Hida no Sato (open-air folk village)

The Hida Minzoku Mura, popularly known as Hida no Sato (Hida Village), is a first-rate open-air museum in which more than 30 traditional houses from the mountains of the Japanese Alps have been gathered and restored, including the famous gassho-zukuri —multi-storey houses with steep gabled roofs shaped like hands in prayer, designed to bear the weight of up to three metres of snow in winter. The houses, relocated from villages that were to be flooded by reservoirs, are spread across a wooded park around a pond, recreating rural life in Hida during the Edo period. Inside the houses you can see farming tools, looms, everyday objects and local crafts, with explanatory panels in English. The village is especially beautiful with snow in winter and with the cherry blossoms in spring. Admission costs 700 ¥ for adults. Hours: 8:30-17:00 all year round. It is reached by bus from Takayama station (10 minutes, lines 2 and 3) or a 30-minute walk.