A year prior, I had visited the magical village of Ginzan Onsen. The mountainous region that cuts through the length of Japan’s Honshu island has more hidden wonders. On this trip, we explored the region right smack in central Japan. Starting from Nagoya, which was between Tokyo and Osaka, we ventured inland towards Gifu, where we visited world heritage site Shirakawago, and stayed 4 nights in the quaint city of Takayama.
Shirakawago – Experiencing the World Heritage Site
We arrived at Nagoya in the early hours of winter. The plan was to make a detour to Shirakawagago, before settling down in Takayama. As this trip required us to cut through the central alpine mountains of Honshu island, we had purposely planned for a more relaxing schedule on the day we touched down Japan.
Shirakawago, a UNESCO world heritage site, is known for its captivating impression that evolves with the change of seasons. It is a village made up of a main street and few others that run parallel to it. There are 2 ways to enjoy this heritage sight, and we did both on our visit.
First, we drove up the hill overlooking the village to a vantage spot offering a panoramic view of the settlement. (It was called Ogimachi Castle Observation Deck, but trust me, I saw no castle up there.) And it was definitely worth the effort. Watching the quaint village nestled in the mountains was out of the world. We also explored the area and found another viewing point away from the crowd which offered an alternate way to frame our photos of Shirakawago.
The next way to experience the village was to take a leisurely stroll through it. Food and craft shops lined the main street catering to every type of visitor. Venturing off the main thoroughfare, we experienced the quieter side of the village. That was where we found lodgings for those willing to splurge for an overnight stay.
Unfortunately, we were at Shirakawago before the first snow of the season. Hence, we missed insta-worthy views of the snow covered thatched roofs. Instead, we got a mellow, after-rain Shirakawago.
The car trip from Nagoya airport to Shirakawago took about 4 hours, including rest stops to grab some bites. We spent about 2 hours exploring the heritage site, before setting off to Takayama.
Miyagawa Morning Markets – A Morning Stroll
On the first morning after we arrived at Takayama, we visited the Miyagawa Morning Markets. Takayama’s landmark was primarily a strip of shophouses lining the Miyagawa River. Our hotel was at the downtown’s fringe, which was some 10 minutes’ stroll from Takayama Morning Market. The stroll would take us through Takayama’s downtown, with intricately decorated streets and wide sheltered walkways.
We woke up to gentle snow falling at the window sill. By the time we reached the market, it had turned into quite a snowstorm. However, it quietened down nearer to noon.
The market consisted of shops that sold local produce and crafts. Food kiosks that sold taiyaki, takoyaki and the likes lined the esplanade, while cafes in more formal settings were found in the shophouses. It was quite an experience to be eating takoyaki under the food stall’s makeshift tents while the snow raged on the streets!
Cafe hopping – Relaxing in Takayama
Turning away from the main street of the morning market, we entered the old town of Takayama. Here, we found some hippy cafes which were terrific for a rest after a morning’s walk.
Cha-No-Me Cafe 茶乃芽 offered yummy desserts in a contemporary Japanese setting. Nestled in one of the shophouses of the old town, the spacious cafe even housed a courtyard that brimmed with delightful Japanese touches.
We had warm beverages like cappuccino and hot chocolate to ward ourselves off the cold. We also ordered ice creams – one of their specialties – which were rich in flavour.
The compact old town also housed several other quaint dessert shops. Since the Japanese are known for their milk products, it was a must to drop by Takayama Pudding Tei (高山プリン亭) for some of the rich dairy treat kept in dainty milk bottles. Do note that the stock clears out fast and the shop closes early (before 3pm), so early birds would get the pudding!
Around the corner, なな草 (Nanakusa; the English name is not on Google Maps) is a shop selling swiss rolls and manju. The latter was crafted in designs of various cats. Definitely not to be missed for the meow-lovers.
Cha-No-Me Cafe 茶乃芽
Japan, 〒506-0846 Gifu, Takayama, Kamisannomachi, ８３
https://takayama-cyanome.jp/
+81577357373
Takayama Pudding Tei 高山プリン亭
Japan, 〒506-0846 Gifu, Takayama, Kamisannomachi, ９５
https://takayama-pudding.com/
+81577708490
なな草 (swiss roll, cat mochi)
64 Kamininomachi, Takayama, Gifu 506-0845, Japan
https://www.tohoen.com/location/index.html
+81577367793
Shiroyama Park – A Winter Morning’s Hike
As our hotel was right at the entrance of Shiroyama Park, we also took a morning hike through the park one morning. Shiroyama means “White Mountain” and it couldn’t be more apt in the winter! The hillside park and offered a panoramic view of Takayama. However, the initial climb was rather steep and challenging. Thereafter, though, it was more of a leisure walk.
There were some ruins found in the park, most notably the Takayama castle ruins. But I must say it took some imagination when looking at the earth mounds to fathom how the original castle would look like. Along the way, we also encountered a bear. It was too far to be discerned.
Despite the snowfall of the previous day, the path was free of snow and ice. Instead, the rock paths provided friction for us to walk comfortably up and down the slopes. For someone like me who sweats easily, it was definitely a joy hiking through Shiroyama Park in winter!
And guess what? We even encountered a bear (from afar!). It was most peculiar, as we though the bears would be in hibernation at that time of the year!
Japanese Culinary Experience in Takayama
The area in and around Takayama’s old towns housed plenty of restaurants in ancient Japanese settings, mainly catered to tourists. The area around the train station offered a wider selection of food choices.
Kaiseki at Bandai Honten 萬代 本店
Nothing beats eating traditional Japanese food, served in exquisite Nihon ware, amidst the nostalgic settings. Hence, we arranged for a kaiseki dinner at Bandai Honten. The restaurant was located outside of the old town, near the train station. It was a 30 minute stroll from our hotel.
The experience started when we stepped through its main door. We were led to the inner door through a bamboo lined stone path. At the entrance, we were greeted by the owners, took off our shoes before proceeding to our dining room at level 2. Since the building was refurbished from an ancient one, and Bandai Honten made sure they retained its vintage look and feel, it was surreal walking through the wooden corridor, with our heads nearly touching the ceiling!
After we settled down in the dining room – all for ourselves, the kaiseki dishes were served. Our host introduced the dishes as they were served to each of us. We started off with a cup of matcha to cleanse our palette, before the appetisers were served. Following that, the sashimi, hot food, then nabe. We rounded off the meal with fried rice and jelly for dessert.
Despite its decorations that were a throwback to the old Japanese times, there were still contemporary fittings like an elevator. We also needn’t sit on the floor to enjoy our food while risking muscle cramp. The only downside to the experience? We had arrived after dusk, so we didn’t get to enjoy the garden view while walking through the corridor. It would have been quite an experience in the day!
Bandai Honten 萬代 本店
Japan, 〒506-0015 Gifu, 高山市花川町 １８
https://tabiiro.jp/gourmet/s/304733-takayama-bandai/
+81577320130
Baren ばれん
Baren is famous for its thick toast with generous spreads of red bean (not paste, jam). Such cafes are a dime a dozen in the likes of Tokyo and Osaka. However, Baren delivered a dose of nostalgia in rustic Takayama.
Grab the seat by the wooden patterned window and watch the occasional horse drawn carriage ride by on the narrow street. Tourists in kimono would also sashay down the path. After exploring the old town of Takayama, it was heavenly to be in Baren enjoying the thick red bean toasts paired with hot cappuccino.
Baren ばれん (cafe, toasts)
107 Kamisannomachi, Takayama, Gifu 506-0846, Japan
+81577339201
Shida 志田
Nothing could be more unassuming than Shida. It doesn’t even show up on Google Maps unless you search for its name specifically.
Manned by a pair of elderly couple, Shida served up variations of hot soba. I paired mine with tempura. The batter was light and soba refreshing. Although the elderly didn’t understand much English, we still managed with gestures over their English menu.
Do note, though, Shida only takes cash.
Shida 志田
91 Kamisannomachi, Takayama, Gifu 506-0846, Japan
+81577321425
Don コーヒー ドン
We also dropped by a Don, a Western style cafe. The petite restaurant provided cosy couches that made it feel like we were having brunch at home.
We were served complimentary bread after placing our orders. The coffee came next and piqued our appetites. Finally, the toasts arrived and they sure lived up to the Japanese reputation. Each toast came with thick fillings between soft and crispy bread.
The small cafe filled up pretty quickly, so it would be good to arrive early like we did.
Don コーヒー ドン
Japan, 〒506-0011 Gifu, Takayama, Honmachi, 2 Chome−５２
+81577320968
Getting in and Out of Takayama
Takayama being about 3 hours’ drive from Nagoya meant that getting in and out of the mountain town needed some planning. We had booked a chauffeur ride that took us direct from Nagoya. The booking was done at trip.com. At USD 900 (SGD 1,200), we had the service for 10 hours – including waiting for us to arrive at the airport. We had wanted to have breakfast at Nagoya, but our flight was too early, so we ended up settling our breakfast at one of the highway stops. It was also because we had a chauffeured ride that we also dropped by Shirakawago.
From Takayama to Kyoto
We left Takayama for Tokyo after 4 days. Unfortunately, there were limited choices for chauffeured rides between these 2 cities. Therefore, we opted for the express bus. The express bus departs Takayama at 8am and 1.40pm. We opted for the latter, since we didn’t want to make a mad rush so early in the morning.
The bus departs from the bus station (Takayamanouhi bus center) beside the Takayama JR Station. For a quiet town, the train station was bustling with activities. The bus station was also smaller compared to the train station, which made moving through the station very tricky. Although the bus tickets could be bought online, there was no information on the boarding bay. And given my limited Japanese and the crazy crowd, it was an intense 15 minutes of searching frantically for the right place to board. Fortunately, I managed to find the bus scheduled on the boarding bay’s pillar that indicated the destinations of the bus services. Phew!
The coach itself was quite typical of what we have on the Singapore – Kuala Lumpur coaches. Yes, the luxurious first class coaches we see on TikTok only plies the metropolis of Tokyo and Osaka. However, our Economy coach ride had comfortable seating and rather generous legroom. There was also reasonable heating onboard. Hence, the 4 hour ride was rather bearable. The bus also made multiple rest stops along the way (about once every 1.5 hours).
By the time we reached Kyoto, it was already dark. After all, we were in the middle of winter and night falls early. Luckily, our hotel was right at Kyoto Station, so all we had to do was navigate the humongous bustling station. As for the hotel experience, I’ll leave it for another post.
The express bus ticket from Takayama to Kyoto could be purchased online at Nohi Bus’ official website.
Parting Words
If you find Tokyo and Osaka too crowded for your liking, Takayama in central Japan would be a good choice. Takayama is like Ginzan Onsen, but bigger. Apart from its nostalgic streets lined with old wooden style houses, there are also good eats and a charming park to soak in the negative ions.
Takayama is also a good base to explore the region. Shirakawago is a UNESCO world heritage site nestled in the mountains. Spending a day trip to Shirakawago
If you liked this post, do check out my review on ANA Holiday Inn Sapporo Susukino. With its clean rooms and convenient location, I thought it was great accommodation for exploring Sapporo, Hokkaido. For those of you staying for a longer time at Hokkaido, follow my adventure to the northernmost point of Japan – Cape Soya. The day trip up north will be worthwhile!
Lastly, check out my travelogues to Hakodate, Aomori and Hirosaki, which was part of the winter trip to northeast Japan.
Till then, stay wanderlust!
All photos and videos were taken using Google Pixel 4a, and edited with Google Photos.
Lost Gems
If you had made this far in this post, then yes, you deserve to know about this lost gem. We had checked out a restaurant in Green Hotel, which was a few blocks away from Takayama JR Station. Ryokutei served exquisite Japanese cuisine, mostly grilled fare, in a cosy environment. They also served sashimi and Kanazawa beef – the signature of the region. Unfortunately, it had closed by the time of this post’s publication.
Another not-so-gem of a place was this cafe called 81 Cafe. We had visited the city’s modern shopping strip to shop for winter gear. That was also where I got my fit-for-glacier boots for my upcoming Iceland / Norway aurora hunting trip! It was amazing that we could find a contemporary cafe typically found in larger cities like Tokyo. But that could be our stereotype of Takayama.
Finally, we visited a very quiet but upscale restaurant right in the heart of Takayama. From outside, Hida Kuniya 飛騨國屋 looked forbading with its dark toned interiors. However, it turned out to be a BBQ place. Think Korean BBQ, but serving Japanese fare. I got a tofu stew (hmm… I’m beginning to think it was a Korean restaurant), which was very umami and went superbly well with rice. It wasn’t spicy at all, which made me rethink about rethinking it as a Korean restaurant.
