Takayama in December

Koyo maple viewing, especially in Kyoto, Nikko and the Japanese Alps.

City light displays and year-end temple bell-ringing.

Ornate festival floats are paraded and displayed, with mechanical puppet performances and an evening lantern procession.

Why go: Accommodation fills up months ahead; book early if you want to stay in town.

Where: Hie Shrine and the southern old town

The autumn counterpart of the spring festival, with float displays, puppet performances and lantern-lit night parades.

Why go: Expect very large crowds; the night float procession is a highlight.

Where: Sakurayama Hachimangū Shrine and the northern old town

The old town's preserved streets of dark wooden merchant houses, sake breweries and small shops.

💡 Arrive early morning or late afternoon to avoid the midday tour groups.

A former government office of the Edo shogunate, the only surviving building of its kind in Japan.

A riverside morning market selling local produce, pickles, crafts and snacks.

💡 It runs in the mornings only and winds down before noon.

An open-air museum of relocated thatched gassho-style farmhouses from the surrounding region.

💡 In winter the houses under snow are especially atmospheric.

A hall beside Sakurayama Hachimangū shrine displaying some of the ornate festival floats used in the autumn festival.

A walking route linking temples and shrines on the eastern hillside of the old town.

Highly marbled wagyu from Gifu Prefecture, served grilled, as sushi or as street-food skewers.

💡 Old town street stalls and restaurants

A local style of ramen with thin curly noodles in a light soy-based broth.

💡 Ramen shops around the town centre

Rice dumplings on a skewer, in Takayama glazed with soy sauce rather than sweet sauce.

💡 Street stalls in Sanmachi Suji

Miso with leeks and mushrooms grilled on a dried magnolia leaf over a small burner.

💡 Traditional ryokan and Japanese restaurants

Takayama has several historic breweries using local rice and cold mountain water.

💡 Breweries in Sanmachi Suji, marked by cedar balls hanging at the entrance

Faceless red cloth dolls, a traditional Hida charm for good fortune and safe childbirth.

💡 Souvenir shops across the old town

Carvings made from yew wood using only a chisel, a traditional Hida craft.

💡 Craft shops in the old town

Lacquerware finished with a clear lacquer that shows the natural wood grain.

💡 Craft and lacquerware shops

Bottles from the local breweries, often available to taste before buying.

💡 Sake breweries in Sanmachi Suji