Takayama - The Japanese Alps in Spring

After our "restful" stay in Hakone, we set off for Takayama on Sunday morning. Takayama is the center of the Hida region, which includes the nearby Japanese Alps. This city has about 90,000 inhabitants (a relatively tiny city by Japanese standards) and is very popular with tourists.

The small old town consists of traditional old wooden houses, which house craft shops, bookstores, sake breweries, and tourist shops. Many of the old craftsmen in Takayama, especially carpenters and joiners, have been commissioned in the past to build numerous temple buildings throughout Japan. Some of the facilities we have already visited in Kyoto and Nara were built by master craftsmen from this region.

Every year in April, one of Japan's most important festivals takes place here. The so-called Takayama Matsuri (Takayama Spring Festival). We are fortunate, or rather our trip is planned in such a way that we can participate in this festival. The special thing about this festival is that huge, beautifully designed festival floats drive through the city during the festive processions. Each of these festival floats is decorated differently and adorned with fine wooden ornaments. For us, this festival was once again a great opportunity to immerse ourselves in the culture and folklore of Japan.

Although the weather unfortunately spoiled our plans on Sunday (the events of the first day of the festival were canceled due to the rain), there were festival processions all day today. The city was full of life and there were small markets and stalls everywhere with crafts, souvenirs, and numerous delicacies.