Gifu · City

Takayama

高山市たかやましTakayama-shi

Little Kyoto of the Hida mountains

Takayama is the main town of the Hida mountains in northern Gifu Prefecture, with one of Japan's best-preserved Edo-period merchant districts. Known for the Takayama Festival and its floats, the only surviving shogunal administrative office and the woodworking of the Hida carpenters, it is also by area the largest municipality in Japan.

Overview

Takayama lies in a basin at around 570 metres in the heart of the Hida highlands, surrounded by mountains on all sides. Since mergers in 2005 the city has stretched from the Hida plateau east to the crest of the Northern Alps, taking in the hot springs of Okuhida and the Shin-Hotaka ropeway, which makes it the largest municipality in Japan by area.

The old town grew up below a castle built in the late sixteenth century by Kanamori Nagachika. After the shogunate took Hida under direct rule in 1692, the castle was demolished, and Takayama prospered as a merchant town trading in timber, rice and goods from the capital. The Sanmachi Suji district preserves rows of dark latticed houses, sake breweries marked by cedar balls, and small canals, and the Takayama Jin'ya is the only surviving government office of the Tokugawa shogunate's regional administration.

Takayama's craftsmanship is famous: the Hida carpenters, whose skills were prized in the capitals from the Nara period, built the town's merchant houses and the lavishly decorated festival floats paraded each spring and autumn. The city is also the gateway to Shirakawa-gō, Okuhida and the Northern Alps.

Landmarks

Sanmachi Suji
さんまち筋Sanmachi-suji
Three parallel streets of Edo-period merchant houses, breweries and shops.
Takayama Jin'ya
高山陣屋Takayama Jin'ya
The only surviving shogunal district office, with its courtroom, storehouses and offices.
Takayama Festival Floats Exhibition Hall
高山祭屋台会館Takayama Matsuri Yatai Kaikan
Hall at Sakurayama Hachiman Shrine displaying floats of the autumn festival.
Hida Folk Village
飛騨の里Hida no Sato
Open-air museum of gasshō-zukuri and other farmhouses moved from across Hida.
Kusakabe and Yoshijima residences
日下部家住宅・吉島家住宅Kusakabe-ke jūtaku, Yoshijima-ke jūtaku
Neighbouring merchant houses of the Meiji era, Important Cultural Properties renowned for their timber interiors.
Higashiyama temple walk
東山遊歩道Higashiyama yūhodō
Path linking a dozen temples and shrines along the eastern hills.
Hida Kokubun-ji
飛騨国分寺Hida Kokubun-ji
Provincial temple near the station with a three-storey pagoda and a great ginkgo tree.
Miyagawa Morning Market
宮川朝市Miyagawa Asaichi
Daily morning market along the Miya River selling vegetables, pickles and crafts.

Districts

Sanmachi
三町Sanmachi
The preserved merchant quarter east of the Miya River.
Shimo-Ninomachi and Ōjin-machi
下二之町・大新町Shimo-Ninomachi, Ōjinmachi
Northern preserved district of merchant houses and the autumn festival neighbourhoods.
Higashiyama
東山Higashiyama
Temple district on the hills east of the old town.
Okuhida
奥飛騨Okuhida
Hot-spring villages below the Northern Alps, including Hirayu and Shin-Hotaka.

History

Kanamori Nagachika conquered Hida for Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1585 and built Takayama Castle, laying out a castle town with merchant quarters on the eastern bank of the Miya River. In 1692 the shogunate took direct control of Hida for its timber and mines; the Kanamori were transferred, the castle was demolished in 1695, and the province was governed from the Takayama Jin'ya.

Under the officials of the Jin'ya, Takayama's merchants flourished and sponsored the elaborate festival floats. The town became a city in 1936, and in 2005 it merged with nine surrounding towns and villages. The Takayama Festival was inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2016.

1585
Kanamori Nagachika conquers Hida and begins Takayama Castle.
1692
Hida comes under direct shogunate rule, administered from the Takayama Jin'ya.
1695
Takayama Castle is demolished.
1934
The JR Takayama Line opens throughout from Gifu to Toyama.
1936
Takayama is incorporated as a city.
1979
Sanmachi is designated a preserved district of historic buildings.
2005
Mergers with nine towns and villages make Takayama Japan's largest municipality by area.
2016
The Takayama Festival floats are inscribed by UNESCO as part of the Yama, Hoko, Yatai festivals.

Culture

Takayama's culture is one of craft and civic pride. The twenty-three festival floats owned by the town's neighbourhoods, with carved panels, lacquer, metalwork and mechanical karakuri puppets, are kept in tall storehouses that punctuate the old streets. Furniture making, ichii ittōbori yew carving and Hida shunkei lacquer continue in local workshops. The townspeople's refined culture earned Takayama the nickname Hida no Shō-Kyōto, the little Kyoto of Hida.

Festivals

Spring Takayama Festival (Sannō Matsuri)
春の高山祭Haru no Takayama Matsuri
On 14 and 15 April for Hie Shrine, with twelve floats, karakuri performances and a night procession of lanterns.
Autumn Takayama Festival (Hachiman Matsuri)
秋の高山祭Aki no Takayama Matsuri
On 9 and 10 October for Sakurayama Hachiman Shrine, with eleven floats in the northern town.

Food

Hida beef
飛騨牛Hida-gyū
Served as grilled skewers, nigiri on rice crackers in Sanmachi and on hoba leaves.
Takayama ramen
高山ラーメンTakayama rāmen
Thin curly noodles in a light soy broth, known locally as chūka soba.
Midarashi dango
みだらし団子midarashi dango
Grilled rice dumplings glazed with plain soy sauce rather than sweet syrup.
Hida sake
飛騨の地酒Hida no jizake
Several breweries in Sanmachi, identified by the sugidama cedar balls hanging at their doors.
Hoba miso
朴葉味噌hōba miso
Miso grilled on a magnolia leaf at the table.

Getting around

Takayama Station is on the JR Takayama Line; Hida limited expresses reach it from Nagoya in about two and a half hours and from Toyama in about an hour and a half.
The old town is about ten minutes' walk from the station and is best explored on foot or by bicycle.
The Nōhi bus terminal beside the station has buses to Shirakawa-gō (about 50 minutes), Kanazawa, Okuhida, Kamikōchi via Hirayu, Matsumoto and Tokyo.

Day trips

Shirakawa-gō
白川郷Shirakawa-gō
World Heritage village of gasshō-zukuri farmhouses, about 50 minutes by bus.
Hida-Furukawa
飛騨古川Hida-Furukawa
Small canal town with white-walled storehouses, 15 minutes by train.
Shin-Hotaka Ropeway
新穂高ロープウェイShin-Hotaka Rōpuwei
Two-stage ropeway to over 2,100 m facing the Hotaka and Kasa-ga-take peaks.
Norikura
乗鞍岳Norikura-dake
Volcano with a summer bus route to the Tatamidaira alpine plateau.
Kamikōchi
上高地Kamikōchi
Alpine valley in Nagano, reached by bus via Hirayu.

Other cities in the prefecture

CapitalGifuGifu-shiNobunaga's city between Mount Kinka and the Nagara VillageShirakawaShirakawa-muraSteep thatched roofs in the snowy valley of the Shō River

Frequently asked questions

How many days do I need in Takayama?

One full day covers Sanmachi, the Jin'ya, the morning markets and the Hida Folk Village; a second day allows a trip to Shirakawa-gō or Okuhida.

When is the Takayama Festival?

Twice a year: the spring festival on 14–15 April and the autumn festival on 9–10 October, on fixed dates.

How do I get from Takayama to Shirakawa-gō?

Nōhi buses run from the bus terminal next to Takayama Station to Shirakawa-gō in about 50 minutes; reservations are recommended.

Why is Takayama called Little Kyoto?

Because its latticed merchant houses, temples and refined festival culture recall Kyoto, though the town grew as a mountain trading centre under shogunal rule.

Sources

1.令和2年国勢調査 (opens in a new tab) — Statistics Bureau of Japan
2.高山市ホームページ (opens in a new tab) — 高山市
3.全国都道府県市区町村別面積調 (opens in a new tab) — Geospatial Information Authority of Japan
4.Japan National Tourism Organization (opens in a new tab) — Japan National Tourism Organization