A breathtaking view of the quaint thatched houses strongly standing deep under the snowy landscape welcomed me as I entered the Hida Folk Village. The snowscape was absolutely lovely and surreal as if I was in a dream when all of a sudden, the song “Walking In A Winter Wonderland” kept playing in my head. Yes. Winter Wonderland is real!
Background
Hida Folk Village is an open air museum tucked away in the quiet part of Takayama with over 30 gassho houses with views of Japan Alps. Built during the Edo Period, these gassho houses were relocated and nicely preserved from Shirakawa-Go and other parts of Shokawa Valley to create the museum in 1971 for exploration.
How to Get to Hida Folk Village
Hida Folk Village is accessible by a 25-minute walk or 10-minute bus ride from JR Takayama Station via the Sarubobo Bus line. You can save a lot by purchasing a combination ticket from the Ticket Office outside the station worth 930yen which includes round trip bus tickets between Takayama Station and Hida Folk Village (Hida No Sato bus stop) and Hida Folk Village admission fee. A very pleasant staff would welcome and hand you a map with 3 walking routes to choose from: 15-min, 30-min, and 45-min walking tour to the Hida Folk Village open air museum.
