Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Monday14th April 2014- Now on to Takayama for the Spring Festival

Again and early start with own made breakfast in the room and then wait for the car to come down out of the 24 car metal racking and then loading and we departed the Hotel around 0815.
Shortly after leaving Kyoto Town centre we joined the Expressway back towards Nagoya but shortly after leave the Kyoto area this put us on a different expressway to the one we arrived on. The sun was shining in the driver’s side of the car and shortly after leaving a brief stop was required to remove sweaters which were not needed. The Expressway had less and less traffic on it as we left the Nagoya area and headed North in the direction of the Japanese Alp foothills. As we got nearer to the mountains the number of tunnels we entered grew and grew and I guess we must have gone thought at least 50 or 60 tunnels of lengths from 250 metres up to 5 kilometres and it must have been rather difficult to build.
We continued climbing and getting higher and higher and our ears began to pop a little and then we started to see the first signs of snow left over from winter. After a 5800 yen expressway toll we arrived in Takayama around 1pm and went to a Yoshinoya rice and fried beef restaurant for lunch, all for the cost of 1200 yen or about £ 6.50 for two. We found the Hotel ok which is at the top of a hill overlooking the town and so we had a little rest and then used the Hotel free transport down to the local station to join the crowds following the festival.
We found the main square and we waited there for about one hour before the parade started where groups of men pull huge decorated carts with mostly children on board. The carts are completely decorated all over and must weight several tons and are covered with drawings and a lot seem to have gold leaf on. There were several thousand people watching this event and we walked for a damn long way finding occasional places to rest our weary feet.
After what had seemed like a very filling lunch we started to feel a little peckish but did not want another meal but started looking for a coffee and cake place but the only places opened seemed to be restaurants until we happened across the McCafe of McDonalds fame. Well we happened upon after asking several policemen where it was.

Well we cheated and Noel had a fish burger meal and Jennifer the chicken meal and then back to the station to connect with the free transport back to the Hotel at 9pm. We were both quite tired as it had been a longish drive and then loads of walking and waiting. But a good day..