Ryokan in Takayama
高山An old town in the Hida mountains of Gifu, prosperous in feudal times for its timber and carpenters, with streets of dark wooden merchant houses and morning markets. From Tokyo it is about 4.5 hours by Shinkansen to Nagoya and the Hida limited express; most sights are within walking distance of the station.
Takayama through the year
Spring春
March to May
On 14 and 15 April the Sanno Matsuri, the spring half of the Takayama Festival, takes the decorated floats through the old town.
Summer夏
June to August
On the evening of 9 August about 180 hand-held fireworks (tezutsu hanabi) are fired on the banks of the Miyagawa, to ward off bad luck: 8 and 9 can be read 'ya-ku', misfortune.
Autumn秋
September to November
On 9 and 10 October the Hachiman Matsuri brings the floats out again, in the north of the old town.
Winter冬
December to February
Snow settles on the dark wooden houses of the old town, and winter is a quieter time to walk it.
The ryokan
Listed stays
36 approved listings · 36 total in Takayama
Photo credits
Ankur Panchbudhe, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr; Sjaak Kempe from Groningen, The Netherlands, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Toby Oxborrow, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Flickr