Takayama

Ready for hoba miso

Today is one of those days where my energy levels have not sufficiently recovered from accumulated sleep debt to blog with any degree of finesse. Thus, a pictorial essay it shall be, with words kept to an absolute minimum.

This was my second visit to Takayama and therefore most of the major sightseeing highlights had already been ticked off on a previous trip. Instead, the day evolved into exactly the kind of tourism I excel at: food and shopping.

I was particularly pleased to track down the things I had specifically come hunting for — vintage second-hand kimonos to repurpose and upcycle, along with sashiko embroidery kits so I could continue my ongoing quest of acquiring hobbies faster than I can complete them.

There may also have been several entirely unnecessary bonus purchases thrown into the mix, alongside a slightly shameful visit to Uniqlo. Because apparently no matter how far you travel in search of traditional Japanese craftsmanship, sometimes you still end up buying another airism tank.

Why is there a line for breakfast at 0645 and why am I not at the front of it?

Miya River running through Takayama dividing it into the Old Town and the more modern Western half

Miyagawa morning market

Coffee break

Scrunchies made from vintage silk kimonos

Sanmachi

Lunch at Kyoya. We were only able to get a reservation for 11am. We took it. 

Hida beef cooked on miso and hoba leaves

The staff did the cooking for us because of our table lay out

My set meal

Itadakimasu!

Nakabashi bridge

Ramen for dinner

Most happy with this unexpected acquisition. A pair of earrings made with origami and Japanese lacquer.

Kamikochi

Taisho pond - Kamikochi

A short entry today. I am tired. 4:30am has a lot to answer for.

Getting to Kamikochi requires some commitment. From Matsumoto Station we took the 08:01 train to Shin-Shimashima Station, arriving at 08:31, before transferring to a reserved bus into the valley. Private cars are banned from Kamikochi entirely, which is both an environmental policy and, on a busy day, a significant logistical chokepoint. Our travel agent had organised the bus reservation on our behalf. The ticket itself inspired moderate confidence — a printout of an email with English stickers applied, presumably so we could identify what we were holding. It worked. We arrived safely (at around 0950). We are choosing not to dwell on the stickers.

A note for the detail-oriented: there are no ATMs in Kamikochi, credit cards are unreliable, and while there are some restaurants and shops near the bus terminal, stocking up on snacks and drinks beforehand is strongly advisable. There is a luggage storage room at the terminal, but no coin lockers.

Breakfast at Hotel Buena Vista was excellent

Hopefully this information will be helpful to someone...

Information posted at Matsumoto Station

Waiting for the bus at Shin-Shimashima station

The bus drive was very scenic

Windy turns a plenty. So drug up if you're prone to motion sickness

Made it Kamikochi

Kamikochi sits within Chubu-Sangaku National Park at around 1,500 metres, ringed by the Northern Japan Alps and centred on the glacially clear Azusa River. We visited Taisho Pond and Tashiro Pond, walking easy, flat trails with occasional boardwalk sections through the valley floor.

Was it beautiful? Yes. Genuinely, unambiguously beautiful — still water reflecting jagged peaks, pristine air, the kind of scenery that makes you feel briefly virtuous for being outdoors. Have I seen better? Also yes. It was busier than expected, and I would genuinely prefer not to know what it looks like when the season properly peaks. We were glad we went. We were also glad to leave at a reasonable hour.

We arrived back at the bus terminal shortly after the 13:30 service had departed. We collected our stored luggage, bought onward tickets to Takayama via a transfer at Hirayu Onsen, and joined what was then still a short queue. Shortly afterward the queue exploded. A meaningful number of people missed the 14:00 bus entirely. Buses run every half hour, so the consequences were inconvenient rather than catastrophic but I would have been annoyed it that was me!

Jays schooling the group on our route

THE bridge

Path is sometimes narrow and often wide, but always nearly flat

Tashiro pond

The bus terminal in Takayama sits conveniently next to the station, which sits conveniently next to our hotel, Mercure Hida Takayama. We checked in, found the onsen, and went out for Hida beef — the local speciality, and the only acceptable way to end a day in Takayama. Richly marbled, meltingly tender, and entirely worth every yen. 

Now....sleep time.

Our room at Mercure Hida Takayama

Very modern bathroom

No bath but nice shower

And a fabulous view of the railway tracks. Yay

A5 Hida beef

Tempura set

Another great day for the Nakaninjas!

Takayama Day 2

Hida Village

We were awoken from deep slumber with a knocking at our door. It was our breakfast which we had requested for 7:30am! The bedding was put away in a flash and our morning meal laid out. We got dressed and readied ourselves to explore the rest of Takayama. The drop in temperature was definitely noticeable today and the promised snow did come on and off interspersed with rain.

Our breakfast!

The entrance to Ryokan Tabane

Our first task was to visit both morning markets of Takayama, Jinya Market and the Miyagawa Market. Located on the banks of the Miyagawa River the morning markets are open daily from 7am to noon. There were locals from nearby farms selling fresh produce, flowers and craft items. The apples were much cheaper than at the supermarkets! Fruit here is quite expensive so we indulged ourselves. The markets were much smaller than we expected. However, their peak tourist season has just finished and so we suspect it may have to do with the time of the year as well.

Morning market

We initially had planned a day trip to Shirakawa-go, a UNESCO world heritage site famous for their traditional gassho-zukuri farmhouses. However, upon reading up more, we opted instead to visit the Hida Folk Village, a site with over 30 traditional buildings from the Hida region including those from Shirakawa-go. Also the lack of snow meant we were not going to get to see in Shirakawago what we intended to see. Malcolm's suggestion of renting bicycles was greeted with great joy by the children. Fortunately for me, the bicycle rental place was closed...

We purchased a Hida-no-Sato (Hida Folk Village) discount ticket for 900 yen, which included a return bus ride (10 minutes each way) and admission to the Hida Folk Village from Takayama Station. The Hida Folk Village has old houses relocated from their original locations. Most were built during the Edo Period (1603 to 1867). We were able to enter the homes and walk around inside. There were tools and furniture of the era to give a good sense of the traditional way of life. We really enjoyed walking around the Folk Village.

Hida Village - obligatory photo...

Different traditional toys for the children to try

Did I say children?!

Close up of the ancient roof

One of the many relocated homes

Old style bamboo skis

There were two more food items for us to try in Takayama. The first was Hida beef bun. They were fortunately available at the bus stop to help keep us warm. Hallelujah! It is almost like char siu bao but with beef. Very tasty fresh!

The next was the Takayama ramen, known as chazu soba (translated roughly to chinese style noodles). It is ramen and not soba. We were surprised at how distinct the broth could taste. It was simple but again very tasty. With tummies now full, we headed back to the ryokan. We had the afternoon to relax and a date with the onsen!

Hida beef buns to help keep us warm!

Collecting Kit Kats...red bean!

Chaku soba