Takayama walking tour & city guide

Walking the old town

The heart of Takayama is Sanmachi Suji, three narrow parallel streets lined with low wooden houses, latticed windows and shallow water channels. Sake breweries hang a ball of cedar branches, the sugidama, above their doors, and many offer tastings. Early in the morning, before the day visitors arrive, the lanes are almost silent.

A short walk away, the Takayama Jinya is the only surviving government house of its kind from the Edo period. Two morning markets run every day: one along the Miyagawa River and one in front of the Jinya, selling vegetables, pickles, flowers and local crafts.

Temples, shrines and the Higashiyama trail

On the eastern edge of town, the Higashiyama walking course links a dozen temples and shrines along a wooded hillside. Hie Shrine and Sakurayama Hachiman Shrine host the Takayama Festival, held in spring and autumn, when elaborate festival floats are paraded through the streets; some of them are on display all year in the Festival Floats Exhibition Hall.

The open-air Hida Folk Village, on a hill west of the station, gathers thatched farmhouses from across the region, including the steep 'praying hands' roofs also seen in Shirakawa-go.

Visiting tips

Takayama is about 2 hours 20 minutes by limited express train from Nagoya, through the scenic Hida River valley, and is also linked by bus with Kanazawa and Shirakawa-go. Winters are cold and snowy, which makes the old town especially beautiful but quieter, while the festivals in April and October are the busiest times of year.