Just outside of Takayama City, on a side road (459) off of Route 158 to Matsumoto, is a lovely family-run museum, Takumi-no-yakata. It took Kawajiri Jisuke, a master carpenter who also built some of the structures in Takayama's historic preservation district, 12 years to build this farmhouse. It became the home of Taue Taroshiro, a wealthy merchant and it is still owned by his family.
On the day we visited two lovely women greeted us enthusiastically and introduced us to the history of the facility, in Japanese. The first floor contains a lovely irori (pit fireplace) and is reminiscent of days past. This is a great opportunity to see the inside of a intricately built traditional farmhouse and the tools used to build it. Due to the very cold winters of the region, a small stable for horses was usually built within each home. The stable here still hosts an inhabitant!
Don't hesitate when asked to duck behind a curtain into a back room in the right hand section of the home. In this room, a huge model train diorama of Takayama City has been constructed. Guest can sit at a bench directly overlooking the diorama in order to watch the trains rush by. Day turns to night and a festival, with fireworks, begins. If you are familiar with Takayama, the diorama is even more interesting as many sites were accurately recreated.
This is a great opportunity to see the inside of a intricately built traditional farmhouse and the tools used to build it.
Silkworms were once cultivated on the second floor, but now it showcases some inspiring artwork that I believe were created by the owner himself. Take care to also notice the construction of the farmhouse roof, it is especially impressive.
Behind the farmhouse is their 'Mori-no-Suizokukan', a mini-aquarium that reproduces a typical Japanese mountain stream. The main fish on display are Sakhalin Taimen, a local freshwater fish in the salmon family. There are also smaller tanks exhibiting other fish found in the area. Ducks are wandering about, and occasionally you may even spot a cow or a goat!
The museum is about 30 minutes from downtown Takayama, or if you are coming from the opposite direction, 20 minutes from the Hirayu bus terminal (the gateway to Norikura and Kamikochi). Situated in a tiny cluster of homes surrounded by forest, and with a few rice paddies, it is a lovely stop when traveling by car in the area.
