Today, we walked around the town of
Takayama. If you've been reading or watching films about Japan's history, you know about the Shoguns. What you don't know about them is that there were families of Shoguns that dominated Japan for centuries. One of those families (
Tokugawa) made Takayama their homebase. From 1600 to 1868, the family was the last feudal military government in Japan. Almost everything you need to know about the Shoguns, you can learn about in this town.
And the perfect person to explain it to us is Mac, our local guide. And his added talents are his love of saki, and his previous background as the physical education teacher to half the students in the town. Still struggling with English, he has no problem guiding us to all the right historical and current places of interest in the town.
From our hotel, across the river, to the many temples and Shogun government offices, and to the many shops which continue the artistry and craftsmanship which was necessary to sustain this central powerbase in the heart of the Japanese Alps, we walked and Mac talked.
In the late afternoon, we were released to find our own way to what had peaked our interest on the tour. Pat and I visited some temples in the hills (including the
Sugurayama Hachimangu Shrine), and finished up before dinner with the Kusakabe Folk Crafts Museum, a replica of the famous
Tosho-gu Shinto Shrine in Nikko, and a the Higashiyama Walkway.
To see all of the photos taken today, click on
Thursday, Apr 5th, Takayama, Japan.
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