Takayama, Japan

Takayama is located in the Japanese Alps in central Honshu. It is a very attractive place that has managed to keep most of its traditional architecture with many nice inns, sake breweries and shops in the city centre. It's an ideal starting point for hikes or biking trails in the summer. One of the main attractions is the Hida folk museum, an open air museum that gives you a pretty good insight in the region and its history. It consists of an eastern and a western section, one ticket giving access to both, connected by a nice walk through the fields. With its old inns, shops and sake breweries, Takayama is a rarity: a 21st-century city (admittedly a small one) that's also retained its traditional charm. Vibrant morning markets, hillside shrines and a laid-back populace add to the town's allure, and it should be a high priority on any visit to Central Honshû. Give yourself at least two days to enjoy the place; it's easily tackled on foot or bicycle. Takayama was established in the late 16th century as the castle town of the Kanamori clan, but in 1692 it was placed under direct control of the bakufu (shôgunate) in Edo. The present layout dates from the Kanamori period, and its sights include more than a dozen mu¬seums, galleries and exhibitions covering lacquer and lion masks, folk craft and architecture.