Exploring Takayama - Day Two & Three

 Good morning Takayama!

Here's the fun part - exploring Takayama on foot and taking in the sights! We decided to kick start both days by stopping by the morning markets. Takayama hosts two markets each morning ("asaichi"), which run from about 6am (7am in winter) to noon; the Miyagawa market which is located along the banks of the Miyagawa river closer to Takayama's Sanmachi-suji (which we'll cover later) and the Jinya-mae market which is in front of  the Takayama Jinya (local government office now converted into a museum). 

 Takayama's main bridge over the Miyagawa river and morning at the Miyagawa market

Both markets offer visitors a chance to look at and if you feel inclined to, purchase local produce (vegetables, pickles, etc) as well as crafts / souvenirs - Takayama will greet you with a huge variety of "Sarubobo" charms which you will run into at every souvenir stop you pass. If you only have enough time for one of them, we would recommend the Miyagawa market which is the larger of the two. There are also shops along the river bank (permanent ones) opposite the Miyagawa market stalls which are open at the same time and sell a range of local snacks. If you haven't had your breakfast, we'd recommend holding off, making the journey to Miyagawa market, and grabbing something from one of these shops. Nothing beats walking through the market with breakfast in hand! **There's a shop that's pretty close to the start of the Miyagawa market that sells bottled milk (plain and coffee flavoured) from Hida cows - best fresh milk we've ever tasted! Also try the steamed Hida beef bun if time / appetite permits!**

Jinya-mae market and local edible ferns!

 

Sanmachi-suji is a part of Takayama that has been fantastically preserved with many of the buildings appearing to date back to centuries ago. Arguably Takayama's most popular attraction, walking down Sanmachi-suji will take you back into time. From the JR Takayama Station, you will be able to easily reach the area in about 15 minutes on foot. There are 3 different streets which make up Sanmachi-suji , all of which are worth wandering down. Each street comes fully equipped with an eclectic mix of old homes, souvenir shops, sake breweries and the odd food / snack stall.  To be expected though is the unavoidable fact that Sanmachi-suji attracts a large crowd, so be prepared (we were surprised at the amount of people around on a random weekday!). You may soon find yourself drowning in a sea of Korean / Taiwanese tourists!

Views of Sanmachi-suji; "Sugidama" (ball made out of cedar branches) hung outside to indicate a sake brewery

Sake's not really our thing and we're definitely no where close to being connoisseurs! We did decide to wander into a brewery for a look-see and were pleasantly surprised to find  a large pot of miso soup boiling in the middle with paper cups on the side for you to sample. You can also (of course) taste local sake at the breweries by paying a small fee, which we did as well having come this far! Cold, sweet and grainy with rice bits - we decided that Takayama's sake isn't really our thing either! Keep your eyes (or nose) peeled for skewered grilled Hida beef (satay), a snack which is quite common throughout the streets of Takayama. We cannot recommend trying this enough!! 

Legendary grilled Hida beef on a stick which we tried at this particular stall in the middle of Sannomachi; we went back again the next day!

Towards the end of our stroll down one of Sanmachi-suji's streets, it finally struck us that a large majority of the crowd comprised of throngs of highschool students on their respective school trips! Seemed as if visit to Takayama was part of the syllabus! All is not lost however - time your walk right and you'll find the streets of Sanmachi-suji quite, quite empty. We were lucky enough to experience walking down Sannomachi with just our camera, umbrellas and a few other people braving the cold rain. It was worth every bit of it!

Packed or not, don't forget to bring your camera along as Sanmachi-suji is a fantastic photographic opportunity that you will not want to miss. Allow 3 hours for a nice, leisurely stroll through this beautiful area (4 if you're stopping every 5 minutes to take a photo!).