Dry area in the common bath

Takayama and Kamikochi

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September 12th 2014
We arrived in Takayama about 4 hours after we left Tokyo. We actually got kicked off our first Shinkansen (fast train) as our JR rail pass didn’t cover that train. Kicked off sounds a lot more dramatic than it was; in fact we got numerous apologies from the man checking tickets, a bow and a please change at the next station. Takayama is a town of about 90,000 people to the north west of Tokyo i ... read more

Asia » Japan » Gifu » Takayama

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In 1603, a Tokugawa shogunate (military dictatorship) ushered in a long period of isolation from foreign influence in order to secure its power. For 250 years this policy enabled Japan to enjoy stability and a flowering of its indigenous culture. Fol... ... read more