Exploring Takayama

We woke this morning to the sound of rain. Heavy, relentless rain. A shame really, given we'd spend just about the entire day walking. It still turned out to be an thoroughly enjoyable and memorable day.

Equipped in our hiking boots and rain jackets with borrowed umbrellas we set out into the wet to begin our full day of exploring Takayama. First up was the Sakurayama Hachimangu Shrine near our Ryokan. The wet rainy, forested backdrop made for a serene visit. From there, we wandered the morning markets and had a simple but delicious toast and fruit breakfast before jumping on a minibus up to the nearby Hida Folk Village.

The Hida Folk Village was a reconstructed historical museum. Most countries seem to have them; rebuild homes from different time periods and an insight into historic culture and past lifestyles. It was a really nice museum, even with the rain. Complimentary and optional gumboots helped me keep dry.

After a udon curry noodle lunch (with my first sake experiences; a hot one I wasn't much fond of), we had a free afternoon. Being free and close, Matthais, Sabrina, Nat and I opted to explore the Takayama museum of history and art, allegedly famed for its collection of katanas and historic artifacts. It had some impressive pieces, most for me a shimmering spear and worlds largest (and probably oldest) wooden water pistol.

From there I decided to try find the ruins of the Takayama castle. After much searching we found Daryuji temple and Shiroyama park and gradually climbed to the summit to the castle ruins. There wasnt much to see but the surrounding forest was really pretty. Along the way I drank some strange white spring water.

Once down from the castle ruins we followed the trail via several ninja temples, followed the rivers, and guided ourselves back eventually to the hotel. Dinner was a variety of rice, beef steak, schnitzel, salad and mountain specialities. Following another communal bath, we're now packing for our trip to Kanazawa tomorrow.

***Pictures to come. Pictures featured on this blog arent necessarily my best. I take photos with my Nikon D90 SLR and mobile. My SLR photos need to be converted to upload on this site which is a pain and time consuming so many photos that feature here are mobile snapshots.Read more