The town that shuts down at 6pm … Most restaurants close before 6pm, there is literally nothing to do after 6pm. The street at 8pm looks as dark as 12am.

Takayama is characterised by one-lane streets, with all of the places within walking distance, if you are a huge hiker. There isn’t clear pavement, there is only a white line separating the pedestrian lane from the car lane.

The sun goes up really early. The above picture was taken at 4.35am. No wonder people here go to sleep so early.

To Takayama

I took a highway bus from Shirakawago to Takayama. Most of the route was through tunnels, though there were occasional beautiful towns.

Sakurayama Hachimangu shrine

In the afternoon, I took a stroll along the Miyagawa river, and stopped by the shrine. The shrine is beautiful and even has an exhibition at the side, though of course the shrine is at a smaller scale than the shrines in Kyoto.

Going through a few gates, walking up a few stairs, I explored the altars and the displays that Shinto has to offer.

However, until this point, I still do not know what the religion of Shinto believes in :) The highest altar usually lacks a figurine.

Takayama ramen

Hearsay, Takayama ramen has a very special flavour of ramen. After visiting the shrine, I tried searching for a Takayama ramen shop, only to realise that most of the restaurants close at 5pm! Oh man, luckily this restaurant is still open, and is rated quite high on Tabelog.

The ramen is good, with a uniquely thinner broth. However, I would say this is inferior to tonkotsu ramen :)

Higashiyama walking course

The next morning, I took a morning stroll along Higashimaya. There is a designated walking course, where you can see lots of temples and shrines on the side. It ends at Shiroyama park. The temples and shrines look ancient and mystic.

Takayama Jinya

I then headed to Takayama Jinya, the old government building where the local government and the shogunate representative worked during the Edo period. The building has been designated nationational historical site right when the power was transferred from the Shogun to the emperor at the start of Meiji restoration. The effort of preserving the building has been on-going since then.

The inside consists of a complex network of offices and exhibitions. Here you can find the rooms where the government officials were working.

As well as a resting area with an amazing view looking out to a garden.

Look at the meal that the Shogunate representative got to eat when he visited this place. This meal can easily be split into 3 normal meals, totalling up to 20,000 yen with the current pricing (my estimate btw).

Kudos to the kids that did this model of the building. This model was built by high school students in a technical school.

Takayama old town

Hida beef and ice cream

I had Hida grilled beef for lunch! The beef is so tender, and this time, the portion size is much larger.

Yum yum, the beef is so worth the price. I also wandered through their meat store, some of the cheaper cuts of Hida beef were 2000 yen for 1kg. That is cheaper than beef in Singapore …

I had the milk-rich ice cream again! As good as it is in Shirakawago.

Town

Lying on the two sides of this stretch of street are the shops selling all sorts of souvenirs and snacks. The artcrafts look really charming.

There are also milk-rich ice cream and Hida beef sticks sold at some stalls.

Takayama history and arts museum

The museum offers an array of displays of Takayama history, from economics to warfare, merchandise, fire fighting, etc. Some parts are not in English, so get your Google translate ready.

These are some of the 4,000 statues crafted by Enku, a Buddhist monk. These statues were crafted as he travelled across the country.

There are whole sections dedicated to Matsukura castle. The current castle is already in ruins and serves mostly as a hiking checkpoint near Hida village in Takayama.

One of the meticulously crafted car in Edo period in Takayama.

The museum has so much on display, I am surprised that they do not collect an entrance fee.

Municipal government memorial hall

This is where the pre-Meiji government held meetings. This hall is a mini exhibition showing the progression of Takayama from a small town, to a municipality designated by the Shogun, to the modern Takayama city.

Takayama flag!

Again, there isn’t English translation on every display, so get your Google translate ready!

Hida beef sushi

I had Hida beef sushi and skewer for dinner. I could feel both of the beef melting in my mouth. Food here is so amazing and so unique from other Japanese food I had in the previous trip.

Shiroyama park

I listened to AI advice and went to this park at 6pm for sunset.

This was a rather small park. At 6pm, there was only one or two others, and there was a bear advisory due to its adjacency to the forest. Moreover, the sunset could not be clearly observed from this park as it is blocked by the trees.

The walking trail from the park is quite interesting though, but you should visit it only during the day and in groups.

Miyagawa morning market

Or rather, morning food tour. This market has a myriad of snacks that easily fills your stomach. An interesting observation is, except for Hida beef skewers, each of the dishes here is sold uniquely at one stall, so you don’t have to go around and compare the prices, rather, just buy the food that you want to eat.

The food here is so amazing! In order of the pictures,

• Pudding: the pudding here is advertised to be different from other regions. Personally I think the texture is quite similar to pudding elsewhere, but with a slightly crusty top and a slightly richer taste.
• Beef and mashed potato croquette: hot and tasty! The potato taste can be a bit more dominant than the beef taste, though the beef fragrance is still quite strong.
• Mini Taiyaki: found in other regions of Japan too, and is easily one of my favourite Japanese snacks!
• Beef skewer: grilled right in front of your eyes. The beef is tender, juicy, and seasoned on-point!
• Watabi mochi: this version is softer than regular mochi, has no filling, and is covered in flavoured powder. I probably prefer this mochi over regular mochi.
• Orawa Tamaten: unique to this region, this snack has a crusty skin and a soft texture, with a slight slant of sweetness, making it a very delightful treat.

Okonomiyaki

I had Okonomiyaki with beef for lunch. What I did not expect was, I got to cook my own cake! What an amazing experience to have.

The taste is similar to any other Okonomiyaki you can find in Japan, though without the Hida beef addition.

Concluding words

Takayama has a lot of history and food to offer. Amazing experience of a small, slower-paced town. Even though light-out time is quite early, I still got to enjoy lots food and history here.