• Sanmachi Suji - Sanmachi Street is a renowned tourist spot in Hida-Takayama. As a historic town, it features houses and shops from the Edo period (1603 - 1868). The street is lined with stores offering local specialties like Japanese sake, senbei (rice crackers), grilled yakiniku Hida beef, and croquettes. The area is vibrant with people shopping and dining.

Sanmachi Street is just a five-minute walk from JR Takayama Station. Make sure to visit when in Takayama.

• Hida no Sato - Hida Folk Village (飛騨の里, Hida no Sato) is an open-air museum showcasing over 30 traditional houses from the Hida region, a mountainous area in Gifu Prefecture near Takayama. These houses, built during the Edo Period (1603 - 1867), were relocated to form the museum in 1971.

The museum, with its village-like ambiance, includes buildings such as the former village head’s house, logging huts, storehouses, and several gassho-zukuri farmhouses. These large farmhouses are named for their steep thatched roofs resembling hands joined in prayer (“gassho”). They were moved here from nearby Shirakawago, where gassho-zukuri houses contribute to the region’s World Heritage status.

Admission
700 yen (parking: 300 yen)

• Takayama Jinya - Due to its valuable timber resources, the Hida Region around Takayama was placed under the direct control of the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1692. The Takayama Jinya (高山陣屋) served as the local government office, led by officials sent from Edo (modern-day Tokyo).

The building complex was in official use until 1969 and is now open to the public as a museum. It features various well-preserved tatami mat rooms that once served as offices, conference rooms, guest rooms, and living spaces. There is also a fascinating interrogation room.

Next to the main building is a large storehouse built in the 1600s. Known as the largest traditional rice storehouse in Japan, it now serves as a museum, displaying belongings and official documents of past feudal lords, old maps of the Hida Region, and historic town plans.

Admission
440 yen

• Hida Takayama Art and Festa Forest - Situated outside Takayama’s city center, the Matsuri no Mori (まつりの森, lit. “Festival Forest”) highlights the key elements of the Takayama Festival, held for two days each spring and autumn. The festival is celebrated as one of Japan’s three most beautiful, alongside Kyoto’s Gion Matsuri and the Chichibu Yomatsuri.

From the museum’s entrance, a roughly 50-meter-long hallway leads to the main exhibition space located underground, creating a cave-like atmosphere. The hallway is lined on the left with eleven miniature festival floats, one-third the size of those used in the autumn festival. On the right are lavish golden-lacquered folding screens depicting famous floats from festivals in Kyoto and other cities.

• Higashiyama Walking Course - The Higashiyama Walking Course (東山遊歩道, Higashiyama Yūhodō) is a delightful walking path through Takayama’s temple town (Teramachi), the city’s rural “suburbs,” and Shiroyama Park, a wooded hill and former site of Takayama Castle.

Along the 3.5-kilometer-long course, visitors will pass more than a dozen common temples and shrines, the ruins of Takayama’s former castle, and typical scenes of a rural Japanese town. The Higashiyama Walking Course offers a pleasant way to spend one or two hours and discover Takayama’s tranquil side.

• Takayama Festival Floats Exhibition Hall - Takayama Festival Floats Exhibition Hall (高山祭屋台会館).
  The Takayama Festival, held in spring (April 14 and 15) and autumn (October 9 and 10), is considered one of Japan’s three most beautiful festivals (the others being Kyoto’s Gion Matsuri and the Chichibu Matsuri).

Four of the autumn festival’s eleven floats (yatai) are displayed at the Takayama Matsuri Yatai Kaikan (高山祭屋台会館), a hall next to Sakurayama Hachiman Shrine. The intricately decorated floats are several hundred years old and are stunning examples of Takayama’s renowned craftsmanship.

Adjacent to the Matsuri Yatai Kaikan is the Nikkokan, a spacious hall containing impressive models of the different precincts of Toshogu Shrine in Nikko, one of the most ornate and celebrated shrines in the country. The miniature models are beautifully detailed and are accompanied by brief explanations in Japanese and English. Photography is allowed inside both halls.

• Hida-Takayama Miyagawa Morning Market - Two morning markets (朝市, Asaichi) are held in Takayama daily from around 7:00 (8:00 in winter) to noon: the Miyagawa Market along the Miyagawa River in the old town, and the Jinya-mae Market in front of the Takayama Jinya.

The stalls offer local crafts, snacks, and farm products such as vegetables, pickles, and flowers. There is usually a cheerful atmosphere at the markets, as tourists and locals alike stroll from stall to stall, purchasing goods and food and engaging in conversation.

• Hida Kokubun-ji Temple - Hida Kokubunji Temple, about a five-minute walk from JR Takayama Station, is a renowned Buddhist temple in Takayama. Its iconic three-storied pagoda was built in 1820. A Buddhist statue believed to have been created in the Heian period is enshrined in the main building. Be sure to admire the massive gingko tree on the grounds, which is over 1,260 years old.
• Sakurayama Hachimangu Shrine - Sakurayama Hachimangu Shrine in Takayama is the site of the Takayama Festival in the autumn. Next to the shrine is the Takayama Festival Floats Exhibition Hall, or Yatai Kaikan, where four of the actual floats used in the festival are on display. The shrine is 15 minutes by Machinami Bus (clockwise) or a 20-minute walk from JR Takayama Station.
• Kusakabe Folk Museum - The Kusakabe Folk Museum is a historic private residence that has been opened to the public. The building was constructed during the Meiji period in the Edo architectural style. Due to its remarkable architectural technique, the entire building is designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan. The museum is thirteen minutes by Machinami Bus (counterclockwise) or a fifteen-minute walk from JR Takayama Station.
• Hida Takayama Art and Festa Forest - Matsuri no Mori (Festival Forest Museum) offers a glimpse into the vibrant world of Takayama’s famous festivals. The museum features full-sized replica floats (yatai), richly decorated with gold leaf and lacquer, as well as mechanical karakuri dolls that perform traditional dances in a dramatic underground hall.

In addition to the festival exhibits, visitors can explore a nature museum with a global insect collection and meet adorable animals like squirrels and rabbits. There is also a serene tea house and a small art gallery on-site (10-minute walk from Matsuri no Mori).

Blending culture, nature, and local charm, Matsuri no Mori is an enjoyable stop for visitors of all ages.

• Takayama Showa Museum - Takayama Showa-kan Museum, The retro streets of the 1950s are recreated inside the museum, and the lifestyle and culture of that era are nostalgically revived. There is Midget Alley, a barbershop, a photo studio, and a general store. Many nostalgic items are on display, allowing visitors to experience the charm of the past.
• Hida Takayama Retro Museum - The Hida Takayama Retro Museum offers a nostalgic atmosphere with a collection of Showa-era movies. Visitors can “See it,” “Snap it,” and “Play it” with figures, magazines, posters, toys, games, and Showa retro pachinko. It is an interactive museum where visitors can experience the life and culture of the Showa period.
• Yoshijima Heritage House - Yoshijima Heritage House was constructed in Meiji 41 (1908). As it has been a sake brewery since ancient times, a large sakabayashi (a sign of a shop dealing in sake, made of Japanese cedar leaves) hangs under the eaves. In contrast to the masculine style of the Kusakabe house, the Yoshijima house is a structure that embodies subtlety and feminine beauty.

• Meet up with guide on foot within designated area of Takayama
• Licensed Local English Speaking Guide
• Customizable Tour of your choice of 3-4 sites from ‘What to expect’ list

• Transportation fees, Entrance fees, Lunch, and Other personal expenses
• Private transportation
• You cannot combine multiple tour groups.
• Guide Entry fees are only covered for sights listed under What to Expect.

Join us on a value-filled journey conducted by an expert multilingual guide, licensed by the government, to explore the wonders of Takayama!

Takayama boasts a captivating cityscape, embellished with inns from the Meiji era and hillside sanctuaries, nestled along the river. The city’s 17th-century setup is also home to numerous museums, galleries, and temples. Don’t miss out on the much-anticipated Takayama Festival held biannually in spring and autumn, though brace yourselves for the crowd, as these festivals draw in hundreds of thousands of enthusiasts annually.

Tell us your preferences and allow us to personalize a six-hour tour tailor-made to your liking!

Note1: Please choose your preferred attractions from a list provided in the tour details to tailor-make your itinerary.
Note2: The National Government Licensed Guide Interpreter certificate, issued by the Japanese government, signifies comprehensive knowledge and comprehension of Japanese culture and history.

• This is a walking tour. Pick up is on foot.

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.