Day 1 in Takayama

Welcome to Takayama! Upon arrival at the airport, you will go through customs and immigration. Should you opt to purchase a transfer to your hotel; a representative will be waiting for you as you exit immigration. Arrive at your hotel, check in and do not give in to jet lag! There is so much for you to see and do!

We recommend you get acquainted with the city, take a stroll back in time down Sanmachi Street, located in Takayama Old Town. The authentic street is decorated by traditional old wooden merchant houses from the Edo period, these beautifully preserved dark wooden buildings are clustered together along the narrow street. Here you will find traditional shops selling local delicacies such as handmade souvenirs and crafts, local craft beers and sake, Hida beef and pickles.

Stop in at one of the authentic quaint cafes or restaurants in the area and enjoy some traditional Takayama cuisine. Wander around Ichinomachi, Nonomachi, and Sannomachi the adjoining streets that make up the Sanmachi area and do some window shopping while taking in the beauty of the area. An elegant historic town with a lively atmosphere and tiny canals running alongside, bask in the picturesque surroundings with the Japanese Alps as a backdrop as you get to know Takayama.

Head over to the Kusakabe Heritage House in the old town area, the house belonged to a wealthy family during the Edo Period and opened as a folk crafts museum. The building was designated as an important cultural property and the museum holds a collection of 5,000 Hida ceramics along with other artifacts and crafts from the Edo Era. There is a shop in front of the house and a cafe out back.

Make your way to the Sakaurayama-Hachimangu area and visit the Takayama Festival Floats Exhibition Hall housing some of the magnificent floats that are used during the country`s finest festival, Takayama Matsuri Festival held twice a year in April and October, it is one of Japan`s three most beautiful festivals. The unique and spectacular floats of the festival are lavishly decorated and then paraded through town featuring detailed, colorful carvings, lacquer and metalwork with small stages where dancers perform with puppets.

The Sakurayama Hachiman Shrine is located close by, a Shinto Shrine and the oldest one found in the city. This is a pleasant place for a stroll and a unique place of worship that dates back to the 4th century. The building features an unpainted wooden design and is surrounded by large trees. Over 1,500,000 people visit the shrine annually and it is the host of the Takayama Autumn Festival in October.

Visit the Museum of History and Art and learn about the city`s past while enjoying vibrant artwork. Then take the Higashiyama Walking Course, which starts just outside the museum and takes walkers on a 2-mile route through temple town passing over a dozen temples and shrines along the way. Catch a glimpse of the former Takayama Castle site and some lovely views of the hillside and the surrounding countryside.

After a rewarding walk and a busy day of sightseeing visit a sake brewery in the city, which is renowned for making some of the best sake in the country. Takayama`s strategic location provides ideal conditions for brewing sake in a cold climate with an abundance of clean water from the snow of the Japanese Alps which creates the perfect kind of rice. A guided tour will give visitors and sake enthusiasts a deeper knowledge of the craft of making sake, the brewing process and then you can enjoy some samples.

Head back to the streets of Old Town for some dinner, choose from one of the many traditional eateries in town serving delicious local authentic food. Try some famous Takayama Ramen, or Mitarashi-Dango (soy-seasoned grilled rice balls), hoba-miso (sweet miso paste grilled on a magnolia leaf) kushiyaki (skewers) and nikuman (steamed buns). After dinner stroll around and find one of the many bakeries in town for some fresh delicious baked treats for dessert.

Day 2 in Takayama

Today wake up early and get a sense of the city and visit one of the popular daily morning Asaichi (morning markets) held at two locations in the city. Miyagawa Morning Market and Jinya-Mae Morning Market both begin around 7 am and are filled with colorful stalls selling local produce, crafts, flowers, and snacks in a pleasant atmosphere. The two markets have been around for over 300 years. Enjoy some breakfast in the area and gather some fresh produce and other items for a picnic later.

Visit one of the temples in the city; Hida Kokubun-Ji is a Shingon-sect Buddhist temple established during the Nara period (710-794) by Emperor Shomu. The stone foundation of the temple is designated as a National Historic Site, the temple was constructed to pray for the peace and prosperity of the nation. There are 1,250-year-old ginkgo trees on the grounds that average 125 feet in height, the leaves turn a beautiful vibrant array of colors in the autumn.

The Takayama Jinya from the Edo Period served as the government headquarters for Hida Province under the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan from 1692-1871. It is a protected National Historic Site since 1929, one of the oldest buildings remaining in the city. The building is now open to the public as a museum which features tatami mat rooms, rice storage areas, and an interrogation room along with interesting displays and information on the government of Japan during the Edo era.

Head out to the Hida Folk Village, an open-air museum in the mountainous region of Gifu Prefecture. The museum features over 30 traditional houses, temples and shrines built during the Edo Period. The old Japanese agricultural village features traditional gassho-zukuri (praying hands) thatched roofed houses, wooden log huts, storehouses open for exploration. The houses are spread throughout a lovely park with a central pond.

The Hida Takayama Crafts Experience Center is located close to the Hida Folk Village where visitors can attend workshops and can learn how to make handicrafts, key chains, sarubobo dolls, ceramic cups and wind chimes which can be taken home as souvenirs. The workshops last anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour with demonstrations on Hida lacquerware, weaving, and dying and a `hand-grilled senbei` course where visitors can grill senbei (rice crackers) in a kiln.

Spend the night in the countryside, there is an abundance of traditional ryokans set in the mountainous surrounding region of Takayama, many of the lodgings feature hot springs. The city is famous for its hot springs, after a long day of sightseeing soak in one of the outdoor baths with breathtaking views of the surrounding Northern Japanese Alps. Enjoy a traditional dinner at your accommodations and spend the evening relaxing in the hot springs under the sparkling night sky.

Additional Days in Takayama

If you are able to spend additional days in Takayama, be sure to take an exhilarating ride on the Shinhotaka Ropeway which climbs the hillside of the Hida Mountain Mount Hotaka. The gondolas travel 7,217 feet above sea level providing breathtaking views of the Japanese Alps and the area below filled with hot springs, observation decks, restaurants, shops, and cafes.

Take a hike on Mount Norikura part of the Hida Mountains listed among the 100 most famous Japanese Mountains, Norikura means `riding saddle` due to the shape of the mountain looking like a horse saddle. This is an easy climb the summit stands at 9,927 feet and is a well-known hiking destination with transportation options up to the summit.

Visit the Hida Great Limestone Cave and Ohashi Collection Kan Museum Kan Museum is a 250 million-year-old cave, one of the largest and oldest in the area, discovered in 1965 featuring helictites, which are limestone formations that curve horizontally. The cave is 2,600 feet long and is colorfully illuminated, a great place for those interested in geology and natural history.

The Takayama Festivals are held for two days twice a year in April and October, the festivals bring in crowds of over 200,000 people to watch the parade of people in Edo attire and see the glamorous and intricately decorated floats on the streets.

Your Last Day in Takayama

Depart from your hotel to the airport for your return flight home. We recommend that you purchase a private transfer to the airport if so the representative will meet you at your hotel with plenty of time to get you to the airport for your flight out.