Takayama Japan

**TRAVEL

• TAKAYAMA – THE REAL JAPAN**
  Want to see the real Japan? Then Takayama is the place for you. A unique chance to step back in time. “Takayama” the unspoilt secret village that has lay forgotten in the Japanese Alps for centuries.

Let us take you there.

A hundred years after Japan was modernised travellers discovered a small village hidden high in the Japanese Alps. Cut off from the world, Takayama had lain unaffected by the modernisation of Japan.

Today Takayama can be accessed by an express train from Nagoya. Your journey will take you through the most magnificent mountain scenery. The centre of town is still lined with traditional homes, shops, inns and saki breweries from a time gone by.

Realising the unique treasure they have in their care, the people of Takayama have preserved much of the old Japan. There are many museums devoted to folk art and craft as well as museums displaying items of archaeology, local history, and wild birds. These are often displayed in preserved heritage houses.

Shrines ane Temples are to found in all parts of Takayama and are all preserved in excellent condition with well-tended gardens. They alone are sufficient reason to visit this gem of old Japan.

A custom built modern building houses the Festival Floats for which Takayama is famous. These are huge mobile shrines – spectacular creations with flamboyant carvings, metal and lacquer work with complex marionettes and puppets that perform amazing feats. Nearby is the Lion Mask Exhibition Hall displaying over 800 Lion Masks and antique musical instruments.

Besides the banks of the Miyagawa River which runs through the town are food markets, which display the local, produce. There are also colourful stalls presenting the works of local craftsmen. For generations, Takayama has been famous throughout Japan for the skill of its wood carvers. These craftsmen are responsible for the magnificent carvings at many Japanese Shrines including the world famous shrines at Nikko.

Just outside Takayama is the Hida Folk Village, a large open air Museum displaying dozens of traditional houses which once housed farmers and craftsmen in the region. These houses have been relocated here and preserved in their original condition.

From the Hida Folk Village are magnificent views of the Japanese Alps. Made even more breathtaking during the colder months when the autumn leaves make an almost unreal display of coloured foliage covering square kilometres of the mountainside.

Takayama has to be seen, to be believed!

Japan Package Tours, the Japan travel specialists can get you there! Packages start from $1,599.00 that includes a credit of $520 to used on accommodation or rail passes. For further information on Takayama or other destinations within Japan. Call Japan Packages Tours 03-9909-7212.