Old merchant streets in the Japanese Alps
Takayama in the Hida region has kept its old merchant quarter, Sanmachi Suji, where dark wooden houses hold sake breweries marked by cedar balls, craft shops and cafés. Two morning markets sell pickles, fruit and crafts along the river. The Takayama Festival, held in spring and autumn, parades elaborate floats that are displayed year-round in a museum. Hida beef is the local speciality, served grilled or as sushi. It is the natural base for the thatched villages of Shirakawa-go and the peaks of the Northern Alps.