Takayama Things to Do

At the Takayama Green Hotel complex they have a free foot bath that uses the hot onsen water that sprang from a spring when the hotel was being constructed. The water has medicinal benefits and is very relaxing after a day of sight-seeing.

Also, in the doors to the rear of the foot onsen is the largest souvenir shop in Takayama. The hotel has a huge gift shop where you can pick up all sorts of things.

4 more images

This site has collected and restored about 30 farmhouses and other buildings in a very pictureque setting in the hills (mountains) about Takayama.

The Hida region, due to its location was relatively islolated from the rest of Japan and these old buildings, which are 100 to several hundred years old. This is the only place that we ran across in Japan where we saw historic buildings that were not either temples or castles.

1 more image

Very similar to the famous Kobe beef, Hida beef is quite similar in texture and taste, but is a bit less expensive. If you are intersted in trying it, there are a number of places around Takayama that serve it.

We tried it traditional BBQ style and with the various dipping sauces, we had a delicious meal.

2 more images

The Old Private Houses are part of the Nationally Recognized Important Historical Building Preservation Area. The Town Village still stands on the east side of the Miyagawa River flowing through Takayama, and in the middle of it is Sanmachi, where Edo period houses remain. The rich atmosphere of Takayama castle town still lingers, and you can see sake breweries and merchants’ houses with latticed bay windows standing in a row. This district was designated an area of important traditional buildings by the Japanese Government

3 more images

An approximately 99,000 square meter site of sloped- and thatched-roof houses, this model of a folk village (including National Cultural Treasures) has over 30 buildings, recreating Hida’s historical look. In each building, everyday articles (which we now regard as folk art) recalling the life and culture of mountain farming villages are displayed. Demonstrations of traditional crafts such as Hida lacquerwork, weaving and dyeing are held in arts and crafts centers. Plus, in folk art schools, you can make Hida folk art like straw crafts and sashiko quilting.

It was a freezing cold day when we went, so there were tinges of snow left on the buildings and the smell of wood fires was just intoxicating.

The old town still stands on the east side of the Miyagawa River that flows through Takayama where Edo period houses still remain. Here you can see sake breweries and merchants' houses with latticed bay windows standing in a row.

4 more images

With the opening of the last missing section of the Tokai-Hokuriku Expressway on July 6, 2008, travel time between Takayama and Shirakawa-go was reduced from previously two hours to 50 minutes.

We drove on this highway in July 2008 and it was ..... something :-)
I have never seen so nicely done road in my life.
Funny thing was, the highway was so new it was not in our GPS Navigation.

I found a nice website with bus timetable for you
http://www.japan-guide.com/bus/shirakawago.html

This bus line is the most popular way of accessing Shirakawa-go. Two round trips per day are operated along the entire route between Takayama and Kanazawa. Most of the other services are operated between Takayama and Shirakawa-go, with some continuing from Shirakawa-go to nearby Hirase Onsen and onwards to Maki.

You can't miss this - a district of old houses over the river running though town. Now they double up as restaurants, souvenir shops and guesthouses. It's everyone's idea of "that quaint street full of old houses and pretty plants".

Expect to find yourself amidst the crowd of people in the day - but you could have the place to yourself by sunset. Everything closes though, and the dimly lit street takes on another persona - solemn and mysterious and really quite dark, as most of the lattices of the houses are painted in black.