Takayama: Treasure of the Hida Mountains
- Takayama, Japan
- Apr 23, 2015
- 4 min read
Kyōto, Tōkyō, Ōsaka: I've visited them all this week. I've seen Kyōto and Ōsaka twice already, and I'll visit Tōkyō again tomorrow. With a 7-day JR-Pass burning in my pocket, that means there's still one day left to make worthwhile. Should I pick one of the main cities to visit one more time? Or should I just hit a random city on the map and take the train to anywhere? It became the latter. It’s Japan, after all!
I decided that that random city should be Takayama. It sounded nice when I read it on the map: a town called "High Mountain" [高 = high, 山 = mountain] is bound to pique the curiosity of anyone who was born in the flattest country on Earth. According to Wikipedia, the town is quite old and traditional, unlike any city I've seen up to now. That's all I need to know. 行きましょう! [ikimashō: let’s go]!
From my base in Nagoya I'd only have to go to Gifu to take the Takayama Main Line up the mountains. The trip from Gifu to Takayama takes about two hours by train. From what I understood, most tourists end up not going to Takayama because they think the trip takes too long. But boy, are they missing out! Yes, two hours is a long time to travel a relatively short distance. However, I think calling it 'travel time' is wrong. It's more of a show, and one should enjoy it as such. The Takayama Main Line follows the Kiso River and takes you right through the Hida mountains with its amazing forests, villages, bridges and so much more. The colour of the river alone is enough to make this trip absolutely unforgettable. To me, the train ride was half the experience of visiting Takayama. Don't skip it because you're afraid you'll be bored - you will NOT regret it!
After two hours of gauging my eyes out at the amazing view, I got out of the train and took my first steps on Takayama ground. I was surprised, because apart from all the people who got out of the train with me, it seemed rather quiet. I barely saw any tourists. Also, my first impression of the town itself wasn't as idyllic as I'd hoped for. Was I about to be disappointed?
Of course not, don't be silly. It’s still Japan, remember! All I had to do was round a few corners and suddenly I found myself submerged in a world of traditional Japanese houses and shopping streets, torii, sakura, Shinto shrines and... Hida beef. Apparently the region is known for its meat. Nice! My stomach was rumbling anyway. Downside is, when a region is known for a certain kind of food, you can kind of bet on it that it’s quite expensive. To my stomach’s great disappointment, the Hida beef was no exception. When travelling alone, I just don’t want to spend too much on food. So I figured I’d wander around the little streets a bit more to find a cheap restaurant where they sold the beef, and got lucky at a place called まんくぷ亭 [Mankuputei]. Sure, the meal probably wasn’t as luxurious as it would’ve been in the more expensive places. But it still was a damn fine lunch!
After eating, it was time for one of my favourite questions in Japan: where am I allowed to smoke? Usually I can always find a 7-11 with an ashtray outside, but the last one I’d seen was back at the train station. So I decided to ask the staff. You see, one of my favourite things about being abroad is putting a lot of effort in asking a question in the local language, thinking you’re doing a fantastic job, and the person you’re trying to talk to just bursting out laughing. It makes you feel like you just asked where you could see a purple elephant dancing the cha-cha or something. Luckily for me though, when the staff was done laughing, one of them disappeared into the back and returned with an ashtray. I still can’t get used to being allowed to smoke inside a restaurant: apparently the locals can’t get used to tourists not knowing where to smoke.
Being all fed and rested, I was ready to go out into town. I was really lucky with the weather, and quite surprised to see that the sakura was still blooming here. I wandered around the lovely Japanese scenery, enjoying the sun and the fresh mountain air, when I stumbled across a Shinto shrine: Sakurayama Hachiman-gū. What I saw there took me completely by surprise: a 巫女 [miko: shrine maiden], a priest, a normal clad guy and a car, caught up in some kind of ritual. When they were done, the miko and the priest left, leaving the guy with his car. I asked him what kind of ritual they had been performing, and he proudly told me all about his new car being blessed so it would keep him safe on the road. Was he religious? No, of course not, what was I thinking. He was a true atheist. But the Gods are not to be messed with, naturally, so he had to have the car blessed anyway. That's Japanese atheism for you.
I spent the entire day just walking around the town, looking around, enjoying myself. I even came across a few public footbaths, right out on the street: my feet were ever so grateful for that! There is so much to do in Takayama. Before I went there, I read that there are many temples, old heritage sites and onsen, but I didn’t have the time to visit all that. I had my 10 PM curfew and a two hour ride back to think of. All in all, Takayama is a stunningly beautiful city, and a great break from the massive, crowded cities you find elsewhere Japan. It’s absolutely amazing. And I haven’t even seen half of it.
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