A couple of weeks ago, Hunter and I enjoyed a trip four day trip away to Takayama. Located in the "Japanese Alps", the area is not densely settled, which was a pleasant change from the busyness of our usual surrounds. We caught a Shinkansen to Nagoya, and then a slower train to Takayama.The train trip from Nagoya to Takayama was at times breathtakingly beautiful, with high forested mountains and a rushing river crashing over sharp-looking boulders, zigzagging alongside the train tracks. Two and a half hours passed in no time at all.
Takayama itself is a small city, with a population under 100,000. Because of its location in the Japanese Alps, the city was quite isolated, and developed a distinctive culture. Some highlights were:
- Aa district of old houses from the Edo period (1603-1868) that are either still lived in, or used as shops
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| Inside a museum - chimneys not invented yet, it seems |
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| I knew the Japanese were short, but this is tiny! |
- A folk village just outside the city, showcasing the rural lifestyles of years past, with beautiful thatched houses that I would most certainly not want to live in
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| Making straw shoes |
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| The finished product |
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| Work, peasant! |
- A walk among a string of temples on the eastern edge of the city.
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