Day 35 - Matsumoto to Takayama

Mountains, Old Streets, and Sake

It is hard to believe we just completed our 5th week in Japan!

After two days of hiking, today was a gentler day. We took another walk to Matsumoto Castle before saying goodbye to town. Lunch crossed a few borders: samosas and chicken from a Nepali/Indian restaurant, followed by a visit to the French bakery. Some welcome variety!

Our afternoon bus to Takayama retraced Monday’s route toward Kamikochi before continuing through the mountains. Familiar scenery for part of the journey, but this time we emerged on the other side of the Alps.

After dropping our bags at the hotel, we explored Sanmachi, Takayama’s historic merchant district. Its narrow streets and dark wooden buildings preserve the character of an old trading town, with shops and sake breweries giving us plenty of reasons to stop. We fitted in some sake tasting, too—another opportunity to discover how much there is to learn beyond simply calling it “rice wine.”

Then came our increasingly familiar supermarket adventure: finding dinner while deciphering labels and figuring out exactly what we were buying. One package that looked like a salmon fillet turned out to be trout sushi over pressed rice. Good thing we checked!

Cindy’s questions today ranged from food portions and packaging to the rules of communal life. Travel keeps making us notice habits we take for granted at home. People, conversations, and food are all part of how we connect with a place, and every day brings something new to puzzle over.

Dinner back at the hotel, then off to the onsen to finish the day.Read more