Takayama travels
Last week the older kids had half-term. It’s wasn’t half-term in the Japanese school system so, because it would be quiet, I decided to take the kids away for a week. This was partly to keep them busy, partly to explore this beautiful country which we are lucky to live in and partly to give husband-mine a break so he could concentrate on work and his friends because he’s always putting us first (he’s a good boy).
Our first stop was about an hour and a half away from Nagoya at a place called Otaki limestone cave This was one that’s been on my list for a while. It was a little off the beaten track but not so much so that it added too much to the journey time. We sat in the sunshine admiring the mountains surrounding us as we ate our lunch. The kids got a run around and I got to stare into the green surroundings rather than at other cars. Then, once suitably satisfied we headed to the cave. I'd bought the tickets online the day before so that was nice and easy and saved a few yen. The entrance to the cave is via a mine-car that ascends a steep hill. It’s great fun and quick and saves your legs. 
The cave was good fun although the smaller you are the better. My backpack was in the way a couple of times but at least it wasn’t my head. The tall girl and I only hit our heads once each which considering our clumsiness to cave ceiling height ratio is quite impressive. The best bit was the little temple that inside the cave. Next to an indoor waterfall is a carved Buddha and a couple of turtles plus a couple of Buddha’s guardians (I think but I’m no expert). After the cave there was time for an ice cream before hitting the road again.
We arrived in Takayama mid-afternoon, found our apartment, unloaded the car and then found the car park which was a few minutes away. We went for a bit of a wonder, had a coffee and returned to the apartment. Stupidly I’d booked one that was a little too small but luckily the owners happily bumped us up a size for a small fee. I keep forgetting that it’s quite difficult sharing a bed with a 5-year old when that bed is a single. Anyway that was all fine and we only had to move to the apartment next door.
Next day the exploration of Takayama began! I had two places I wanted to visit in one day (purely because they are located near each other). First we visited the Teddy Bear museum as we called it. It’s official title is The Teddy Bear Eco Village . As you can imagine it was filled with displays of teddies in all shapes and sizes. Teddies throughout time and how they began with Theodore Rosovelt refusing to shoot a young cub that one of his entourage caught during a hunting expedition. The museum also had a twist in the way of environmental education. A few displays had been created by artist depicting either bears cleaning up the earth or bears in trouble due to the effects of excess waste and oil spills etc. One had a dragon of trash which was created from rubbish.
After lunch amongst the bears at the teddy bear cafe it was off to the Hida Folk Village, just 10 minutes walk up the road. It was incredible. The kids loved it and dived right into the history. First of all we explored the old-fashioned toys such as water shooters (bamboo water pistols), stilts and catch-ball-cup-thingy (I have no idea what that's called). Then on to the actual village itself. It was a beautiful sunny day so we really took our time. We explored house after house and learned so much. Its a fascinating place. They actually started this open air museum by moving the houses to this plot of land in order to save and preserve them. They are from various different eras and show different status houses as well. Everything from a dirt-floor farmhouse to a house for the head of the village. We had to take our shoes off in order to enter some of the houses which had wooden or tatami mat floors. This increased the children's sense of imagination as they could really imagine themselves living in those houses.
One thing we all really loved is the smell. In order to protect the wood and keep insects out of the thatching the museum regularly burn fires in the hearths of the houses. This created a wonderful wood-smoke smell in every house and again made it feel lived in and homey and not just a museum. And I loved the fact that the barn for each house was actually part of the structure. The horses and cows etc lived in the entranceway, next to the front door. My horse-crazy daughter also loved this fact.
So the youngest was excused from pre-school and we packed our bags and the car and off we went. I had thought about getting the train as I’m not always keen on being the sole driver on long journeys as I get really tired driving a long way and also find it a little boring. But, knowing we were going to be walking the whole week (and we did - oh so much walking) I chose the car for flexibility and ease and comfort in the midst of a pandemic. Also, this meant that I could plan a couple of outings on the two long journeys, one going there and one coming back. I’ve so many places on my ‘want to go’ list that I needed to tick some off! Plus this made the stops a little more interesting than your average pit-stop at a motorway services. I never feel refreshed after those stops so the plan was to get me refreshed and keep the kids from being fidgety on an otherwise boring drive.
The cave was good fun although the smaller you are the better. My backpack was in the way a couple of times but at least it wasn’t my head. The tall girl and I only hit our heads once each which considering our clumsiness to cave ceiling height ratio is quite impressive. The best bit was the little temple that inside the cave. Next to an indoor waterfall is a carved Buddha and a couple of turtles plus a couple of Buddha’s guardians (I think but I’m no expert). After the cave there was time for an ice cream before hitting the road again.
We arrived in Takayama mid-afternoon, found our apartment, unloaded the car and then found the car park which was a few minutes away. We went for a bit of a wonder, had a coffee and returned to the apartment. Stupidly I’d booked one that was a little too small but luckily the owners happily bumped us up a size for a small fee. I keep forgetting that it’s quite difficult sharing a bed with a 5-year old when that bed is a single. Anyway that was all fine and we only had to move to the apartment next door.
One thing we all really loved is the smell. In order to protect the wood and keep insects out of the thatching the museum regularly burn fires in the hearths of the houses. This created a wonderful wood-smoke smell in every house and again made it feel lived in and homey and not just a museum. And I loved the fact that the barn for each house was actually part of the structure. The horses and cows etc lived in the entranceway, next to the front door. My horse-crazy daughter also loved this fact.
They really have made a wonderful job of how they set out this museum. It kept all of us intrigued and really lit the fire under the kids for the history of this part of Japan. We borrowed parasols from the reception area and strolled around in our own story-mode, discovered that the chief of the village had 3
hearths, the usual being just 2, that some places bred silkworms, that toys and snow boots were made from straw and that children used to swim in the lake in summer and skate on it in winter. Also, the area became renowned for its skilled carpenters. Due to the wood in the area a lot of the carpenters were called to the cities to build for those in power and therefore got the training and experience to build up significant skill. Due to this the rural area was actually quite affluent.
hearths, the usual being just 2, that some places bred silkworms, that toys and snow boots were made from straw and that children used to swim in the lake in summer and skate on it in winter. Also, the area became renowned for its skilled carpenters. Due to the wood in the area a lot of the carpenters were called to the cities to build for those in power and therefore got the training and experience to build up significant skill. Due to this the rural area was actually quite affluent.
I have so much I want to say about this trip that I'm going to have to split my posts up and tell you a bit at a time. Too much information for just one post. For now I shall leave you with the beautiful view of the Japanese alps.
Sayonara
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