After a brief overnight in Osaka again, we head for Takayama, in a region of Central-north Honshu (Japan’s main island).
The view from the (non-shinkansen) train is more rural than usual.
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It’s in the mountains. They don’t call these the Japanese Alps for nothing.
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Rise the mountains of Instead…’
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None may drink except in dreams‘ – W.H. Auden
Takayama has streets full of old wooden buildings.
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I sample a local specialty – grilled soy-sauce-soaked rice balls on a skewer.
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Some kind of festival is going on in the streets.
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Little girls also get into the act.
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The cherry trees are still in blossom in this cool climate.
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Many people have small dogs here. We stop to pet the friendly ones. The owners always say ‘Thank you’, as if we do them a great favour by honouring their choice in canine companions.
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We indulge in a meal of wagyu beef.
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We rent bikes for the day.
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We visit the Hida-no-sato (Hida folk village) a few kilometres away. This features old traditional farm houses relocated from the area and preserved.
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It’s good to be away from the big cities for a few days.
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We like these carp streamers. They’re called koinobori.
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We stop to rest at a small shrine.
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There are bears here. They can be dangerous.
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This is the largest koinobori we’ve ever seen.
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Sight or Insight of the Day
We see this sign when the laundry facilities are not working one day.
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The figure in the sign is bowing. The Japanese bow a lot.
For example, on trains, when the conductor reaches the end of a car, he turns and bows to the people in the car. Then he moves into the next car and repeats.
A bow is a sign of respect, not servility. That people take their jobs seriously, no matter how humble, is a refreshing change from elsewhere in the world, where people’s attention can’t be pried from their cell phones with a crowbar.