Blogs from Takayama, Gifu, Japan, Asia - page 2

The train trip from Kyoto to Takayama was very scenic, steep forested mountains in the background and in front hosts of daffodils and cherry blossom, which is still in full bloom in the colder mountain air. While the cities of Japan are densely populated, 73% of the land is considered uninhabitable and once you get into the mountains you really see a different side of the country. Takayama itself has a pretty old town with lots of Edo-era wooden buildingS. Adding to the picturesque setting, it actually snowed lightly while we were walking around today, which was rather pretty and made our subsequent retreat to the hot spring even more enjoyable Takayama is famous for its festivals and we visited the float museum but we're very happy that we saw the Inuyama festival which is less ... read more

We arrived in Takayama about 4 hours after we left Tokyo. We actually got kicked off our first Shinkansen (fast train) as our JR rail pass didn’t cover that train. Kicked off sounds a lot more dramatic than it was; in fact we got numerous apologies from the man checking tickets, a bow and a please change at the next station. Takayama is a town of about 90,000 people to the north west of Tokyo in the mountains. It is famous for its traditional houses which line some of the main streets in the town. Our train was met at the station by a car from our home for the next three nights – a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn). We were shown to our tatami mat room by one of the staff who explained how the ... read more

It's a bit of an arduous journey to get to Takayama from Tsumago. Both are deep in the mountains of the Gifu prefecture. We had to travel all the way back east to Nagoya and then venture west again on another line again to get to Takayama. The scenery made the troubles worthwhile. Takayama is a bit of a Japanese hillbilly town. If rednecks are in Japan, they live around the hills here. But it is also a town of craftsmanship, history, cooking and Japanese pride. Here is where some of the finest lacquerware is made. And here is where the finest carpenters were sourced to build the temples of Kyoto. We had the chance to visit the Yoshijima House. The owner, a wealthy sake brewer and money lender, commissioned a local carpenter to build a ... read more

Vandaag de meest fantastische treinreis gemaakt van Tsumago naar Takayama. Het sublieme berglandschap is adembenemend. In de trein zelf was het helaas bijna tropisch. Het hoogst bereikbare temperatuur was 24,7 graden. We legden het bijna af, zeker omdat een van de medepassagiers trui en jas aanhield. De eerste kennismaking met Takayama is prettig. Een overzichtelijk centrum met veel prachtige winkeltjes in een mix van lokaal toeristische artikelen en dagelijks levensonderhoud. In welke categorie de tractorwinkel valt ben ik nog niet uit. De historische huizen zijn goed onderhouden. Een van de huizen is een museum die wij van bezocht hebben. In het huis was voor mij de gastvrouw eigenlijk de grootste attractie. Ze bood ons thee aan en eenmaal op haar Engelse praatstoel was ze er niet vanaf te krijgen. Ze vertelde haar verhaal met een sterk ... read more

Another early start to the day after a rather uncomfortable first night in a ryokan... Ryokan are Japanese guest houses, with bedrooms consisting of a tatami-mat floor and futons rather than beds. These are usually folded away in the day time and meals are served in-room, before the beds are made in the evening whilst you are out or bathing, by your maid. Having opted for a slightly more budget option, the higher-end Ryokan being very pricey, our experience didn't quite match expectation, but was nonetheless authentic and memorable, and as seems to be standard in Japan, the staff at the Ryokan were incredibly polite, helpful and even drove us to the train station as we were a fair distance from town! Despite otherwise being basic, our Ryokan did have its own Onsen. Hot-spring baths form ... read more