A town of character surrounded by mountains, Takayama has retained a traditional touch like few other Japanese cities, especially in its beautifully preserved Edo-period streets lined with tiny shops, museums while the pure water is ideal for sake brewing. In spite of its isolated location, Takayama gained importance as a source of high quality timber and in the sericulture industry during the Edo period, and was under the direct control of the Tokugawa shogunate. The city's great efforts to maintain the traditional ambience enable you to take a pleasurable stroll around the town to soak up its distinctive atmosphere, somewhat reminiscent of Kyoto.

A renowned UNESCO world heritage site, Shirakawago, one of the heaviest snowfall areas in the world, traces its history back to 1138 when the Heike clans escaped from the capital and started living there after being defeated by the Genji clans. Later when matchlocks, an old version of guns, were introduced in Japan in the 16th century and transformed warfare, this village played a vital role in producing fuming nitric acid, an indispensable material for the guns. Today Shirakawago is famed for its steep thatched-roof houses with an angle of 60 degrees, which enables them to withstand heavy snow.