On Saturday, July 4, I took the bus from Magome-juku to Nakatsugawa, train to Nagoya, and train to Takayama. I arrived in the afternoon, checked in, and went to the onsen that was part of the hotel.
After freshening up it was still before 5 pm and things were open, so I went to the bus terminal next to the station, and bought a 3-day pass for the bus line. It gave unlimited access to the line between Takayama and Shinhotaka Ropeway, and included tickets for the bus to Kamikochi and for the cablecar at Shinhotaka. The weather forecast was not great, mostly cloudy with more rain on Monday. I decided to go to Kamikochi the next day on Sunday, spend the rainy Monday in onsens, go to the cablecar on Tuesday, and spend Wednesday exploring Takayama city.
On Sunday I got up very early to catch an early bus to Kamikochi. This is a river valley in a mountainous area about an hour and a half from Takayama. It's a popular area, and the bus was full. There was a bus transfer at Hirayu onsen town, to get on the bus dedicated to Kamikochi. The mountainous area is part of a park and vehicle access is restricted.
When I got off the bus I felt like I'd been transported to Banff, the scenery was so spectacular.
Even the park buildings reminded me of Banff.
I walked along the river in both directions which is what most visitors do. There is also access trails for climbing the surrounding mountains, and I saw many people with overnight backpacks.
After about an hour in one direction I reached Myojin pond. This is a perfectly reflecting pond, and the location of the rocks and small trees make it look like a zen garden. Very beautiful and peaceful. The whole pond is actually part of a shrine.
I then walked back to the center area and continued to Tashiro pond. This is mostly filled in now but it makes a very interesting appearance.
Like the Nakasendo trail, there are bells placed at regular intervals. The idea is that people would ring them as they by, to ward off bears. Actually I thought it looked and sounded like a dinner bell ...
I got back to the bus stop in the early afternoon, just as it was starting to rain.
Back in the city I walked around a little, and had a dinner of Takayama ramen. This ramen is different in that the broth is clear and dark coloured, with a vegetable and soy sauce base.
The next day, as forecast, it was pouring rain. I caught the same bus and got off at Hirayu onsen, and went to biggest onsen called Hirayu-mori. It had a beautiful outdoor baths surrounded by rocks and trees, and the water was milky blue coloured with a slight smell of Sulphur.
I went to another onsen in a nearby hotel before catching the bus back to town.
On Tuesday I got up early again to catch the bus all the way to the Shinhotaka ropeway. There were two successive cablecars to take you to the top at about 2200 m altitude. The clouds covered the tops of the mountains but otherwise the views were great.
At the top there was a little walkway with viewpoints, and access to the mountaineering trails for which you needed a permit.
I went to another onsen at the base of the ropeway, then caught the bus back to town.
I arrived mid-afternoon, and the weather was ok, so I was around Takayama. It is famous for an 'old town' district, which is very touristy. I managed to get a picture without people.
The district is also known for its sake breweries. I found one that was still open, and I bought a ticket for sake tasting. You get a small cup and can try one of each kind of sake in the fridge.
I got through half of them.
During the tasting I met a nice Japanese couple and spent some time chatting with them, and we exchanged contact information on LINE. They have a 17 year old son who is learning English.
They next morning I met up with the couple and their son, Yuta, at the morning market. We walked along the market and then they took me to the Sakurayama Hachimangu Shrine.
We then walked back to the center of town, and they had to leave to have breakfast and catch their train. A very nice family, and I was glad to have met them.
I spent the rest of the day exploring Takayama. I went the Jinya, or government administration building during the Tokugawa Shogunate.
I then did the Higashiyama walk to several temples and shrines.
By then it was about 5 pm so I went to the old town for something to eat.
Takayama is in an area called Hida, which used to be its own domain during the Tokugawa shogunate. I got the feeling there is still a strong sense of Hida identity.
Something you see everywhere is Hida beef. It is a highly quality beef like Kobe beef, but is more fatty. Hida beef is not as well known as Kobe beef, which has successfully marketed itself as 'wagyu', but it is still very expensive.
Another thing you see everywhere is a good luck charm that originated here called Sarubobo, which roughly has the shape of a monkey.
On the way back to the hotel I passed Hida Kokubun-ji temple with an 1200 year old ginko tree.
After freshening up in the onsen at the hotel, I went to a nearby bar called Yu, where the owner makes all his own original cocktails. He's very friendly and the cocktail was amazing.
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