this is where we climbed up

our first train out

Finally we arrived in Takeyama, and went to Matsuri no Mori, the museum on the big float festivals they have. The floats are kept in a temperature controlled room, and on animated display once an hour. They were quite impressive:

the big door allows for the floats to get in and out a few times a year

Next, we went to the Hida Folk Village, which was an interesting tour showing how old houses were in that region (turns out in Shirakawago where we went the next day, they had more houses still like this):

we learned about raising silk worms

they make little white cocoons like those, and they are unwrapped to make silk threads

Next, we took another cab to Takayama Festival Float Exhibition Hall and Sakurayama Hachimangu Shrine next door, which has a fantastic replica of Toshogu Shrine in Nikko:

From there, Jennifer was tired of walking with the long hikes we had done the last day, so she went back to our ryokan, while I did the very well marked Higashiyama Walking Course, a very nice walk that takes you through more than 10 temples and shrines, and to the forest where they have castle ruins, and deer like animals that I sadly was not able to see during my walk:

aqueduct that allowed a water stream to cross another water stream, cool :)

this honda fit, did not fit :)

the walking course was very well marked and easy to follow

nice forest walk (although a lot of uphill to the castle ruins, but no animals :(

I then went back through town to our ryokan for the night. It was held by a nice family and we got a yummy custom dinner :)

all houses used to have access to the water, but some just gave it up now

it had big koi fish and ducks

our ryokan had a very old cat that was half deaf and blind