TAKAYAMA

On our way to the Japan Alps..

Changing trains at Nagoya, from the Shinkansen (above) to the Hida Limited Express (with panoramic windows)

Lunch on the train

We should have bought those nice lunch boxes.. There was also trolley service.

We had a lovely train trip with the Hida Limited Express into the Japanese Alps. We had a few hours before
we were expected at our hotel. Fortunately we found coin lockers available for our baggage, so we could
explore the town, cameras at the ready.
(We almost forgot our bags here when we took the bus later that afternoon for our hotel..)

There is a modern part of town to walk through before one crosses the river into historic Takayama, but
I was pleased to see some original wooden houses still lining the initial route we walked.

Quite unexpectedly we passed a small gallery; the door was open, a sign invited us in.
I certainly appreciated Mr I. Tanaka's photography but regretted no one was there to talk to.
I would have loved to buy a book of his work. Perhaps one of these days through an internet purchase..?
Retracing my steps on Google Maps I found this to be in the Ekimae Chuo Dori, 2nd block after crossing 158 road,
Nadamachi quarter I think. Visit recommended, some fine photography on display here and books by Mr Tanaka to browse.

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The next day we returned for more; again we walked to the river for the old district

Through Google Maps I retraced my steps and found this temple to be the Hida Kokubun-ji Temple ".. one of the
few surviving provincial temples established by Emperor Shōmu during the Nara period (710 – 794)."
en.wikipedia.org:_Hida_Kokubun-ji

Hida Kokubun-ji Temple, Takayama

Funny creatures... On the left the Ashinaga statue on the bridge of the Road 158 crossing the Miyagawa River.
That funny wood carving is located on the corner of the bridge and turning left for the Miyagawa Morning Market.

The fish enjoyed the feeding but meanwhile a black kite (Milvus migrans lineatus) was keen to feed itself!

MIYAGAWA MORNING MARKET

Nowhere to sit down to consume a snack except on a block of concrete, on a street corner.
Very few Japanese consume something on the street, it's not done; that is perhaps why these women look 'caught'?
A top three of regrets here: lack of street food, lack of benches to sit down, lack of trash cans in the streets.

TAKAYAMA AUTUMN FESTIVAL

Sakurayama Hachiman (Shrine) sponsors the Takayama Autumn Festival in October, a festival that features
large floats (at night) covered in lanterns. At festival time, up to 1 million people visit the shrine.
No wonder I had trouble booking a hotel 2 months before the festival!
We only visited during the day, as I had no prior knowledge of the lantern tour at night.

Quite by accident we found our stay at Takayama matching the Autumn Festival. At first I was dismayed because
I found available hotel accommodation scarce and expensive, but the festival is quite unique and we ended up
in an equally unique hotel (albeit 40 minutes out of town by Niho bus).

Our hotel, the Takayama 'WanWan' Dog Paradise Hotel, was indeed a hotel for dog lovers! Something I had not expected inspite of the name, I thought it was one of those peculiar translations... More on this remarkable hotel at the bottom of my Takayama account here! Btw, 'Wan Wan' would translate to something like Woof Woof!

In 2023 I purchased a book, Japan's Best Friend ('Dog Culture in the Land of the Rising Sun'), which certainly increased my understand. It is discussed on MyBlog 2023Q4.

I did not know the floats would also move after sunset, illuminated by Chinese lanterns; must be an enchanting setting
to witness. If there is a next time I'll try to book earlier and find accommodation in town.

These wooden dolls wearing silk and brocade are manipulated with strings and push rods from within the float by
expert puppeteers. Manipulations by strings of multiple puppets require the skills of upto 9 puppet masters!
The doll becomes almost lifelike as it performs a series of complex gestures, turns, and other movements.

A tribute to Elliott Erwitt (b. 1928), Magnum photographer, also known for his photos of dogs

SAKURAYAMA HACHIMAN SHRINE

The origins of Sakurayama Hachimangu Shrine date from the time of the Emperor Nintoku (413 - 439), when he
requested Prince Takefurukuma-no-mikoto to subjugate the monster Ryoumen Sukuna, an incredible beast with 2 heads,
4 arms and 4 legs... Before undertaking his task, the warrior enshrined his father, the Emperor Ojin, as the deity of this sanctuary and prayed for the success of his mission. In 1683, through the benefaction of Lord Kanamori, the shrine
was enlarged and officially established for the protection of the town.
More than 1.500.000 people vist the shrine annually!
www.hidahachimangu.jp/english/

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HIDA TAKAYAMA TOWN MUSEUM

Relaxed museum of local cultural history, with exhibits, a reading room & a modest garden.

The Takayama Autumn Festival is the annual festival of Sakurayama Hachimangu Shrine

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The historic houses district of Takayama

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TAKAYAMA JINYA

"... the only existing building of its kind in Japan".

We shuffled around on our socks again, the shoes in a plastic carrier bag. The tatami mats felt comfortable.

I have read the size of rooms described by the number of tatami mats; must be some standard size to them.

'Use for tax collection, one sack contains about 60 kg of unpollished rice'

Roofing material; the 'no smoking' sign I can understand, but 'no graffiti' may be a little harder to understand?

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GOKAYAMA / SUGANUMA

It is Suganuma, the hand written 'Sugamuma' is a spelling mistake.

The gassho roof has a slope of about 60 degrees forming a nearly equilateral triangle. This steep pitch allows snow to
slide off the roof easily. The enormous roof is supported by stout oak beams called chonabari, which are curved at the
base. The valley is in a mountain region with considerable snowfall. The roofs are rethatched every 15 to 20 years.

Gasshō-zukuri houses in Suganuma

The Shinto shrine for the village deity is nowadays located on a slight rise, but has twice been relocated since the 1930s

Apart from one large irrigated rice field in the lower side of the village, all other rice fields or crop plots surround the farmhouses themselves. Irrigation was only introduced in 1945; before that the land was used for mulberry tree
cultivation to support silkworm production.

There is a special kind in Japan of relation
between dog owners and their dogs!

SHIRAKAWA-GO

A nice look down from the restaurant where we had a good lunch; part of the group excursion.

A fine lunch was included in the tour.
We also had a good conversation going, I was sorry we had to break it up!

After the group lunch we spread out and walked the village on our own, with the help of a
map issued to us. A few houses were marked as open for a visit to their interiors.

The historic village of Shirakawa-gō.
The houses are large, with three to four storeys encompassed between the low eaves, and historically intended to
house large extended families and a highly efficient space for a variety of industries.

Wada House was one of the houses we could enter and explore.

Kanda House, another house open to visit, showing fine decorations.
The guide had said the price of visits to Kanda House and Wada were included in the tour, but that was incorrect.
However, the fee was only some 200 Yen as I recall, so quite minimal really.

'The second and third floor were workplaces for sericulture.'

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We changed busses in Hirayu and had a 45 minute wait. A good opportunity to have breakfast (at the busstation).

A matter of ordering (pointing to a couple having toast) and getting tickets and a buzzer.

Others used their time for a different activity while waiting for the bus. Hirayu is well known for its 'onsen': hot springs

A route by Niho bus to Matsumoto through the beautiful Japanese Alps. Sorry to leave peace and quiet behind.

MATSUMOTO

Matsumoto, located in Nagano Prefecture.

The castle underwent 'the great Meiji renovation' between 1903-1913.
It underwent another renovation, 'the great Shōwa renovation, during the period 1950-1955.

'Yazama' and 'Teppozama' for shooting arrows and firing muskets.

A very interesting display in 'the gun museum'.

A much more interesting visit than the Himeji Castle, as that one had no display nor decoration whatsoever.

Ah, a Dutch connection..!

And again the visit needed our shoes to be taken off. Also we had to take them with us in a plastic bag, issued to us.
This meant more stuff to carry around while negotiationg the steep, well polished staircases.
I felt distinctly uncomfortable doing this, the staircases were very steep indeed.
I doubt whether such conditions would meet western health- and safety standards!

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From Matsumoto we continued by another Limited Express train to Shinjuku (Tokyo)

Travel on the Super Azusa Limited Express.

At Shinjuku Station: E353 series EMU on a Super Azusa service

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