We were up in good time for the train to Nagoya but after that found ourselves struggling at the Nagoya train station trying to find Platform 1 for our connecting train onwards to Takayama. After touching base with some guards we finally found it and jumped on the train with about 10 seconds to spare. Phew!
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| Kanazawa to Toyama train |
It was a slightly slower train, which was great because it allowed us plenty of time to enjoy the mountainous country we were getting into. With deep gorges, waterways and verdant growth, it was very pretty. The villages we past were small, and the environment definitely rural, with a living probably hard-won by many of the rice farmers.
We were heading to Takayama because the region is known for its very old, very steep-roofed timber buildings. The steep pitch is required due to the amount of snow that falls each winter. The style is characteristic of this particular area.
It was an easy walk to our hotel after getting off the train but we immediately stored our bags and followed the advice of the very helpful receptionist to catch a bus just around the corner. Within 15 minutes we were at Hida-No-Sato, an open-air museum where over 30 buildings have been gathered together from different parts of the Hida region. It has the same philosophy as Founders Park in Nelson, but there the similarity stopped. The buildings included over a dozen of the extremely large, dark-timbered, steep-roofed houses that were lived in by multiple generations. The earliest was built in 1751. They were truly stunning in their size and scale but also in their ruggedness and lack of any insulation. Warmth was gained only from multiple continuously-burning open fireplaces.
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| Hido-no-Sato Village |
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| The houses were enormous |
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| Pretty crude, most floors were mud plaster |
An array of tool and articles on display showed how daily life was lived, e.g. using rice straw for making clothes and shoes/snow boots, weaving thread from the silkworms they raised, wood carving and so on. Life would have been very tough, and very cold. Unfortunately we were there during lunchtime so missed seeing the local artisans demonstrating the local techniques of weaving, lacquer making, paper making, wood carving and so on. The whole complex was very well laid-out and explained and the trip to see it was definitely worthwhile. The smoke drifts up through the thatch, helping preserve it against rot, insects and vermin. It also means that the interiors reek of smoke, and are very dark.
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| Massive construction. Note the ladder to the loft. |
For all that, we quick-stepped our way around it because we had plenty to see back in Takayama, and only the remainder of the day to do so. Ten minutes on the bus and we were back in town and on the hunt for some lunch at 1:30pm. Found a little eatery for a perfect udon ramen. Tummy grumbles satisfied, we set off for our next target - Takayama's exhibition hall for its festival floats.
Takayama hosts one of the top three festivals in Japan when its magnificent floats are pulled through the streets of the town by men in full traditional costume. The festival began 350 years ago, with a simple village ceremony but it has grown into a massive event which came to showcase the craftsmanship of the artisans of the area - wood carving, lacquering and decorative metalwork. A spirit of competition also developed between various districts of the town. The floats are paraded in the streets during Spring and Autumn festivals and unfortunately we couldn't quite work our itinerary so that we could be in town for the Spring event, which had been held just a few weeks ago.
However, seeing six of the floats in the exhibition hall gave a brilliant impression of their grandeur. There are 30 floats in all, but only six on display at any one time. They are very tall, weigh many tons and require up to forty men at a time to carry them on their shoulders, or wheel them along. The bearers of the non-wheeled floats only last 10 minutes before they have to be relieved by the next group of 40.
In an adjacent museum was an incredible display of models. Each building represented a lifesize one at the temple complex in Nara. The amount of detail in each model was astounding.
After viewing these spectacles we embarked on a low-key walk around the historic area of Takayama, poking into every second-hand shop we came across. The town is a nice small scale, and instead of having just a preserved core that delights inquisitive tourists, the old wooden traditional style of shops and houses seemed to cover a large number of blocks and extend out to include everyday living and shopping. Mum and Pa's vege shop, toy shops, pharmacies and all the normal neighbourhood activities were embedded in the historical framework. It was very pleasant to walk through and experience without being crowded by tourists, who typically kept to just a few main streets.
We managed to largely follow the Higashiyama recommended walking route, and even though it was late afternoon by this stage, kept going. Rather foot-sore, we finally succumbed and managed to limp back to our accommodation at about 6pm to collect our bags and check in.
We had the surreal experience of a Japanese fire alarm. After only a couple of minutes in our room, a speaker in our ceiling started blaring, then there was an announcement that there was possibly a fire on level 3, and "we are checking it out". This was repeated, then it blared out "positive, positive", so we grabbed the important things like passport and electronics and hustled down the stairs. Down in reception, people were still taking drinks, checking in, waiting for the lifts and so on. Here a one level fire alarm is just that, the rest of the building seems to carry on regardless. Unbelievable in a country that has had its heritage burnt out countless times from prehistory to WWII. After a few minutes, everything seemed to be back to normal and we asked if we could go back upstairs. Really odd. Don't get caught in a real fire in Japan, you will never know until you are dead.
We'd earlier scouted a cheap eatery around the corner and ventured back for a tasty and simple stir-fry meal. I finished the day at the onsen at the hotel, on the 7th floor, chatting to a Spanish/Italian couple.
