Takayama Jinya, Takayama

This is a typical government office of the Edo period very well maintained to give visitors an idea of what administration buildings looked like as regarding their day to day affairs. There are exhibits on the invitation of guests of different ranks with distinctions made in the separate rooms and even entrances for the type of visitor. There’s a part of the building dedicated to hearing out petitions from grieving citizens and a torture chamber for suspected and guilty offenders. There’s also an exhibit or a room and sort of palanquin for messages exclusively from Edo. For adults entry costs ¥400, while ages below 16 pay half that.

Visited this summer, on a Saturday. Not many people so there wasn't a line at the ticket booth. Learned about how Takayama Jinja is a unique building in all of Japan. Each section has a small English transcript or description of what can be seen. There are also QR code posts that lead to links that talk about specific areas in detail. There is no airconditioner of course, but if you're lucky a slight breeze might just come through while taking a brief rest at the "living room" - this area overlooks the garden and the pond. At specific dates during summer, a special kabuki performance is held in the big room (3 rooms really, with the sliding doors taken off).