Counterpart to the Takayama Spring Festival, this festival is based around the Sakurayama Hachinmangu shrine. What happens? This Takayama festival features large wheeled floats, mikoshi (shoulder borne portable shrines) and marionette performances. There are processions during the day and in the evening. The surrounding mountains provide a stunning backdrop. How to get there From Tokyo Station, take the Tokaido Shinkansen headed for Hiroshima. Alight at Nagoya Station, then transfer to the JR Hida Limited Express for Takayama. Alight at Takayama Station. The entire journey takes around 4.5 hours. The cheaper option is to take a bus. Direct highway buses, both during the day and at night, operate from Shinjuku. These take around 5.5 to 6 hours.