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Takayama is a city in the mountainous Hida region

of Gifu Prefecture. Takayama retains a

traditional touch like few other Japanese cities,

especially in its beautifully preserved old town. It now ranks as one of the prime

candidates among travelers wishing to add a

rural element into their itineraries

Acer palmatum, called Japanese maple or smooth Japanese maple (Japanese: irohamomiji, or momiji)

Nakabashi Bridge (Red Bridge) of Takayama

Nakabashi Bridge and Miya-gawa river

Miya-gawa river

The name 'Takayama' means 'tall mountain'

The mountain city of Takayama is associated with charms known as "sarubobos", which are traditionally passed from grandmothers to grandchildren and mothers to daughters, though are now often sold as souvenirs. Takayama was settled as far back as the Jōmon period. Takayama is best known for its inhabitants' expertise in carpentry. It is believed carpenters from Takayama worked on the Imperial Palace in Kyoto and on many of the temples in Kyoto and Nara. The town and its culture, as they exist today, took shape at the end of the 16th century, when the Kanamori clan built Takayama Castle. About a hundred years later the city came under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate. However, the high altitude and separation from other areas of Japan kept the area fairly isolated, allowing Takayama to develop its own culture over about a 300-year period

Local artisan making colorful glass beads for necklaces and earrings

The Takayama Festival, held in spring and autumn, is considered one of Japan's best festivals. Each festival features its own set of about a dozen festival floats (yatai).

Side view of one of the festival floats at Takayama Spring Festival (Sanno Matsuri)

A set of replica floats are, furthermore, exhibited around the year at the Matsuri no Mori festival museum

Main exhibition space at Matsuri no Mori

Robots performing on the biggest drums in the world at Matsuri no Mori

Takayama Matsuri Yatai KaikanFour of the autumn festival's eleven floats (yatai) are exhibited at the Takayama Matsuri Yatai Kaikan

The Takayama Festival, held in spring (April 14 and 15) and autumn (October 9 and 10), is ranked as one of Japan's three most beautiful festivals (the other two are Kyoto's Gion Matsuri and theChichibu Matsuri)

Takayama Autumn Festival (9th and 10th of October) has been celebrated for around 400 years now

Takayama Archives Museum

The building is the pride of local carpenters’ and artisans’ work, as the it’s almost completely built with hinoki  (Japanese Cypress).It’s also the first building in the area to have glass windows

Takayama Archives Museum. This building is the old Town Office

Besides the liberal use of glass windows, the curved lattice ceiling of the meeting room on the second floor also adopted western style

Takayama Jinya is a historical government house that has been restored to its earlier design and is open for tours

Takayama Jinya

Takayama iron manhole cover

A carved wooden lucky cat (maneki neko) in front of an antique store in Takayama

Takayama iron manhole cover

Takayama iron manhole cover

Takayama gained importance as a source of high quality timber and highly skilled

carpenters during the feudal ages. The city was

consequently put under direct control of the shogun and

enjoyed quite a bit of prosperity considering its remote mountain location

Ashinaga zuchi zou, statue on Kajibashi Bridge, Takayama

Ashinaga-tenaga ("Long Legs, Long Arms") are a pair of yōkai

in Japanese folklore. One, Ashinaga-jin, has extremely long legs, while the other, Tenaga-jin, has extremely long arms. They

were first described in the Japanese encyclopedia Wakan

Sansai Zue

Tenaga zuchi zou on the bridge crossing Miyagawa

Ashinaga zuchi zou ,statue on Kajibashi Bridge,

Takayama

Daikoku, Deity of Wealth or of the household, particularly the kitchen.  Daikokuten evolved from the Buddhist form of the Indian deity Shiva intertwined with the Shinto god Ōkuninushi

Miyagawa river

Lucky cats (maneki-neko) by the River

The maneki-neko (literally "beckoning cat") is a common Japanese figurine (lucky charm, talisman) which is often believed to bring good luck to the owner and is usually displayed—often at the entrance—of shops, restaurants, pachinko parlors, and other businesses.

Established in the 16th century as the castle town of the Kanamori family, Takayama is now famous throughout Japan for its beautifully preserved old-quarter, which has a series of streets lined with Edo style wooden buildings Takayama iron manhole

cover

Pictures: Sanda Foişoreanu Nicoleta Leu InternetCopyright: All the images belong to their authors

Presentation: Sanda Foişoreanuwww.slideshare.net/michaelasanda

Sound: Teresa Teng 2015

Takayama flag

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Takayama1 Hida Kokubunji temple

From Tokyo to Takayama