Lets Travel Asean Tours Japan Takayama

Takayama

Takayama and the surrounding area boast traditional architecture, opulent festivals and a range of the best mountains and onsen in Japan.

Widely considered Gifu’s crown jewel, Takayama is a fantastic destination surrounded by the scenic alpine countryside of the Japan Alps . A destination in itself, Takayama is also an excellent base from which to explore the Japan Alps and the surrounding Hida area.

Takayama is a popular destination year-round but is paticularly busy for the Takayama Festival in spring and autumn.

On festival days, the streets throng with visitors and locals who come to watch the festival procession and see the ornate floats.

On the Gifu-ken side of the Central Alps in an area known as Hida, the busy tourist town of Takayama (高山), 110km northeast of Nagoya, was once an enclave of skilled carpenters employed by emperors to build palaces and temples in Kyoto and Nara. Takayama’s appeal today lies in its old merchant houses, small museums, tranquil temples and shrines clustered into a compact area. An easy day-trip is Furukawa, a mini version of Takayama, but generally minus the crowds. Takayama can also be used as a base from which to visit the picturesque Shirakawa-gō and Gokayama valleys, where three villages of A-frame thatched houses have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.