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TAKAYAMA |
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On the Gifu-ken side of the Central Alps range, in an area known as
Hida, lies the lovely town of TAKAYAMA , 110km northeast of Nagoya .
Once an enclave of skilled carpenters, employed by emperors to build
palaces and temples in Kyoto and Nara, Takayama is now a sprawling
modern town, although most of its old merchant houses, small museums,
tranquil temples and shrines are clustered into a compact area. Add the
area's specialized crafts and cuisine, not to mention warm-hearted
locals, and you'll realize why it brings in the crowds. The best time to
visit is out of season or during the week, when it's quiet enough to
appreciate the town's timeless atmosphere.
Takayama is famous throughout Japan for two of its festivals - the Sanno
Matsuri (April 14-15) and the Yahata Matsuri (Oct 9-10). During these
events, eleven huge elaborate floats, adorned with mechanical dolls (
karakuri ), are paraded around town, a spectacle that attracts hundreds
of thousands of visitors.
You can also view these fabulous floats ( yatai ) at nearby Furukawa , a
small town which, with its old houses, museums and temples, is like a
mini-Takayama, minus the crowds. Less accessible by public transport,
but very popular with the tour-bus brigade, are the picturesque villages
in the Shirakawa-go and Gokayama valleys , northwest of Takayama, where
three villages of gassho-zukuri A-frame thatched houses have been
designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Town
Top of your sightseeing priorities should be the Hida Folk Village , an
open-air museum of traditional houses gathered from all over the region
into a park on the west side of Takayama. In the centre of town, across
the Miya-gawa river, the San-machi Suji area of old merchants' houses is
also a highlight, though it's often throbbing with visitors. To escape
the crowds, you can head east to the Higashiyama Teramachi area of
woodland temples and shrines.
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