Takayama Old Town
Takayama is also well known for the famous Hida Beef, the traditional Old Quarter of Takayama, the Morning Market, and Takayama Jinya, an interesting government house museum.
Two-morning markets are located here: the Miyagawa Morning Market and the Takayama Jinya Morning Market, both next to the Miya River.
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| Japanese local snacks are sold at the morning market. |
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| Morning market vendor selling local homegrown produce. |
This place is also best visited in the spring and summer as it tends to be much more lively than winter.
Among the other things around Takayama are crafts like pottery, ‘Ichii Ittobori’ wood carvings, Hida furniture, and famous Japanese sake breweries.
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| Sarubobo. |
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| Satubobo dolls hanging outside a local home. |
Sarubobo, one of the famous souvenirs in Takayama. A dialect of
Hida, Sarubobo means baby monkey to protect one from evil and
provide good luck.
It is also used for good luck in matchmaking,
marriage, and safe childbirth, while different colours depict the
various types of luck.
These are sold in various sizes; a keychain-sized one will cost about RM3 to RM5 each, while a medium-sized doll will cost about RM50 to RM100. They do have much larger ones which cost about RM300.
Photos of Takayama Old Town
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| Takayama Old Town Street. |
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| Various shops along a walkway at the old quarter. |
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| Souvenir shop in the old quarter of Takayama. |
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| Another souvenir and snack shop is in the old quarter. |
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| Japanese Ice Cream and snack shop. |
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| Shop selling local snacks. |
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| A local shop selling snacks and grilled food. |
Jinya is a former government outpost established to bring the Hida Province under the direct control of Edo Bakufu, a
Shogun.
The main building was reconstructed in 1816 and remains intact
today; however, the building complex was in official use until 1969 and
is now a museum.
You will find well-maintained tatami mat rooms that once served as offices, conference
rooms, guest rooms, residential spaces and a very interesting
interrogation room. Recommended for those who love history.
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| Inside Takayama Jinya. |
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| Layout of Takayama Jinya. |
When exploring Takayama Old Town, you should try the famous ‘Mitarashi Dango’, skewered rice balls painted with sweet soy sauce. They can be found throughout the area.
There are a variety of other local snacks; therefore, it is best to walk around and try them all over town. Be sure to have a slight chance when doing this, too.
filled steamed rice buns, raw Hida beef sushi or simply best eaten in
any of the restaurants or hotels around here.
Hida Beef comes from black
cattle raised in rich natural surroundings, and the finest quality, called ‘Hida-Gyu’, can only be found at restaurants and hotels in
Takayama.
So, if you see Hida Beef being sold on the streets, these are the lower-quality cuts of beef.
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| Mitarashi Dango or Skewered Rice Balls. |
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| Stewed beef, vegetables and a raw egg. |
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| Takayama Sake barrels. |
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| Takayama Old Quarter. |
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| Takayama Trishaws is one of the attractions here. |
Budget long-haul airline AirAsia X used to fly to Chubu Centrair Airport in Nagoya,
the third destination in Japan after Tokyo and Osaka. But they stopped the service, and you can now use other local Japanese airlines.
You can also take the scenic route by taking a train, bus, or rented car to Takayama. However, language can only be problematic if you know your way around it.
From Tokyo, it will take roughly four to five hours to drive one way to Takayama, and from Osaka, it will take just under four hours.
If you plan to visit the village and want a hassle-free experience, it is recommended that you use a tour company. You need at least one to two full days to visit Takayama Old Town.
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