Takato Travel Guide

  honest and kind taxi drivers
by tompt
 
  • honest and kind taxi drivers
      honest and kind taxi drivers
    by tompt
  •   Takato
    by tompt
  • Maretto golf
      Maretto golf
    by tompt
  •   Off The Beaten Path
    by tompt
  • Takato Castle Ruin Park
      Takato Castle Ruin Park
    by tompt
 

Explore Takato

Things to Do  

manko-ji

manko-ji, Takato

 tompt Says:  This temple is not vey special. But the tree in front of it is. A beautifull specimen.And ofcourse this tree is also featuring in the temples stamp. Nice to collect all this stamps from the different temples in Takato. 

kenpuku-ji

kenpuku-ji, Takato

 tompt Says:  At this temple are many stone statues. The temples signature is the buddha statue in front. The one with the ring around its head. But we liked other statues better. 

Restaurants  

street vendor: fish and game

street vendor: fish and game, Takato

 tompt Says:  At the castle ruin park was this street vendor. He sold the above mentioned fish. As we were interested and asked questions about the fish we began to tell about the game. He hunts himself and shot deer and wild boar. He insisted on preparing some game for us too. Well we... 

In our minshuku or at a street vendor: fish

In our minshuku or at a street vendor: fish, Takato

 tompt Says:   In our minshuku we had some delicious fish. It was cleaned put on a bamboo stick, salted and roasted over an open fire.It was great! The next day we saw the same fish roasting at a streetvendor and couldn´t resist...... 

Minshuku Yamabukiso: Think, before stating you eat everything !

Minshuku Yamabukiso: Think, before stating you eat everything !, Takato

 tompt Says:  As our landlady already asked her husband two times if we ate things like sashimi (raw fish). We stated: ' we eat everything you serve'.Wow, were we wrong to do so ?!She served us a table full of little plates filled with local dishes. There was raw horsemeat... raw squid... 

Takato Castle Ruin Park: Picknick in the park

Takato Castle Ruin Park: Picknick in the park, Takato

 tompt Says:  Have a picknick in the park. There are many stalls that sell food and drinks. Some even have a place for you to sit. Not many chairs though, so you can take your own floormat.We tried a local beer, and enjoyed it.... 

on the street: icecream

on the street: icecream, Takato

 tompt Says:  During the sakura season everything is pink.There are many stalls in and near the park. In this case we bought pink icecream. It was good icecream and not as much strawberry as you would think. 

Transportation  

JR bus to Shinjuku

JR bus to Shinjuku, Takato

 tompt Says:  From Takato to Tokyo or vice-versa in season is easiest with the JR Shinjuku-Takato express bus. The JR bus leaves from the Sakura hotel (at the lake) and the busstation. It takes you to Shinjuku in Tokyo. It goes 3 times a day.On this bus we met another nice lady. She even... 

busstation

busstation, Takato

 tompt Says:  If you decide to use public transport, this is where you will enter Takato. The Takato busstation. In season there is a special shuttlebus going to the cherryblossom park.If you are in the mood for a walk think again: it is more then 1 kilometer and it is uphill......How to... 

Traffic detours

Traffic detours, Takato

 tompt Says:  As most visitors do come with their own car the traffic is regulated by making many streets one way streets. It seems to work in some parts of Takato. But to get into Takato they all have to take the same road. 

Join a tour

Join a tour, Takato

 tompt Says:  There are many tourbusses on the parkinglot of the castle ruins park. This suggests it is not difficult to join a tour to Takato. 

like trafficjams? go by car

like trafficjams? go by car, Takato

 tompt Says:  As the Sakura season is only one or two weeks everybody visits in the same period. The cars are travelling in rows. When we arrived with the bus from Ina it took us half an hour to go 500 meters forwards.So think twice before going by car in the season......... 

Local Customs  

mountain vegetables

mountain vegetables, Takato

 tompt Says:  Many citizens of Takato grow mountain vegetables in their own gardens. Some sell it at markets, but most just eat it at home.Most supermarkets sell these vegetables too. 

Sakura at night

Sakura at night, Takato

 tompt Says:  During the blossom period the park is also open at night. The trees are lit from below. And some people brought gaslamps for their picknick. 

Take all your stuff to the park

Take all your stuff to the park, Takato

 tompt Says:  The people who are not making money from it are going to the Sakura. They take lots of stuff with them, like food and drinks but also things to sit on. 

Earning a few yen in the sun

Earning a few yen in the sun, Takato

 tompt Says:  All people in Takato live for or by the sakura. This little group is not enjoying the sun as it seems. But they are watching a few parked cars on their land. Many people open their land or fields for parking during the sakura season. This way they earn a few yen. Most... 

Off The Beaten Path  

Temples in the hills
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tompt 2523 reviews

At the east side of Takato are some small but beautifull temples placed on the hillside.
We do not read japanese so the name of the temples is unknown to us.

Updated Aug 12, 2003

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Sports & Outdoors  

Maretto Golf
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tompt 2523 reviews
Maretto golf

In the park higher up one can play a game that looks like golf. It has holes and there are signs with hole 11- par 3 for instance. But the balls are enormous and the clubs are big like playing croquet.
Our japanese friend Tomoko Yanagida told us it is called Maretto golf, a sport that originated in Japan.

Updated Aug 12, 2003

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Favorites  

Pink, pink, pink

Pink, pink, pink, Takato

 tompt Says:   In the short period that the sakura (cherryblossom) is around, everything in Takato is pink There is a path of pink lanterns leading from the busstation to the cherryblossom park. 

Houses

Houses, Takato

 tompt Says:  Takato is just a small village in the mountains. There are still many houses build in the oldfashioned way, with clay.Straw mats are covered with clay and wooden beams hold everything together. 

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Map of Takato