The second day that were were in Takayama was very rainy, it rained heavily for most of the morning. But we didn’t mind actually, the accommodation we were staying in was so spacious and lovely , it was nice to be able to spend some time indoors appreciating the house.
We booked this guesthouse via booking.com and while the host / management team were very hands off, it was a really beautifully presented two storey house, in a very authentic Japanese style. The kitchen and dining room had a large table, the bathroom was big and modern and there was spacious lounge room that led out to a landscaped courtyard. Upstairs was two bedrooms, although they were only separated by sliding screens. Both had tatami mats. Which seems to be the typical bedroom layout in Japan. One bedroom had futon beds, the girls sleep in this one, while the other room had two western style double beds, which were very comfortable.
The girls play so well together and with all the travel and moving around, it’s been helpful to give them some free time to just play. It definitely keeps everyone in a good mood on the days that we are out and about exploring and on the days were we are traveling to the next destination. It’s also been surprisng to see how well they play with the small amount of toys that we have with us. We then dedicated a bit of time to ‘school work’, catching up on maths and english units and some quizzes about what ever learnt about Japan.
Once the rain cleared up in the afternoon, we all went out for a walk around the Sanmachi area. There is a number of blocks that have beautifully preserved wooden buildings that date back to the Edo period, many of which are sake breweries, ryokans and artisan craft shops.
Takayama is the kind of town that you can just wander around and explore. It wasn’t very busy although there we lots of sovenier shops and more dedicated artisan boutiques. Hallie found a t-shirt that featured a design of godzilla rising up out of the ocean in the scene Hokusai, ‘Great Wave Off Kanagawa’ and Rooney found a cute t-shirt with her favourite Japanaese icon - Maneki-neko the beckoning cat.
Takayama is also home to Hida beef and Braino and I samples the best ‘beef on a skewer from a street vendor ‘ while walking around the streets of Takayama. We also sat down and had dinner at a restaurant called Kajibashi which had delicious Japanese cuisine.
Overall, while Tayakama is a little off the beaten track, I would still recommend it to families who are looking for a slower paced experience in Japan. There was quite a lot more to see and do that what we did, like the morning markets, the Showa-Kan Museum and the Retro Museum as well as the nearby Onsen town of Gero. We were there at the very end of May which is spring, leading into Summer, but I would love to see it in Autumn and Winter as well.
