English Subtitles: KemushiChan This area is pretty popular with overseas travelers.
This way please...
this spot is really a hit!
Here want to give it a try?
Oh yes!
See you can play with the sizes like this.
Maybe I'll send it this way!
Woo! Yay!!
If you follow the mountains of central Japan all the way up to its northern coast,
you’ll find a prefecture whose name literally means “rich with mountains”.
Toyama Prefecture is where I am today. It’s the prefecture on the northern coast of Japan, just in the middle.
Many of the magazine-ready, picture-perfect, historic sights that you know and love from Japan are easily accessible from Toyama prefecture.
One of those deep, cultural artifacts is what brought me here to Takaoka, in Toyama: the Takaoka Mikuruma-yama Festival.
This is the 3rd festival on my quest to discover Japan through the route of festivals.
So today again I’m going to ask another expert to tell me not only about the festival, which happens on May 1st of every year,
but I’m also going to learn how it effects the entire Takaoka City as a whole!
So this museum exhibits the Takaoka "Mikurumayama" parade floats.
which are registered as an intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO
and also both Tangible and Intangible Folk Cultural properties of Japan.
The museum opened the same year as the new Hokuriku Shinkansen.
Inside the museum you'll find a number of exhibits
Many explain the Takaoka Mikuruma-yama festival
and the "Mikurumayama" parade floats.
You can learn about the Festival highlights here.
The history stars with the 2nd Kaga Maeda family head, Maeda Toshinaga
he founded the city "Takaoka" as it is today in 1609
when he gifted a carriage once used by Hideyoshi Toyotomi.
According to the story, Maeda Toshinaga founded Takaoka city
and wanted to make a local festival similar to the Gion Matsuri in Kyoto.
That's how the festivals story began.
The decorations on the wheels are an iconic specialty of the festival.
In addition to the lacquer,
you'll find the intricate metalwork that makes Takaoka famous.
The different types of craftsmanship used to make the wheels
is what launched Takaoka's artisan culture, or at least I believe so.
By designing these wheels the artisans discovered each of their crafts
Leading to the art culture that we have here today.
Here is a real mikuruma-yama float.
They're about 8 to 9 and a half meters tall
and theyre topped with different metal icons.
These top pieces are something you wont really see elsewhere.
At that height, don't they hit the electric lines in the streets?
Way back in the day, and this changed 2 or 3 times since then,
right between the Edo and start of the Meiji era they were almost 1 or 2 meters tall than this.
But since the Meiji period and widespread electricity I've heard that they made these a little smaller.
So with the power lines on the street just about one month before the festival
they'd use bamboo rods to raise the power lines up higher
in prep for the festival...
So here's an activity corner to try
welcome to the storehouse of wheels!
So stand here to discover all 7 wheel designs. So I used my hand here to pick one of the seven
then open your hands to make the wheel appear
WOW!
Squeeze or turn it like this
but if you close your hands like this then you'll bring up the next wheel.
Carry it around...
Let's get the next one!
In real life this 2m 5cm wheel is the largest.
but just have fun with it! Turn it around...
Ooo lets go this way...oh!
So that's it! It's pretty popular!
Yep, put your hand at the start button
and see it will follow your hand movements.
You got it!
Here, help me!
Looks heavy!!! Here lets do the next one close your hands...
OBLITERATE IT.
Open your hands for one more!
See, you did it.
One thing I want you to see here..
is THIS cool guy.
It's me!
Oh you dont have to...
no, not so close!!!
CLOSER!!!
Here we are greeting the former city mayor.
These are the musical accompaniments.
Here are 7, all of them different.
7 different song names.
So this is another activity.. the Music Master corner!
You can play along the actual festival songs for points.
That's how that one works...
Takaoka is an artisan town.
One of the things that Takaoka is known for is its metalcrafts. Especially little, intricate creations
where metal is bent and shaped. Sometimes they’re made into objects and images that you may recognize from Japanese culture and history.
Right now I’m walking down the local, old-time streets in the area.
It’s still kind of quiet now, but these long row buildings here are actually stores!
Let’s check out inside.
For the foodies out there, if you’re wondering what to eat in Takaoka one dish you’ll definitely want to try is called Kombu-jime!
It’s actually less of a dish, and more of a technique. You take any type of ingredient and press it between kombu kelp!
Alright! I made it to Craftan! Meat, sashimi, vegetables….
These are preserved in an actually kombu leaf so it brings out the best flavors,
the juiciness, the richness, all of it squeezed into little compact bites. I’m so excited to get in!...
and of course, paired with a craft beer!
I am all over the craft beer I don’t get enough of this
so cheers, to the chef! And cheers to you all!
Ahhh… OK. Pale Ale is 100% amazing!
Ohhhhh!
We have the steamed dishes here… and this ADORABLE platter!
If you look closely it resembles the kombu, the kelp that the food was preserved in.
I’m starting with my favorite, the pumpkin!
Perfect bite! Not too tough, not too soft, just perfect!
Like BUTTER! It just melts in your mouth. Mmmm.
To go with everything we have soy sauce for the sashimi,
but we have a special dipping broth for the vegetables and the meat.
Sooo....BOOP!
Mmm, that really brings out that Japanese flavor.
It’s not just steamed foods, its really traditional, authentic flavor
but together in a fresh, modern, elevated way.
It's so delicious!
Thank you!
Time for the steak!
! Ohmygosh… I’m going to try some sashimi …
with this light shoyu. Just a bit. Boop!
Just a bit…
Its really soft!
These flavors in these foods are...how should I put it...
even people who arent used to authentic Japanese flavors
will eat this and love it.
Guys, girls, whoever... anyone would eat this and like it.
Oh yeah?
I really think so!
Curing it in seaweed tenderizes the ingredients
and draws out the deep umami of each flavor.
It's intensified!
So its fresh, but even MORE delicious!
ENHANCED flavor!
I'm in heaven!
Ten out of Ten! This is a must-try if you visit Takaoka!
Hold on! Your T-shirt has kombu seaweed?
Sure does!
Perfect!
Takaoka has different cultural roots than Toyama
its more similar to Kanazawa, actually.
With more than 260 years of historic connection with the Kaga Clan
you can see those roots throughout the townscape and festivals.
As you can tell this temple is very vast, it has perfectly manicured grass
and wide open space that isn’t really typical? Its kind of surprising when you walk through the temple.
When I was walking through the town one of the locals explained that when you come to Zuiryuji the whole atmosphere changes… and I really feel that!
There are golden emblems all over as well as wooden carvings that, if you look really closely, you’ll see they have the plum blossom mark.
For those of you who are history buffs and really into the old-school history of Japan you’ll probably recognize that
that this is the famous mark of the Kaga Maeda Clan.
When you think about Takaoka’s downtown historic streetscapes,
for example in Kanazawa they have the beautiful geisha and the tea district, all of that really art-rich culture started because of the Kaga Maeda clan
and their work to make these really gorgeous, art-forward cities.
See there’s the plum symbol throughout the temple.
So I’ve made it here to the Amaharashi Coast,
a coastal escape for many of the residents here in Takaoka.
It’s cloudy today so the mountain line maybe hard to see.
But just like the head of the museum told us, you can go to the museum at any point in the middle of day just to check if the view is clear for you to take a picture.
We keep a live monitor view of the beach
so people will check to see if Tateyama Mountain Range is visible that day and rush over to the beach to see it!
Look at this were standing at the edge of Toyama Bay. This is one of the most northern parts of the coast up here!
So thank you for coming along my journey in Takaoka! Its just a taste of what there is to offer here.
For now I will breath in the ocean air
and then get ready to get back on the road to our next city!
Believe it or not, I’m going even FARTHER north!
I’ll see you next time, bye!
I have one selfish request...
What's that?
can we play that drum game again...
You wanna pair up again?
The all star team!
The best team pair!
Let's try one more time!
You ready?
Yes please!
HERE WE GO!
Oh, really?
OK? You got it? You ready?
Let's do it!
Novice level?
Yes please.
GET IN THE ZONE.
Ah look we got a higher score this time!
Oh, because we did Novice level. Oh well. Thank you!
See we're the only ones ranked here...