The Essence of Japan (continued)
Our day in Takayama begins with a walking tour conducted by Akiko. Takayama is a town of character surrounded by mountains. Its isolated
mountain location has ensured the survival of unspoiled Edo-period streets lined with tiny shops, museums, and eating places, while
the pure water is ideal for sake brewing. The town also stages one of Japans best-known festivals.
Akiko takes us firstly to the Hida Kokubunji Temple (right), a small, historic Hindu temple that features a row of Buddha statues
and an old, adjacent ginkgo tree. After a brief stop here, we continue to the Miyagawa Morning Market which is located on a street
alongside the Miya River, with stalls selling vegetables, fruits and other local farm products. There is a huge variety of prepared
food for sale and we taste some samples before purchasing what is basically a marshmallow square (below left). The market street is
crowded with people, many with dogs, but few of the dogs are walking, and most are being carried
After exploring the fascinating market, we walk to the Takayama Festival Floats Exhibition Hall, passing some old, private houses
on the way. The Exhibition Hall holds some of the floats used in the twice yearly (Spring and Autumn) festivals. The festivals are
famous for these large ornate floats, which are pulled around the city at night. The floats date back to the 17th-Century, and are
decorated with intricate carvings of gilded wood and detailed metal-work. Some of the beautifully decorated floats, which are displayed
behind glass panels, have provision for puppet displays. Only four of the twelve floats are on display here, the remainder are kept
in special storehouses with tall doors, some of which we pass on our tour of the town.
Festival Floats Exhibition Hall
We continue our walk along narrow streets, many of them featuring take-away food outlets that have long queues, mostly of youngsters. At one point we come across an old Japanese man sitting next to an oversized chair - much to his amusement, he watches Jeanette climb
onto the enormous chair and then agrees to be included in a photograph
(left) Takayama's Miya River