Our run of warm weather ran out this afternoon, and the rain set in. The covered gutters filled with water, as did the local river which began to look as it did in the old days when logs were sent down its torrents to the valleys below. Takayama, in spite of its isolation has always been important in terms of logging, crafts, mining, silk, rice, sake, religion and administration, and its present importance in terms of tourism, crafts, food and hydro-electricity continue to bring money to the region. The leaves this afternoon seemed to colour up in an instant, the sky grew dark, and we began to consider the winters here, which must be very cold judging by the neat stacks of wood that homes are displaying, the double glazing on the windows and the snow guards on the roofs.
We decided not to brave the elements and go on a hike in the hills, and headed for the Museum of History and Art instead. It was fascinating, but humbling, becuase it made us realise that we know very little about Japan, and prompted us to read a lot more. The Lonely Planet, by the way, has proved to be disappointingly perfunctory during this trip, and often quite useless. And the museum signs are mostly in Japanese. I get the feeling we should have at least hired a guide. Still, we did get a lot from the experience.
The crowds had disappeared and the rain was teaming down when we emerged. We made a half-hearted attempt to keep exploring and found this shop dedicated to rabbits
but in the end, we were so wet we gave in and went to station to book our tickets to Kyoto tomorrow, and then went home to dry out.
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