Koj

Before the old town would be too crowded I set off for Hida Furukawa, only 15 minutes by train North of Takayama, another Edo Period town, prosperous due to the rich high quality timber resources of the surrounding woodlands. This smaller riverside town is also full of historic wooden buildings nicely preserved.

Not far from the station I stepped aside to have a look at my map when I suddenly found one of my legs halfway plunged into water. What happened?
I had not realized until then that in Japan small canals are running close to the houses. Usually they are well covered and I do not know why a small panel about 40cm wide was put aside to cause my mishap. Fortunately by then the sun was shining quite warm and dried my sock and shoe quickly. Luckily I did not step into the deeper and wider Seto which is inhabited during the warmer season by beautifully coloured koj-carps.
Hida Furukawa is such a calm and pleasant place, that I soon recovered from the shock and carried on along the picturesque Seto canal, lined by old fashioned white-walled storehouses.