Tripti Joshi (Editor)

Takayama, Gifu

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Country
  
Japan

Area
  
2,177.67 km2

Mayor
  
Michihiro Kunishima


Region
  
Chubu

Population
  
92,369

Takayama, Gifu Beautiful Landscapes of Takayama, Gifu

Points of interest
  
Hida Minzoku Mura Folk Village, Shinhotaka Ropeway, Japanese Alps, Mount Norikura, Mount Yake


University
  
Takayama College of Car Technology

Map of Takayama, Gifu

Takayama (高山市, Takayama-shi) is a city located in Gifu Prefecture, Japan.

Contents

Takayama, Gifu Beautiful Landscapes of Takayama, Gifu

As of July 2011, the city has an estimated population of 92,369 and a population density of 42 persons per km². The total area is 2,177.67 km².

Takayama, Gifu Culture of Takayama, Gifu

Japan vlog 14 trip to hida takayama gifu


Etymology

Takayama, Gifu Culture of Takayama, Gifu

The city is popularly known as Hida-Takayama (飛騨高山) in reference to the old Hida Province to differentiate it from other places named Takayama. The name 'Takayama' means 'tall mountain'.

History

Takayama was settled as far back as the Jōmon period.

The city is best known for its inhabitants' expertise in carpentry. It is believed carpenters from Takayama worked on the Imperial Palace in Kyoto and on many of the temples in Kyoto and Nara. The town and its culture, as they exist today, took shape at the end of the 16th century, when the Kanamori clan built Takayama Castle. About a hundred years later the city came under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate. However, the high altitude and separation from other areas of Japan kept the area fairly isolated, allowing Takayama to develop its own culture over about a 300-year period.

The city was formed on November 1, 1936 by a merger of the towns of Takayama and Onada.

On February 1, 2005, the town of Kuguno, and the villages of Asahi, Kiyomi, Miya, Nyūkawa, Shōkawa and Takane (all from Ōno District), the town of Kokufu, and the village of Kamitakara (both from Yoshiki District) were merged into Takayama, which made Takayama the largest city in Japan by surface area.

Climate

In the heart of the Japanese Alps, Takayama falls under a humid continental climate (Koppen Dfa) with some characteristics of humid subtropical climate. It features four distinct seasons with a wide range of temperature between the summer and winter, somewhat resembling parts of northern Japan and Hokkaidō.

Takayama is part of the heavy snow area of Japan (gōsetsu-chitai, 豪雪地帯) with snowfall most days throughout the winter season. Takayama and many other places exposed to the Sea of Japan experience lake effect snow, generating some of the highest, most consistent snowfall in the world.

Spring is short lived, usually dry with mild temperatures and plenty of sunshine. Cherry blossoms (sakura, 桜) can be seen in Takayama from the middle to the end of April, around three weeks later than Nagoya.

Summer begins around the end of May to the beginning of June. It is humid and wet with the arrival of the rainy season (tsuyu, 梅雨), receiving high rainfall amounts. It then yields to a hotter and generally less humid end to the summer with daytime temperatures usually higher than 30 °C (86 °F) and occasionally higher than 35 °C (95 °F) coupled with strong sunshine.

Autumn approaches during the middle of October and is short, dry. and cool with diminishing sunlight. Colorful foliage from maples (momiji/kōyō, 紅葉) can be seen in the Takayama area from the end of October to the first week of November.

Winter arrives around the beginning of December and is moderately long, cold, and icy with high amounts of snowfall annually amounting to an average of 5.11m (201.2 inches) commonly leading to the development of snow banks in the outer areas of the city. The first snowfall usually arrives at the end of November and lasts through until the beginning of April. Yearly low temperatures in the city centre drop as low as -15 °C (5 °F) and occasionally fail to reach above freezing point during the day.

Railroad

  • Central Japan Railway Company
  • Takayama Main Line: Nagisa, Kuguno, Hida-Ichinomiya, Takayama, Hozue, Hida-Kokufu
  • Adjoining communities

  • Nagano Prefecture: Ōmachi, Matsumoto, Kiso (town) (Kiso District)
  • Gifu Prefecture: Gero, Gujo, Shirakawa (Ōno District), Hida
  • Toyama Prefecture: Toyama
  • Ishikawa Prefecture: Hakusan
  • Fukui Prefecture: Ono
  • Attractions

    This city was selected as one of the top ten travel destinations in Asia by Lonely Planet Magazine in the year 2017.

  • Mount Norikura, a dormant volcano that is 3,026 meters (9,928 ft.) tall is east of Takayama. A bus takes visitors to a point near the summit.
  • Shin-Hotaka Ropeway and Okuhida Spa Resort: There is a 3,200 meter ropeway offering great views of the Northern Alps.
  • There are old homes in the heart of Takayama that are cultural artifacts.
  • Takayama has a morning market near the river in the center of town.
  • The Hida Minzoku Mura Folk Village is nearby.
  • Takayama is the home of one of the three largest Shinto festivals in Japan. The Takayama Festivals are two distinctive festivals. The yatai (floats) used can be found in the Takayama Yatai Kaikan (Takayama Festival Float Exhibition Hall). Nearby is the Sakurayama Nikkō Kan, an exhibit of 1/10 scale replicas of Nikkō's famous Toshogu shrine.
  • Takayama-shi Kyodo-kan is a local history museum with handicrafts and traditional items.
  • Takayama Jinya is a historical government house that has been restored to its earlier design and is open for tours.
  • Kusakabe Folk Museum is a local museum in an old merchant's home.
  • Hida-Kokubunji Temple is the oldest structure in Takayama. It has a three-level pagoda and stands beside a ginkgo tree that is over 1,200 years old.
  • Ankokuji Temple and Storehouse is an ancient structure from 1408 that is recognized as a national treasure.
  • Hida Takayama Kur Alp (Hida Takayama Spa Land) is a large public bath and swimming area.
  • The ruins of Matsukura Castle are in the city.
  • World shrine to Su-God, the worldwide headquarters of Sukyo Mahikari
  • Hida Tōshō-gū shrine
  • Culture

  • Takayama is known for its local foods, including sansai (mountain vegetables), wasakana (river fish), beef, soba, ramen, and sake.
  • In addition to its fame for its carpentry, Takayama is well known for its lacquerware, pottery, and furniture.
  • The mountain city of Takayama is associated with charms known as "sarubobos", which are traditionally passed from grandmothers to grandchildren and mothers to daughters, though are now often sold as souvenirs. The city and the Hida area are also known for carpentry, and its carpenters are called Hida no takumi.
  • Around the east of the city is a tour, called the Higashiyama Walking Course (東山歩行道 Higashiyama-hokōdō), which goes past many shrines and temples to Shiroyama Park (城山公園 Shiroyama-kōen).
  • Takayama holds two festivals every year, Sannō Matsuri (山王祭り) in spring and Hachiman Matsuri (八幡祭り) in autumn. These festivals are among the most popular in Japan.
  • Takayama was the basis for the settings in the anime series Hyōka, adapted from Honobu Yonezawa's Classic Literature Club series. Designs of the fictional city of Kamiyama are based on Takayama.
  • In Japan

  • Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture (est. November 1, 1971)
  • Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture (est. October 22, 1982)
  • Echizen, Fukui Prefecture (est. October 22, 1982)
  • Kaminoyama, Yamagata Prefecture (est. October 13, 1988)
  • Overseas

  • Denver, Colorado, United States (est. June 27, 1960)
  • Lijiang, Yunnan, People's Republic of China (est. March 21, 2002)
  • Sibiu, Romania, (est. September 4, 2012)
  • Urubamba, Cusco, Peru (est. August 22, 2013)
  • References

    Takayama, Gifu Wikipedia