Hida Folk Village

The next day Walt and I caught the train to Takayama where we took a bus to the Hida Folk Village. This open air museum is a collection of traditional houses gathered from different areas of Japan and reassembled. Tools and utensils are displayed in the houses, and the fireplaces are lit so that the scent of the burning wood can be enjoyed. There are also demonstrations by tradional craftsmen.

The day was overcast and cool with occasional showers, but the intense colors of the autumn leaves brightened things up considerably. This is the large pond just inside the entrance.

The houses in the village retain the names of the families who lived in them. This is the Wakayamas' House. It was built in Shokawa Village in 1751 and moved to Hida Folk Village in 1959 when Shokawa was submerged due to the construction of the Miboro Dam. The second and third floors of the four story house were originally used for silkworm production, and the fourth floor was an attic storage area.

On the left is a picture looking down at the woodcutter's cottage. On the right is a picture of logs set up for the growing of shikake mushrooms.

This is the temple bell outside the shrine. A sign suggests that you make a wish and ring the bell.

The shrine itself has an amazing painted ceiling. It is only open at certain times of the year, and we were fortunate to be there at one of those times.

On the train ride to Hida Furukawa I had noticed that some houses had strings of orange balls hanging outside the upstairs window like this. I thought at first that they might be small pumpkins, but at Hida Folk Village I realized that they are persimmons.

There is also a beautiful view of the mountains from the village. This picture was taken when the rain clouds were breaking up.