Takayama Old Town

 

One city that we can stop by as a daytrip from Toyama or Kanazawa is Takayama . Located about 100km south of Toyama city, Takayama Old Town is a popular tourist spot besides Shirakawa-Go.

To get to Takayama, it is most advisable to take the train from Toyama. If you are coming from Tokyo or Kanazawa, take the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Toyama, then connect the Takayama Line with the JR Hida Limited Express train to Gero/Gifu to Takayama (90 minutes).

Stopover to Shirakawa-Go

Takayama Station is also a terminal for those of you who want to go to or from Shirakawa-Go. Just buy a Nohi Bus ticket and wait for the departure time. The counter and waiting area for this bus are right next to JR Takayama Station.

For those who want to go to other cities such as Gifu, Nagoya, and Ogizawa, you can also buy bus tickets here.

Takayama Old Town

Takayama's main tourist spot is Old Town, a pedestrian area with traditional Japanese buildings that are still well-maintained and functioning.

Actually, we can walk from Takayama Station, but because it was still daytime and we wanted to save energy, we just took the city bus, it only took about 2-3 stops.

On the way to the Old Town area, I came across the clear Miyagawa River like this. Wow, it's perfect

 for dipping your feet

Just go down the stairs, take off your shoes and socks. The clear and cold river water is very refreshing.

Old Town is a place where tourists can buy beautiful souvenirs: umbrellas, Japanese fans, knives, and most famously, there is a famous sake factory.

Beef

In addition to Wagyu beef which is probably already famous worldwide, there is another type of beef that is only found in this area, called Hida Beef. The price is quite expensive if eaten in a steak menu, we can try tasting by eating Hida Beef Nigiri sushi (¥600).

The taste of the meat is great, and it is definitely tender, as if the cow had never been forced to work hard.

Takayama Jinya

Lastly before returning to the station, we stopped by Takayama Jinya . This used to be a government office, now it is a museum. It was quite fun to enter this place, because it was cool and it was scorching hot outside hehehe. At the same time, we took pictures with a cool backdrop.

Public Foot Bath

If you've been walking all day and your feet are sore, don't miss the chance to soak your feet in a public hotspring foot bath. The easiest one to reach is near JR Takayama Station, right in front of Takayama Ouan Inn. Exit the station and walk right until you reach the traffic light.