You know you’re getting the hang of things when you can navigate the station, tickets, platforms, and trains with tight timelines. Our trip from Kyoto to Takayama was executed with the efficiency of… the Japanese train system.
We headed out of Kyoto to Nagoya, then hopped on a mountain train for our 3 hour trip to Takayama. The train winds up through the mountains, following the Hida river most of the way through little towns that take advantage of hydro power, and the hot springs for tourism.
It was clear we were heading somewhere quite different… all of a sudden we needed cash to buy tickets which felt like a step back in time! As the weather closed in and we watch sleet around us, we also questioned how cold it was about to get. My packing theory of ‘if you don’t find yourself wearing every layer at some point, you brought too much’ was also about to be tested… did we bring enough???
If the welcoming committee at the train station was any gauge… no! Coats like this are not available in Australia.
The Takayama Spring festival is held on 14 & 15 April, so we arrived to the streets filled with ekka like stalls. These octopus balls were on the ‘give it a go’ list, the oversized dagwood dogs were not!
The Takayama Matsuri (Festival) has been running since the mid-1600s and is known as one of the three most beautiful festivals in Japan. In spring the festival celebrates the Hie Shrine in the Southern half of the town, while in Autumn the Hachiman shrine in the northern part of town is the focal point.
Each festival features its own set of floats called ’Yatai’. During the year the floats are kept in storehouses that are scattered across the old town. The festival museum (Matsuri no Mori) also displays floats throughout the year. On rainy festival days (like today), the storehouses are opened, letting visitors view the floats.
The floats are intricate and ornate, featuring decorative woodwork and metalwork inside and out, and surrounded by intricate drapery and puppets on the top. They’re incredibly beautiful and well cared for, acknowledging the important role that they play in bringing tourists to the town.
Takayama is also known for Sake, with 7 breweries in the town that have all been established for over 100 years. The choice is overwhelming, so the tasting system that provides a small cup for a few hundred yen is a great solution! They even have a little hot water heater to ensure it’s served at the best temperature, and snacks that are best enjoyed with sake… neither are my cup of tea!
It’s a town that’s filled with traditional architecture, shrines, and temples along the Miyagawa River. We got as far as the Soo-in Temple and Sakurayama Hachimangu shrine today, leaving plenty for tomorrow!
On a side note, with an inkling that a cold was it’s way I ducked into a pharmacy in search of some Lem-sip… confronted with this, I opted to trust my body knows how to fight it! Even my Google translate and my basic Japanese was no match for a set of shelves where everything appears to scream at you!!!
Love M & A xx
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