On the outskirts of Takayama lies the Hida Folk Village Museum, a collection of traditional farmhouses from the surrounding region. The extensive collection of structures, in some of which tradtional craftsmen ply their arts, preserves numerous aspects of rural Japanese lifestyles of interest both to modern Japanese visitors and travelers from abroad.

The interiors and decorative details of these large structures are particularly fascinating -- intricately patterned translucent shoji screens, rope-secured miscanthes thatched straw roofs, aged dark ceiling beams, glowing golden Buddhist family altars.

The surrounding wooded hills are dotted with religious shrines, both Buddhist and Shinto, evidence of the seemingly inherent awe with which the Japanese contemplate the natural world around them.

An artisan weaving traditional straw sandals often worn by Buddhist pilgrims.

- NOVEMBER 26, 2005

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