<\/span><\/h2>\nWalk through the old town of\u00a0Takayama, called\u00a0Sanmachi<\/span>\u00a0Suji\u00a0and pay special attention to the three streets that give the area its name. They are Ichinomachi\u00a0Street,\u00a0Ninomachi\u00a0Street, and\u00a0Sannomachi\u00a0Street.<\/span>\u00a0This area is perfectly preserved with houses from the Edo period, at which time the city was a rich merchant town. Most of the buildings work today as museums, art galleries, craft shops or coffee shops.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/span>Edo period Architecture<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\nEnter one of the old houses whose architecture has hardly changed since the Edo period, such as the house of the\u00a0Kusakabe\u00a0family\u00a0(Kusakabe<\/span>\u00a0Mingeikan) or the\u00a0Yoshijima\u00a0family\u00a0(Yoshijima-ke), the\u00a0Hida\u00a0archaeological museum<\/span>\u00a0Minzoku<\/span>\u00a0Kokokan, the\u00a0Hirata\u00a0craft museum<\/span>Kinenkan\u00a0or to the\u00a0Fujii\u00a0Art and Craft Gallery<\/span>\u00a0Bijutsu<\/span>\u00a0Mingei-kan.<\/span>\u00a0More than the exhibitions that we can find there, what really is worthwhile is being able\u00a0to\u00a0enter such old houses.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/span>See the\u00a0Hida\u00a0temple<\/span>\u00a0Kokubun\u00a0-ji<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\nVisit the\u00a0Hida\u00a0temple<\/span>\u00a0Kokubun\u00a0-Ji, one of the oldest in the city (it was built in the 8th century). It is easily visible from anywhere around Takayama thanks to the needle at the top of its three-storied pagoda.<\/span>\u00a0In the courtyard of the temple, which is always very quiet you can find a ginkgo tree more than 1,200 years old.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/span>Takayama Shrine<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\nVisit the\u00a0Takayama\u00a0or\u00a0Takayama\u00a0sanctuary<\/span>\u00a0Jinja, which served as the office of the\u00a0Takayama\u00a0government\u00a0in the Edo period. Back then the city was directly controlled by the shogun because of its valuable forest resources.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/span>Discover sake<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\nDiscover more about the world of sake, local\u00a0Takayama\u00a0specialty, visiting some of the same factories that can be found in the old town, easily recognizable by their large\u00a0Sugiyama\u00a0or balls of cedar branches above the entrance. Another little detail that will make this a different trip to Japan.<\/span><\/p>\n