Takayama City

Breakfast this morning was at about 7:30 and was a traditional Japanese breakfast again with fried egg, rice, salmon, pickled radish, dycon (sp?), miso paste, tofu and dried seaweed.  The students learned how to put the pickled radish on the rice, cover it with the seaweed, and then use our chopsticks to pick it up gathering all the items in one bite. 

Weather was not our friend today and we left the Guesthouse in the pouring rain to make it to the outdoor morning market.  Even though it was raining, it didn't damper the spirits, although we did cut the stay there a bit short.  We had the chance to compare their market to some of our local farmer's market and found they were quite similar. 

We made our way to the Float Museum where we had the chance to dry off a bit and learn about the floats, their history, and celebrations where they are used.  They were spectacular.  Unlike the floats Americans see in the parades, these floats were all made of wood and steel and are quite ornate.  They are used on October 8th for the Night Festival and also in April for another festival. 

Since we had a break in the weather, we decided to walk to the government building, the only remaining one of its kind in Japan.  We were able to see several rooms in the building including the rice storehouse, the tax payment room (taxes were paid in rice), the offices, the court and conference rooms, as well as the interrogation room where many prisoners were severely tortured using various contraptions.  This house also had an amazingly serene garden in traditional Japanese style.

After lunch, we headed back into Takayama City to walk around the narrow streets and do some shopping.  The region is known for its wood craft and pottery and there were many vendors in this area showing their wares.  The people here were very welcoming and helped us out when trying to speak in Japanese.  The students were stopped often to ask where they were from and to have their picture taken.

We are now back at the hotel for a relaxing evening and taking time to work their performances for a talent show we are planning in the upcoming days.  This should be interesting.

Tomorrow we are  off to Kamatsu with some stops on the way.