Takayama Festival
Mar 22nd, 2007, 06:02 PM
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Takayama Festival
We are going to be in Japan for the first time, and we just found out that there is a major festival in Takayama on April 14-15th. We will be staying in Tokyo and then leaving from Narita Airport at 4pm on the 15th. As I understand it's a 4hr trip to Takayma and 6hr trip back to Narita. Supposedly the best part is onth 15th and we will end up missing it. Is the festival worth the trip? How crowded does it get? We don't speak Japanese and don't know much about the culture, would we be able to understand anything of what's going on?
Mar 22nd, 2007, 09:57 PM
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The Takayama Festival is packed with people and is very cool...but I wouldn't travel 10 hours in a day to see it for a couple of hours. If you could somehow get somewhere to stay in Takayama on the 14th, and go there first thing in the morning on the 14th, stay the night there, then leave on the 15th, it might be worthwhile. As a day trip, I don't think so.
Mar 23rd, 2007, 11:44 AM
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i can second that advice - it's a nice town becasue it still has that old time feel - no skyscrapers BUT we were there during the fall festival and saw the floats and puppets. It was nice but nothing to go crazy about ... in retrospect, we would have preferred a couple extra days in Kyoto. If you can do 1 night there, it is worth it - there's an amazing market going on during the festival with all kind of treats and they do several parades which are fun to watch where locals dress up in traditional outfits.
Mar 23rd, 2007, 02:38 PM
#4
I went to the Takayama spring festival last year. Got there on Thursday and left on Sunday. I think Friday was the best day. You'd want to be there early enough to see the puppet show, which needs no translation. The parade is interesting.
It is not worth it for a day trip. That would be 4 hours and 14,800 yen just getting there.
If you decide to go then I would advise not leaving Tokyo without reserved seats, both ways, on the limited express train between Takayama and Nagoya.
It is not worth it for a day trip. That would be 4 hours and 14,800 yen just getting there.
If you decide to go then I would advise not leaving Tokyo without reserved seats, both ways, on the limited express train between Takayama and Nagoya.
Mar 25th, 2007, 07:40 PM
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Thank you very much for your advice. It sounds that we would have to overnight at Takayama, and my partners don't feel like undertaking a six hour train ride and then another 14hr plane ride back home all in one day. Maybe some other time!
