This festival takes place in spring and autumn. Several hundreds of people dress up in traditional Japanese attire and dance and parade through town to old Shinto songs led by lion dancers. Designated as one of Japan’s “Important Intangible Folk Cultural Properties”, Takayama festival offers the chance to see beautiful festival floats, decorated with exquisite mechanical puppets and fine ornaments. As a special treat, on April 14 and October 9, the festival cars are decorated with more than 100 paper lanterns. The festival is cancelled in the event of rain.
Spring Takayama Festival: Hie Shrine
| 156 Shiroyama, Takayama, Gifu prefecture |
| Access from Tokyo Approx. 1hr50min by the Tokaido Shinkansen (Kodama, Hikari or Nozomi) from Tokyo Sta. to Nagoya Sta. From Nagoya Sta., approx. 2h30min to Takayama Sta. |
| April 14 - 15 every year |
| Website: Spring Takayama Festival: Hie Shrine (Festival info, in multiple languages) |
| Website: Hie Shrine (in Japanese only) |
Spring Takayama Festival: Hie Shrine |
Autumn Takayama Festival: Sakurayama Hachimangu Shrine
| 178 Sakuramachi, Takayama, Gifu prefecture |
| Access from Tokyo Approx. 1hr50min by the Tokaido Shinkansen (Kodama, Hikari or Nozomi) from Tokyo Sta. to Nagoya Sta. From Nagoya Sta., approx. 2h30min to Takayama Sta. |
| October 9 - 10 every year |
| Website: Autumn Takayama Festival: Sakurayama Hachimangu Shrine |
| Website: Sakurayama Hachimangu Shrine (official website, in Japanese only) |
Autumn Takayama Festival: Sakurayama Hachimangu Shrine |
