Hida Folk Village

Hida no Sato, the Hida Folk Village, gathers old farmhouses from the region on a hillside above Takayama, many of them steep-roofed gassho houses moved here to be preserved. They stand around a pond with paths, small fields and woods, so the whole place reads as a village rather than a museum.

The thatch, the water and the trees make a rural setting that suits couples and families, and it looks its best under snow or in autumn colour. It is a calmer alternative to Shirakawa-go, the World Heritage village about an hour away by bus, which is often very crowded.

Entry is paid, and the village has its own rules for professional photography — check before you go. Local buses run up from the town centre.