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Historic city · Takayama, Gifu
Hida-Furukawa
The small town north of Takayama with canals full of carp, white-walled storehouses, temples with carved woodwork and sake breweries.
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
A look at the place
Hida-Furukawa in pictures
These pictures are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs. They may differ from the place.
Click the picture to enlarge it.
Discover
About Hida-Furukawa
Hida Furukawa is the old town center of Hida, about 15 km north of Takayama, in a valley surrounded by mountains. It’s a quiet small town with streets of wooden houses, white-walled storehouses and temples, calmer than Takayama and usually visited on a half-day excursion.
The best-known image is the Setogawa canal, which runs along a street of white storehouses with dark wooden bases. The canal is full of colorful carp, which in winter are moved to a pond to avoid the ice. Nearby, Ichino-machi Street has sake breweries, shops selling handmade Japanese candles and merchants’ houses.
Hida’s carpenters left marks on the town’s houses: many have, under the eaves, small carved pieces of wood painted white, the kumo, with different designs that serve as each carpenter’s signature. The Hida Crafts Museum shows joinery techniques without nails, with pieces to assemble.
In April, the Furukawa Festival features the Okoshi Daiko, a large drum carried at night by men who vie for it through the streets, as well as ornate floats. The Furukawa Festival Center displays the floats and the drum year-round. Hida-Furukawa Station is a few minutes’ walk from the canal.
Before you go
Practical information
Cidade Turismo reviews its information regularly, but something may have changed. Check with the place before planning your trip.
How much time to set aside
Half a day for the canal, the streets, a museum and a distillery.
Best time
Spring and autumn, with the colors of the surrounding mountains. The Furukawa Festival happens in April, with the Okoshi Daiko at night. In winter the carp leave the canal and snow covers the streets.
How to get there
By JR Takayama Line from Takayama to Hida-Furukawa Station, about 15 minutes. There are also buses. The canal is about a 5-minute walk from the station.
Tip
Go in the morning, walk along the Setogawa canal and Ichino-machi Street, and return to Takayama in the early afternoon. Look for the kumo, the carpenters’ signatures under the eaves.
Official website
Get your questions answered
Frequently asked questions about Hida-Furukawa
How do you get from Takayama to Hida Furukawa?
By the JR Takayama line, about 15 minutes to Hida-Furukawa Station. The canal is about a 5-minute walk away.
What to see in Hida Furukawa?
The Setogawa canal with carp and white storehouses, Ichino-machi street with breweries, the Hida Folk Craft Museum and the Furukawa Festival Center.
How much time should I set aside for Hida Furukawa?
Half a day.
What is the Okoshi Daiko?
It’s the nighttime part of the Furukawa Festival, in April, when a large drum is carried through the streets by men competing with each other.
Why do the carp leave the canal in winter?
To escape the ice. They are taken to a lake and return to the canal in spring.
Beyond the guide
