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

Sanmachi Street is just a five-minute walk from JR Takayama Station. It’s a must-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, originally built during the Edo Period (1603 - 1867), were relocated to form the museum in 1971.

The museum, with its village-like ambiance, includes structures 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, a region recognized for its World Heritage status due to these houses.

Admission
700 yen (parking: 300 yen)

• Takayama Jinya - Due to its rich 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, managed by officials sent from Edo (modern-day Tokyo).

The building complex was used officially until 1969 and is now open to the public as a museum. It features well-preserved tatami mat rooms that were once used 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 from the 1600s, known as Japan’s largest traditional rice storehouse. 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 - ■Hida Takayama Art and Festa Forest
  Matsuri no Mori (Festival Forest Museum) offers insight into the vibrant world of Takayama’s renowned festivals. The museum showcases full-sized replica floats (yatai), adorned with gold leaf and lacquer, along with mechanical karakuri dolls performing traditional dances in a dramatic underground hall.

Besides the festival exhibits, visitors can enjoy 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).

Matsuri no Mori blends culture, nature, and local charm, making it a delightful stop for visitors of all ages.

• Higashiyama Walking Course - The Higashiyama Walking Course (東山遊歩道, Higashiyama Yūhodō) is a scenic 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 course, you will encounter more than a dozen temples and shrines, the ruins of Takayama’s former castle, and typical scenes of a rural Japanese town. While the Higashiyama Walking Course may not be a breathtaking sightseeing experience, it 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 eleven floats (yatai) from the autumn festival are displayed at the Takayama Matsuri Yatai Kaikan (高山祭屋台会館), a hall next to Sakurayama Hachiman Shrine. These intricately decorated floats are several centuries old and exemplify Takayama’s legendary craftsmanship.

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

• Hida-Takayama Miyagawa Morning Market - Two morning markets (朝市, Asaichi) take place daily in Takayama 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. The markets typically have a pleasant atmosphere, with tourists and locals alike strolling from stall to stall, purchasing goods and food, and engaging in conversation.

• Hida Kokubun-ji Temple - Hida Kokubunji Temple, located 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 crafted 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 hosts 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 displayed. 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, constructed during the Meiji period in Edo architectural style, is recognized for its exceptional architectural technique and 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.
• Yoshijima Heritage House - Yoshijima Heritage House, built in Meiji 41 (1908), has been a sake brewery since ancient times, marked by a large sakabayashi (a sign of a sake shop made of Japanese cedar leaves) hanging under the eaves. In contrast to the masculine style of the Kusakabe house, the Yoshijima house is noted for its subtlety and feminine beauty.
• Takayama Showa Museum - Takayama Showa-kan Museum recreates the retro streets of the 1950s inside the museum, nostalgically reviving the lifestyle and culture of that era. Visitors can explore 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. This interactive museum provides an immersive experience of Showa life and culture.

• Meet up with guide on foot within designated area of Takayama
• Licensed Local English Speaking Guide
• Customizable Tour of your choice of 2-3 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.

This value-packed trip with a government-licensed and experienced multilingual tour guide is a fantastic and efficient way to explore Takayama!

Takayama features an atmospheric townscape, with Meiji-era inns and hillside shrines in a riverside setting. In addition, many museums, galleries and temples make their home in the city’s 17th century layout. Be sure to come see the Takayama Festival, held once in spring and once in autumn, but be prepared for the crowds as the festivals attract hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.

Let us know what you would like to experience and we will customize a four-hour tour that’s best for you!

Note1: Please select your must-see spots from a list in the tour information to create your customized itinerary.
Note2: National Government Licensed Guide Interpreter certification is issued by the Japanese government requires a good knowledge and understanding 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.