Japan
November 2, 2026 Takayama in the Rain It was raining this morning, just a light rain but rain. The hotel had a box of umbrellas by the door that could be borrowed. Those in our group who did not own an umbrella borrowed one. With umbrellas in hand went ventured forth on our walking tour of Takayama. The rain didn't dampen the view or feel of the town, so there are lots of photos today. One of the beautiful old wooden buildings in Takayama. Because of its unique geographic location in the Japanese Alps, it developed a fiercely independent timber and craftsmanship culture. What do you think this is? The box hides a fire hydrant. When we were walking around neighbourhoods, we saw fire hydrants. To keep it "pretty" around the shops the fire hydrants are in boxes. Space is valuable, so parking spaces are small. We watched this car being parked. The driver lined the car up beside a door into the building. The drive on the right hand side, so the driver had to crawl over the ...