Takayama: Old Town

What comes to mind when you think of a trip to Japan?

With this trip, my friends asked me if I was revisiting the cities of Tokyo, Kyoto or Osaka. When I replied that this time we were going to the more laid back places like Takayama and Kamikochi, almost all of them would give me a thoughtful look and ask where’s that?

Takayama, a quiet city in the the mountainous Gifu Prefecture of Japan, is famous for a lot of things like the hida beef, its museums and temples, the nearby tourist destinations like Kamikochi and Shinhotaka Rope-way, and the well preserved Old Town, Kami-Sannomachi, which serves as the commercial hub since way back during the Edo period. The Old Town is walking distance from the Takayama Train and Bus station (around ten minutes’ walk).

From the train station, we walked across the Miyagawa River and came to see two bronze statues facing each other in the middle of the Kajibashi Bridge. These statues are called Ashi-naga and Tenaga. Ashi-naga is a long legged goblin, while Tenaga is a long armed goblin. According to folklore, the two work as a team, where Tenaga would climb over Ashi-naga’s back so they can harvest fish and catch small creatures.

A couple of blocks after crossing the bridge, we passed through stores and houses in the Old Town. They were quite remarkable. Even the 711 across the street had a similar rustic theme to it.

On our first day, we got to the Old Town a tad bit too late as the stores close at 5 o’clock in the afternoon. It was still quite surreal walking through the narrow picturesque streets – there were canals on both sides of the road flowing with clear water. I was amazed at this – I wish we had the same in my city.

On the next day, after kicking off the day with a breakfast and stroll through the Miyagawa Morning Market, we headed right to the Takayama Old Town. It was teeming with tourists, and there were already queues at the restaurants as it was around lunch time. Because it was warm and sunny that day, we took it as good timing to enter the stores and check them out.

There were several souvenir shops selling wooden crafts and trinkets, local snacks, and sarubobo dolls. There were also several shops selling the hida beef skewers, sake, and other local delicacies. We also saw a man pulling on a rickshaw for tourists.

One of the best finds that I had in the Takayama Old Town is Cafe Ao, a Japanese cafe quietly tucked in one of the wooden stores near the Old Town’s entrance. What caught my attention was the mat floor and the irori, the Japanese sunken hearth used as a fireplace and heater in the olden days. The first time I learned about the irori was during our trip to Hida Folk Village (Hida No Sato) on our first day in Takayama.

All guests had to take off their shoes upon entering, and we made our way to the inner part of the building, where I was delighted to see a couple of zen gardens surrounding the cafe. There were lovely wooden furniture in the cafe, and some guests who opt to sit on the floor could do so. I got us green tea, coffee and a seasonal cake. The whole dining experience was very relaxing and precious. The seasonal cake was so yummy, and D liked the lovely touches of sweets included with his green tea.

If you are in Takayama, don’t forget to check out the Old Town. You’ll be amazed by the rustic simplicity of this place, a perfect getaway (and I’d say a 180 degree turn) from the hustle and bustle of the bigger cities of Japan like Tokyo. Be prepard to travel back in time as you walk through Takayama’s quaint streets and meeting its friendly locals.