Colorado | Supporters Blog

After arriving at Takayama station, we bought our visitor set pass for the Hida Takayama Folk Village (the pass includes the bus fare and the entrance into the Folk Village). At the Folk Village, we headed inside to a blast to the past type of setting. I love places like this, they let you take a deep breath and step back from the hustle and bustle of life. The weather was threatening that day and thankfully it seemed to be holding off. The Takayama Folk Village is an area composed of over 30 old folk houses from various parts of the Hida region. Many of the artifacts of the original houses are still intact and you can get an idea of the different livelihoods that each household was a part of back in those days. A number of the houses in the reserve also have different workshops happening which you can take part in as well. If you can’t make it out to Takayama you can visit the Japan Open-Air Folk Museum in Kawasaki, Japan.

After the Folk Village, we walked down to Friendship Hill to visit “The City of Denver” Park. This was one of my favorite things we got to see just because it has so much sentimental feelings attached to it. Takayama is Denver’s sister city and I’m from Denver, Colorado so naturally my mom and I wanted to visit the park. Seeing the familiar Denver parks logo and sign style put a smile on my face and later the outdoor hot springs wasn’t too bad either.

However, it’s a good thing that day was so good because we’d need it for the next day.

Takayama 3 (1)

Takayama 3 (2)

Takayama 3 (3)

Takayama 3

Like I mentioned in my previous post, Golden Week vacation was spent in Yamanashi in the shadow of Mt. Yatsugatake and the Japanese Alps. Being from Colorado, I physically feel at home being surrounded by mountains and blue sky but emotionally, I feel at home surrounded by creative people and the arts. So when I found out we would be staying in the Kobuchizawa Art Village I was super excited. In reality, it isn’t quite as fantastic as it sounds. By this I mean it’s not bursting with creativity around every corner however for being such a little town it does have a good amount of galleries, museums and concerts/festivals.

One of these places, which we were able to visit for free because the resort we were staying at provides a free ticket, is the Nakamura Keith Haring Collection Museum. Keith Haring was a very outspoken artist with a lot he wanted to convene through his art. The current exhibit is really a reflection of this and is moving to see the progression of his work. Although the collection is small and a bit expensive (if you have to pay), I think it’s well worth a visit. The building is really an interesting piece of architecture as well.

I hope that Kobuchizawa continues to nurture art and the relationship it has with nature. One way we can help out is by supporting it. Here are a couple links that may be of interest.

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http://www.digi-joho.com/toyko/japan/tokyo-surroundings/kobuchizawa-art-village/

http://yatsujazz.com/