Hida Takayama Teddy Bear Eco Village

I must admit that I came to the Hida Takayama Teddy Bear Eco Village expecting to find a cheesy mountain town tourist trap.  In fact I was hoping to find one.  I had a theory that all winter-sports-based towns around the world must contain one or two desperate attempts to attract tourists the rest of the year. I came away impressed.  While it certainly exists only as tourist attraction, it is clear that a tremendous amount of love and care has been put into the place.  And the bears are really really cute.  No, really.  Have a look.

English language signs are few and far between in the Takayama/Hida area.  Fortunately there was only one teddy bear museum around, so there wasn't any confusion.

A neat little treehouse in the parking lot.  That's a hinged door near the front fender of the car. As far as I could tell, this tree actually lived and died on this spot.

Bear on a swing attached to the tree house.

Father Christmas Bear. About a quarter of the museum was given over to a display of Christmas related bears.

They have a judged teddy bear contest every year.  This years theme -- teddy bear weddings. (warning:  some of the following pictures are blurry, and all of them are ferociously cute.)

Don't say I didn't warn you...

Disco wedding bears!

A polar bear outdoor wedding (naturally.)

Ahh!  Cuteness attack!

Okay, enough.  I can't take it anymore.

"Franz Bear was owned by Franz Clements, a member of the Hapsburg Family in Austria and related to Princess Elizabeth.  Franz lived in a Renaissance castle in Hobenn, located near the border with Switzerland. This Steiff bear was made in 1903 especially for the Hapsburg Family and was loved by its family members. Among the noble families of Austria, it was a tradition to send a teddy bear to a newborn baby.  The teddy bear represented the wealth and class of the family. Hida Takayama Teddy Bear Eco Village is honored to accept this precious bear directly from Mr. Franz Clements.   This 100-year old bear is sending you a message from olden times.  Please enjoy."