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..Took my leave of the bustle of Tokyo, and sped on the `Nozomi` express train up into the mountains of Central Honshu`s Hida District. The scenery was spectacular as we followed the mountain river into the Japanese Alps. Takayama is a quaint little mountain town with streets out of a page of history. Many shops selling the local woodcraft's the region is known for, and rice balls! I was just in time to catch the spring festival, the Sanno Matsuri, a celebration of the end of winter and a hopeful look ahead for this years harvest, plus a bunch of extremely ornate floats called `yatai` complete with puppets! I stayed at the Tensho-ji Youth Hostel which was connected to a shrine of the same name. Very cool even though dorm room was for 50 and the curfew was early. I mostly enjoyed wondering the streets and up into the park on the hill overlooking the town.
