Hyouka's Kamiyama Is Takayama, and the Real Mystery Is Which Scenes Are Where

What you're looking at

Hyouka (2012) takes place in Kamiyama, a fictional city based on author Honobu Yonezawa's hometown of Takayama, where most of the anime's location scouting was done. Kamiyama High School is modeled on Gifu Prefectural Hida High School.

The best-documented single location is a festival. Hida Ichinomiya Minashi Shrine's Ikibina Matsuri, held every April 3, when women dressed as living hina dolls walk in procession, is the model for the procession in the series' living-hina episode. The festival ran a Hyouka collaboration in 2013.

What we couldn't confirm

Plenty of fan maps pin individual bridges, streets and Hie Shrine to specific scenes. We didn't find solid sources for those, so treat them as good guesses. Takayama City printed an official guide map of the model locations in 2013; ask at the tourist office whether copies are still around.

Getting there

From Nagoya, the JR Limited Express Hida takes about two and a half hours to Takayama. For Minashi Shrine, ride one stop to Hida-Ichinomiya Station; the shrine is about 8 minutes on foot.

Before you go

• Hida High School is a working school. View it from outside only, and don't photograph students.
• The Ikibina festival (April 3) and the shrine's main festival (May 2) are religious events. Watch respectfully and give the procession room.

Also nearby

• Hida-Furukawa, a short ride north, is the Your Name. library town.
• Takayama's old merchant quarter is worth the trip on its own, Hyouka or not.