Anita spent the afternoon at the resort while I headed for the Hida Folk Village. I walked there and on the way saw a hairdresser so stopped for a haircut which is quite good since my request was all in sign language. The hairdresser said "cutto" so I figured we were on the same page. I followed up with a soak in one of the foot baths that are located around the town.
The Folk Village opened in 1971 after more than 30 traditional buildings were relocated there. The timber structures were originally built during the Edo Period (1603 - 1867) so have either shingled roofs or thatched roofs. Many are located around a pond which was constructed in 1931 to provide water for rice paddies. In the past people swam in the pond during summer and skated on it in winter. The ice was cut and stored in an ice house for later use. It was covered with sawdust, presumably to prevent the blocks of ice from sticking together.
The autumn colours were dazzling in the sunlight. At 1.30pm a siren sounded and an announcement was made that there was a fire drill. The Japanese take these drills very seriously as there was extensive artificial smoke pouring across the pond. I saw 3 fire trucks and one paramedic unit. The village staff and the fire fighters were running to perform their duties. Half a dozen hoses spouted water into the pond.
Around the largest building with a thatched roof a series of water spouts erupted from the ground. This is an ingenious system to get a lot of water onto a building in a short time. The fire drill was as interesting as the Folk Village itself.
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