Chubu Sangaku National Park and Takayama

Thursday, October 5, 2017

This morning’s ride was a beautiful one through heavily forested, mountainous countryside.  We saw a few touches of fall color along the way as the bus climbed to Chubu Sangaku National Park. 

It was sunny, cool, and clear in the park as we walked along a river still rushing with snowmelt from last winter’s accumulation.  Access to the park is closed for much of the year, and private cars are never allowed in.  At some point before all access is officially cut off each fall, visitors have to walk in with ice-gripping crampons affixed to their boots!  Today, though, we were able to take in the beauty of the high peaks, dense forest, and sparkling clear water without resorting to extraordinary measures. 

After a stop for lunch, we arrived in Takayama, where we spent the rest of the day.  We spent some time touring the Jinya with our group.  The Jinya was the seat of a branch of the national government and residence of the governor during the Edo era, 1692 to 1868.  Subsequently, it served as the center of the regional (prefecture) government for 100 years. 

After removing our shoes, we wandered among rooms whose measurements are described in terms of the number of tatami mats (of uniform size) cover the floor.  The function and/or occupants of each room dictate the design of the borders of the mats; decorated edges signify high status, solid color denotes mid-range, and plain mats are the domain of servants and others of lower classes.  In addition to being the site of courts, councils and a residence, the Jinya complex was also the location of the warehouse where taxes, in the form of bales of rice, were stored.

We spent the rest of the afternoon on our own, exploring the historic old town center, a series of narrow streets bordered by wooden houses converted into museums, restaurants, inns and shops selling everything from toys and clothes to ice cream and sake.  Sake shops display hanging balls of cedar foliage, whose change from green to brown signifies that the sake is mature and ready for consumption!

En route to our hotel, we stopped at the Hida Kokubunji Temple complex, which contains the oldest building in Takayama.  Among several altars and monuments are a triple pagoda, Bell Tower Gate, and an enormous, 1200 year old ginko tree. 

While at the temple, Tom began getting an error message on his camera.  This was especially distressing (an understatement), as this is the first time Tom has traveled with only one camera since one malfunctioned on a trip about ten years ago.  An online search may have yielded a solution to the problem; we’ll know soon enough.  Suffice it to say, this is a BIG DEAL for Tom…