Takayama-Shi, Japan

Some 110km northeast of Nagoya, on the Gifu-ken side of the Central Alps range in an area known as Hida, the busy tourist town of TAKAYAMA was once an enclave of skilled carpenters employed by emperors to build palaces and temples in Kyoto and Nara. Takayama's appeal today lies in its old merchant houses, small museums, tranquil temples and shrines clustered into a compact area.

Takayama is famous throughout Japan for two of its festivals – the Sannō Matsuri (April 14–15) and the Hachiman Matsuri (Oct 9–10). During these events, eleven huge elaborate floats, adorned with mechanical dolls (karakuri), are paraded around town, a spectacle that attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors.