Takayama--Hida Folk Village

It was go-go-go today, and after checking out both the Jinya-mae and Miyagawa morning markets, we caught the local bus for the 10-minute trip to the Hida no Sato or Hida Folk Village.

Yes the whole idea seems to have "tourist-trap" written all over it, confirmed when we saw the giant maneki neko or lucky cat outside one of the tourist shops nearby. To find out the story behind the beckoning cat lucky charm click here.

However for a bunch of bumbling tourists like ourselves, the open air museum did provide a glimpse into what traditional farmhouses and typical buildings did look like in years past. In particular, the Hida area is famous for its gassho-zukuri architecture. With traditionally fierce winters, farmhouses were adapted to accommodate common road closures and isolation during the prolonged cold and snow. Rooves were built at acute angles to minimise the build-up of snow and the steep triangle shape was likened to gassho, or two clasped hands praying, and hence the name gassho-zukuri.

The thatched roof farmhouses here were relocated to this museum for the nearby Shirakawago valley.





I didn't realise how thick the thatching was for these houses until we got up close. No wonder Alex Kerr had such trouble with his Chiiori House near Kyoto.



The serenity and lush greenery of the area certainly inspired this watercolour artist who we watched momentarily.









All greeneried and thatched out, we caught the bus back into town for a quick lunch of soba by the railway station.



The noodles here were so delicious, tasty, perfectly al-dente and such a bargain. This bowl of noodles was only 380yen (about AU$4.70) and I couldn't even finish it all.

Stomachs lined and only just past 2pm, we set off for a DIY sake crawl. For goodness' sake of course! (groan)