Takayama, nestled in the heart of the Japanese Alps, is a picturesque mountain town renowned for its well-preserved Edo-period architecture and stunning natural beauty.
Kitayama
We followed the Kitayama walking course North East of town, which passes the Sakurayama Hachimangu Shrine.
Higaishiyama Walking Course
As we still had energy left, we continued on the Higaishiyama Walking Course. This was really a great walk, combining lots of shrines, temples & nature.
Hida No Satu or Hida Folk Village
Hida no Sato is an open-air museum located in Takayama, Japan, showcasing traditional rural life in the Hida region. The village features over 30 preserved thatched-roof farmhouses, known as “gassho-zukuri,” some of which are over 200 years old. It was really interesting to see how different life was until only 70 years ago in this area of Japan.
Hikaru Museum
Takayama is home of the headquarters of the Mahikaru religious organization. I would rather call it a cult or a sect. In 1999 they opened the Hikaru Museum. The Museum is as crazy as the organization. The building looks like a mixture of an Inca temple, Taj Mahal & Buckingham Palace. The collection is, let’s say, ecclectic. Fossils, dinosours, a Van Gogh, 2 real Renoirs & of course a hall in honor of the guy who founded the organization. Worth the visit out of curiosity, but not really a nice organization in our opinion.
More pictures of Takayama, click on a pic & scroll:
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