Takayama Autumn Festival 秋の高山祭

Begin the countdown to the end of the year with one of the Tokai region's most ornate festivals. The elegant Takayama Autumn Festival takes place over two days, October 9 and 10, and attracts thousands of visitors.

The Hida Limited Express leaves from Nagoya every hour, taking about two hours and 20 minutes. Takayama is also connected to Toyama by regular trains and highway buses, and from Matsumoto by highway bus.

Every October 9 and 10, tens of thousands of people descend on Takayama for its grand autumn festival. The festival is about giving thanks while also marking the beginning of preparations for winter.

The festival features colorful, ornately decorated floats. Some of the floats are topped with marionettes, and at set times puppeteers make them perform traditional dances. Usually, this happens mid-morning and early afternoon. After dark on the night of the 9th, the evening festivities begin with a100 lantern-lit yatai floats toured around town.

For detailed information on where the floats are displayed during the day and for a schedule of the proceedings, drop by one of the local tourist information centers.

Even if you miss the celebration, you can still see the floats at the Takayama Matsuri Yatai Kaikan—an exhibition hall displaying floats from festivals past. For a small fee, you can rent English audio guides, which go into detail about the history of the festival and the design of the floats.