124: Takayama Sidetrip
I just came back from Takayama and am in Nagoya now. Initially I wanted to go straight to Kyoto when I left Kawaguchi-Ko but I made a last minute change and got off the train in Nagoya…
I left Fuji Go-Ko (Kawaguchi-Ko) on the 5th (partly because the forecast was rain for that day but I also wanted to move on) and took a bus down to Mishima which is a Shinkansen Train Station.
I got up early at around 6am and sure enough it was raining full-on. I wanted to catch the first bus to Mishima at 08:00. When I checked out I learned that tere was no transport to the bus station until 7:49 cos the hotels shuttle bus was not available.. I had to get the public bus at 7:49 to the bus station and then get a bus to Mishima.. Waterproofs on and standing by the road to wait for the bus.. Bus on time, hooray.. but too late to the 8AM bus to Mishima. I had to get different bus that went to Gotemba, then change busses to get to Mishima. The ticket office told me I would have about 2h delay in Gotemba cos chance were slim that the bus would arrive in Gotemba on time to catch the earlier bus fto Mishima (Gotemba arrival 9:40 and departure 9:50). I was not happy since I wanted to arrive early in Kyoto 😉
Anyway, the Gods were kind and the bus unexpectedly arrived on time and I manage to catch the 9:50 to Mishima.
In Mishima I queued to get my Shinkansen ticket and had 10 mins left to catch the train.
Enough time to get some food for breakfast from alittle shop in the train station (I left the hotel without since it was early) and then off to the train.. had to walk miles to the platform and almost missed to train but I did make it just on time *phew*.
So I was off to Kyoto, except… I read a bit more in my Lonely Planet and eventually decided that Nagoya sounded like a nice place to stop for a day (the Orchid Garden, good onsen capsule hotel and nearby internet access did the trick) and the train would stop there. So I got off early at Nagoya…
After chatting to the Tourist Information there a bit about what and where etc I got a coffee and pain au chocolat and had a few quiet minutes to relax (travelling is stressful!;-)
As I sat there pondering about what to do in Nagoya (I was mainly interested in the Orchid Garden and Castle) and that I might continue to Takayama the next day, a pleasant town 2h north of Nagoya towards the Japanese Alps which has more of a Japanese feel to it.
Well it was still early in the day but too late to do the Orchid Garden or Castle in Nagoya (plus it was also raining here) so I decided that there was plenty of time to get to Takayama that day.. and off I went..
The trip was rather pleasant, a standard Japan Rail Train (not shinkansen) but very flash indeed. The trip to Takayama was initially through some less interesting areas (dull cities/towns) but soon reached some nice mountaineous areas with some fascinating little drop-offs and almost emerald green rivers along the way..
I arrived at rainy Takayama around 5:30pm and went to the Tourist Informatiun opposite the station. They were supposed to have english speaking staff but didn’t and it was a struggle to get them to help find a place for the night.. (I find that without speaking Japanese its almoist impossible to make phone calls by myself for reservations)
Eventually we managed and I checked into Susuke, a nice old-style Guesthouse not too far from the Train Station so I could walk there). Building from around 1800 in dark wood and I slept in a Tatami room which was fine. Downstairs was the Communal Bathroom with Onsen..
I went out after I dropped off my stuff and went to a recommended Restaurant to try some of the local and famous Hide Beef that comes from this area. Table has a grill inset and you grill your own food.
Hida beef looks like marble with lost of fat between the meat. Its that what makes it special they say. Indeed it was incrediby tender and quite a nice meal but still I felt it was a bit on the fatty side (greasy would be too harsh a word)
Afterwards I wandered around town a bit (it was dark by now and still raining a llittle but not too much) and took a bunch of nighttime photos.. no idea if they turned out yet as I had not time to check.
The next morning was a rather early start again – 6am – to go to the Morning Market. I got there around 7am (supposed start was 6am) but I think it was too cold stil (it was a fabulous sunny day but bloody freezing nevertheless) so farmers too had a late start and were just putting up their stands.
The Market was in the old town area with some nice old, traditional wooden houses that are still being used as private homes. It was nice to wander about there and see those houses. As I said it was a lovely, sunny day but until lunchtime at least it was pretty cold and I had to wear gloves (no long johns this time though)
Did a few more tourist sites such as Merchant Houses and Temples/Shrines that day and one of the highlights was the trip to Hida No Sato too, a exciting open-ait museum that is an area of many traditional Japanese houses from a few hundred years ago.. Had an excellent time walking around there..
Afterwards I did a walk up to the north of the city to a Park which really was a forest on a hill above the city. Pleaseant 2h walk in the sunny forest which also contained the site of a castle ruin and then it was back to the Train Station to catch the next train tack to Nagoya..
A short but worth while sidetrip 🙂
Pictures to be added later.. (sorry I just dont have the time right now *moan, moan*)
Tags: Fuji Go-Ko, Japan, RTW 2005/2006
saschas
[…] this area is my most favorite area in Takayama. the streets are lined with a variety of stores such as traditional ware shops, antique shops, restaurants serving local dish and traditional inns and so on. walking down this street really makes you feel as if you slip back in time to Japan’s old time. I was also amazed to hear that people still live here and work. I just found this Takayama Sidetrip blog by Saschas World. […]