Takayama高山

A beautiful, historical town, with projecting latticework and eaves of uniform heights. One of the three largest festivals in Japan.

Hida Takayama in the northern part of Gifu Prefecture is a castle town at the foot of Takayama Castle, built in the 16th century. It is a town of old wooden houses standing side-by-side, and its lineal beauty, highlighted by projecting lattice and eaves of uniform height, draws visitors' attention. The Takayama-matsuri Festival, believed to have begun in the 16th to 17th century, is one of the three largest and most beautiful festivals in Japan. During the festival, intricate floats roam the city. The floats, utilizing the essence of Hida's traditional techniques, are dazzling and magnificent. The Takayama-matsuri Festival is held in the spring and fall every year. In spring, Hie-jinja Shrine plays a main role, while in the fall Sakura-yama Hachiman-gu Shrine plays a main role.

At the Shishi Kaikan, there is a live performance of the marionettes used in the festival. In both spring and fall, events are held at the Takayama City Memorial Hall that allow women to wear kimono and men to wear hakama, and then tour the city.

Other tourist spots include Kyodo Gangu-kan (which exhibits folk-art toys from all over Japan), the Hida Folk Museum (Minzoku-kan) that passes down facts and images of life at farming villages in Hida, and Takayama Jinya, which administered politics in the 17th century during the Edo Period. Takayama Jinya's Gate and Examination House remain the way they were in the 19th century, the time of their renovation. There are also two morning markets held nearby, one in front of Jinya and the other along the Miya-gawa River, where the wives of local farmers sell fresh vegetables and mountain vegetables that were harvested that day, as well as homemade miso (Japanese bean paste) and folk-art goods.

There are many skiing resorts nearby. Takayama is also popular as a base for sightseeing trips to Mt. Norikura-dake, World Heritage Shirakawa-go, and Chubu Mountains National Park.