We spent two nights in Takayama. We arrived mid-afternoon after three train rides from Yudanaka. The snow stayed with us all the way down to Toyama and then increased as we wound our way up the valley to Takayama. There were many tunnels and pretty views along the river, though our views were somewhat drab due to the gray sky and lack of leaves on the many deciduous trees. This would be a much more colorful trip with leaves on trees and a blue sky.
We stayed at the Takayama Ouan hotel, which is about a 5 minute walk from the train station. Our room was a cross between a traditional Japanese room with futons and a western style room with beds. Our room had a King size mattress on the floor. I thought it was quite comfortable. The hotel also had very nice onsens on the top floor. There are two single sex baths that are large with both inside and outside baths as well as a sauna and cold pool. There are also three smaller private baths that were available on a first come, first served basis and limited to 30 minutes per group. On the second evening we discovered a freezer with complimentary ice cream treats located just outside the entrance to the men’s public Onsen.
It was cold on the morning of our full day in Takayama with rain that turned to snow. We walked back to the train station and caught a local bus that took us to the Hida Folk village that is located a few kilometers out of town. The village consists of historically important structures that have been relocated and preserved from throughout the area. It is well done, with explanations in English that describe the structures and what life was like in the 1700s up until the 1960s when the introduction of the television, washing machine, and refrigerator (the three miracles) changed rural life in Japan.
Once we had our fill of the Hida Folk Village, we returned the borrowed rubber boots and umbrellas (which made walking around the village so much more pleasant that it would have otherwise been), and caught the bus back into town. We spent the afternoon exploring Takayama which included a nice stop at the Fukyuan cafe, a visit to the Sakurayama Hachimangu Shrine, sake tasting at Harada Sake Brewery which has been producing sake for more than two hundred years, and poking around the shops of the old town.
The next day was a travel day to Kyoto. We used the Limon bus service to get from Takayama to Kyoto with a two hour stop at Shirakawa-go. This worked out perfectly for us, but it seems that it is either a little known option or not very popular because we were the only people on the bus until it stopped in Kanazawa after leaving Shirakawa-go. The bus was comfortable though I think it took a bit longer than a comparable train. The bus made a few stops along the way at rest stops to allow for bathroom breaks and food purchases.
It was unsurprisingly very snowy in Shirakawa-go, because Shirakawa-go is located in a mountain valley that known for receiving a heavy snowfall. Shirakawa-go is a UNESCO world heritage site due to the steep roofed architecture called Gassho-zukuriI which means “constructed like hands in prayer” to describe the steep roofs that are designed to withstand large amounts of heavy snow. The roofs are made without nails and the large attic spaces were used for cultivating silkworms, which was a mainstay of the village in years past. I thought the Hida Folk Village in Takayama provided a similar experience and don’t think a stop at Shirakawa-go adds much, although it is a very scenic location.
