages leave from the bus station
adjacent to JR Takayama station.
 A
hundred years after Japan was modernised travellers discovered a small village
hidden high in the Japanese Alps. Cut off from the world, Takayama had lain
unaffected by the modernisation of Japan.
Today
Takayama can be accessed by an express train from Nagoya. Your
journey will take you through the most magnificent mountain scenery.
The centre of town is still lined with traditional homes, shops,
inns and saki breweries from a time gone by.
 Realising
the unique treasure they have in their care, the people of Takayama have preserved
much of the old Japan. There are many museums devoted to folk art and craft
as well as museums displaying items of archaeology, local history, and wild
birds. These are often displayed in preserved heritage houses.
 Shrines
ane Temples are to found in all parts of Takayama and are all preserved in
excellent condition with well-tended gardens. They alone are sufficient reason
to visit this gem of old Japan.
A
custom built modern building houses the Festival Floats for which
Takayama is famous. These are huge mobile shrines – spectacular
creations with flamboyant carvings, metal and lacquer work with
complex marionettes and puppets that perform amazing feats. Nearby
is the Lion Mask Exhibition Hall displaying over 800 Lion Masks and
antique musical instruments.
 Besides
the banks of the Miyagawa River which runs through the town are food markets,
which display the local, produce. There are also colourful stalls presenting
the works of local craftsmen. For generations, Takayama has been famous throughout
Japan for the skill of its wood carvers. These craftsmen are responsible for
the magnificent carvings at many Japanese Shrines including the world famous
shrines at Nikko.
Just
outside Takayama is the Hida Folk Village, a large open air Museum
displaying dozens of traditional houses which once housed farmers
and craftsmen in the region. These houses have been relocated here
and preserved in their original condition.
From
the Hida Folk Village are magnificent views of the Japanese Alps.
Made even more breathtaking during the colder months when the autumn
leaves make an almost unreal display of coloured foliage covering
square kilometres of the mountainside.
Takayama is famous for
its two festivals:
-
Sannō Matsuri (山王祭り),
April 14-15
-
Yahata Matsuri (八幡祭り),
October 9-10
Even though the
festivals' origin is unknown, it is said that they were first celebrated
between 1586 and 1692 when the Kanamori family governed the Hida Takayama
area. The spring festival is associated with Hie Shrine (日枝神社) and the autumn
with Sakurayama Hachimangu Shrine (桜山八幡宮). Both are much alike and feature a
parade of large floats (屋台 yatai) decorated with thick curtains, lacquer ware,
and mechanical dolls (karakuri). Twelve floats appear in the spring festival
and eleven in autumn. The procession carrying the portable shrine (mikoshi) is
unique to the autumn. During both festivals, this usually quiet town is lively
filled with visitors, so it is best to book accommodation and tickets early.
Takayama
has to be seen, to be believed!
In Australia, Japan
Package Tours, the Japan travel specialists can get you there!
For further information on Takayama or other destinations within Japan. Call Japan Packages
Tours 03-9909-7212.
(Article
based on
Wikitravel article
by Wikitravel users Jpatokal Article used under
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0. Additional content
provided by Japan Package Tours)
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