Hida-Takayama

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Hida-Takayama (????), locally just plain Takayama (??), is a city near the northern Japan Alps of Gifu prefecture, in the Chubu region of Japan.

	hida-takayama Travel Guide : 1 Get in 1.1 By Train 1.2 By Bus 2 Get around 3 See 4 Do 5 Buy 6 Eat 7 Drink 8 Sleep 9 Contact 10 Get out 11 External links

Get in

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 (????????) 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.

Get around

Takayama is small enough to cover on foot, but bicycle rental (¥600 per day from the youth hostel) is also a good option.

See

• The Hida Folk Village (????? Hida Minzokumura, 1 (http://www.hidanosato.org/)), also known as Hida-no-Sato (????), is an attractive open-air museum assembled from real buildings that effectively recreates an entire traditional mountain village. Not only can you tour the village, but artisans continue to work in many buildings; you can buy their crafts and even try your own hand at a number of activities. The architectural highlights are the traditional thatched-roof gassh?-zukuri houses, built with roofs like hands in prayer to withstand the heavy snowfalls in this region. Entry is ¥700, or ¥900 for a combination ticket including bus transfers from and to JR Takayama station (recommended, as this will save you a 30-minute uphill walk).

• Sanmachi (????) is the old city of Takayama, and the only pretty section of this otherwise rather ugly city. Consisting of three narrow lanes packed with wooden buildings housing sake breweries and little boutiques, some of the larger merchant houses are now open as museums. The area is a 10-minute walk to the east of the station.

Do

Takayama is famous for its two festivals:

• Sann? Matsuri (????), April 14-15
• Yahata Matsuri (????), 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 (????) and the autumn with Sakurayama Hachimangu Shrine (?????). Both are much alike and feature a parade of large floats (?? 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.

Buy

Sarubobo (lit. "baby monkey") amulets, shaped like faceless humans and available in a variety of sizes, are the most popular souvenir from Takayama.

Eat

Takayama is famous for its ramen noodles, cooked in miso stock with thin noodles. As elsewhere in Gifu, you are also likely to encounter h?ba miso (?????), a version of the ubiquitous Japanese bean paste grilled on a h?ba leaf and served as a dip or for eating with rice as is. Sounds pretty simple, but the taste is exquisite.

Drink

Sleep

• Hida-Takayama Tensh?ji Youth Hostel (?????????), tel. 0577-32-6345, 2 (http://www.jyh.or.jp/english/toukai/hidataka/). A temple-affiliated youth hostel on the eastern outskirts of the city, a 20-minute walk from the station. A bed for the night is ¥2800/night for HI members.

Contact

• Hida Tourist Information Office, opposite JR Takayama station, tel. 0577-32-5328. The staff speak English and are a mine of information for the area. Open daily from 8.30 AM to 5 PM.

Get out

• The remote and beautiful Oku-Hida Onsen Villages are less than an hour away by bus.

External links

• Hida-Takayama Tourism Association (http://www.hidatakayama.or.jp/english/)

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