Fall harvest festival in Takayama

 

The fall harvest festival in Takayama is worth putting into your travel bucket list when you visit Japan. This festival occurs twice yearly during the spring time and the fall for the harvest festival which I was lucky to visit.  Takayama is a small city that has retained its unique quality, traditions and craftsmanship in a timeframe of disappearing Japanese identity.

Due to the short seasons of spring and fall in the Gifu region (alpine country), Takayama holds two festivals annually to celebrate the spring and fall harvests.  Both festivals are very popular in Japan with elaborate celebrations, events and demonstrations including the colorful parades throughout the streets of Takayama. People from all over Japan and other countries come to celebrate and enjoy the parades and the two-day festivities. Fortunately, I was able to put this festival into my itinerary and book reservations ahead of time, since the hotels in the region are completely booked for the two-day festival. During the fall harvest which I attended, elaborate parades occur during the day and night along with daily cultural events, shows, food demonstrations and a large line-up of yatai (Japanese street food) filling up one enter side of sidewalk and riverfront area. (I’ll show you some highlights of the regional specialties in a future post)

 

 

 

 

 

Colorful processions with beautiful floats or yatai and their community members attired in their best traditional wardrobes come out in mass to either pull the yatai or follow in the procession with drums, musical ensembles, choral singing groups or dancing like the flower girls below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You notice all the wonderful details to the yatai/floats with the gorgeous wood carvings, textiles, metal details and other superior craftsmanship the area is known for. The procession has very unique and cool features like this person carting a young tree to be planted, wood piper ensembles, elaborate dragon dances and children working the marionettes on top of each float to create a staged performance during the procession.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Famous Yatai of Takayama

The citizens of the city are proud to display their spectacular floats of elaborately carved yatai and intricate design of woodworking, metalwork, lacquering and painted applications. Started in the 17th century these ornate yatai are passed down from the various communities who orchestrate and are also beautifully costumed for the festive procession.  During the day time, the yatai are placed in the central route so you can visit and see all the detailed elements to each yatai and even strike up a conversation with any of the community volunteers within each yatai groupings. There is usually a daytime procession of the floats, but the most elaborate part takes place at night-time when the yatai are lit with hundreds of traditional lanterns adding to a magical illumination parade. Along with the floats are marionettes that are performed on top of the floats, traditional marching bands,  musical performances, dancers and even elaborate dancing dragons at various stages of the parade procession. It’s a very colorful performance and procession and taking pictures are a photographers dream at this festival.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Later in the evening after the parade, the entire river front area is filled with colorful street food vendors loudly hawking their delicious bites and regional delicacies to a very hungry crowd. The area is busy and filled with visitors wanting to try many of the grilled, fried, baked or raw delicacies that make this festival an aromatic and culinary foodie delight. It’s easy to just follow your nose and eyes in trying something new or out of the ordinary here, and there is a lot of the unusual available to eat here! My upcoming post will cover more of the specialties at these festivals so stay tuned for my next installment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Celebrating the fall harvest and sharing the unique craftsmanship and artistry of the communities in Takayama makes this festival one of the most dazzling and colorful parades in Japan and is worth the effort to witness during the spring or fall festival.  It’s a wonderful thing to see a community take pride in their history, culture and artistry and craftsmanship to share their traditions with the rest of the country in its unique heritage. Takayama is a beautiful city that has retained many of its traditions, historic charms and artistic heritage, please take a look at my earlier post about this city here. I hope you enjoyed the fall harvest tour of Takayama and hopefully you can visit this someday.

 

Where to stay in Takayama

There are plenty of hotels, small inns and BnBs around the historic district and greater Takayama to visit and stay as a base for the area. You can check out these various hotels and reviews of places below for more information on staying in the area.

Wat Hotel and Spa – A quiet area and close to train station with access to shops and dining, top floor onsen, small but comfortable rooms and affordable rates

Oyado Koto no Yume – A traditional ryokan in with authentic touches including great breakfast and fantastic location.

Hidatei Hanaougi – A beautiful small inn or ryokan in this traditional stay with onsen style spa, traditional foods and Japanese type of sleeping style.

Check these best rated Trip Advisor hotels here for reviews and hotel images.

 

Check out these other posts on visiting the region

A weekend in the Japanese Alps

A visit to Shirikawago in the Japanese Alps

A visit to Takayama, Japan

 

 

If you like this post, please consider subscribing to the blog by email  below – also I appreciate it if you could share this post with any of the social media buttons located below and around the post, thank you!

Sharing is caring!