Shopping Heaven
Close to the centre of the town is the Miyagawa morning
market. This market has been in
operation for over 200 years selling crafts, local produce, souvenirs and
street food. They’re located by the banks of the Miyagawa River, so we strolled
and shopped, stopping from time to time to watch carp in the river as they
lazily swam by us. It was the year of
the rabbit. Everything seemed to have one stamped or patterned on to it. So we just had to stop ourselves from going crazy for these loveable
creatures.
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| A delight to Quilters' Eyes |
Takayama, first settled in the Jomon period, was named after the castle built over 450 years
ago on Shiroyama (Castle Hill). The town's high altitude and geographic separation kept it isolated, allowing it to develop its own culture.
The Castle was destroyed in 1695 during the Edo Period. During this time people were separated into distinct classes – samurai, farmers, craftsmen and merchants as dictated under the military rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Were it not for the flood of tourists, you could almost imagine yourself in the Takayama of those times.
The Castle was destroyed in 1695 during the Edo Period. During this time people were separated into distinct classes – samurai, farmers, craftsmen and merchants as dictated under the military rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Were it not for the flood of tourists, you could almost imagine yourself in the Takayama of those times.
The centre of town, although compact, is a maze of narrow
streets. The streets are lined with
traditional dark wooden houses preserved in the style of Edo days. Tiny shops were brim full of interesting
things – especially if you are interested in crafts. We had a field day gathering sashiko threads,
special sewing scissors and amazing indigo dyed fabrics.
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| You can see why we were in raptures! |
