Japan 3: Takayama

Early morning at Sanmachi Suji, Takayama's Old Town

Thursday, April 4

A list of Takayama specialties at the hostel.
We tried everything!

This morning was basically spent in a culinary trance, fluttering from store to store and tasting the regional foods that Takayama is proud of. Searching for the morning market, we stopped at a food stand to try the Mitarashi Dango that was being freshly prepared. If you've ever played Katamari Damacy, you'd know this treat. Mitarashi Dango is the unmistakable balls of rice cakes, skewered together and grilled with a sticky thick soy basting sauce.

We got a bit confused finding the markets. Every time we walked up the river, the sign to "markets" would point downriver, and when we would walk down the river, the sign to "markets" would point upriver. It turns out, there are two morning markets and they're just not signed all that clearly. The northern market was fairly small so you have to be looking for it. It was nearby the Jinya building. We didn't enter the Jinya as it charged an entrance fee.

For the girl who has everything:
a bouquet of chilli at the markets

The southern market is difficult to miss, it is along the riverside and much larger, it just wasn't open yet at the time we were searching for the markets (ie. 8am).

The old town (Sanmachi Suji) was my favourite part of Takayama. Arriving as early as we did, stores were just opening their doors as we strolled down the main street. As expected, most of the stores are tourist shops. The main pride of Takayama chachkas is hand-crafted wooden owls. We went to a store where you could watch the craftsman making them. The tourist stores also sell furniture made from beautifully prepared wood. I really wanted to take a table home with me, if it weren't so impractical. It's worth visiting a few crafts stores just to see how stunning these pieces are, the way the worker embellishes style on the natural grain and shape of the wood.

Sanmachi Suji

Our next snack was some rice crackers. Fresh made onsite, they were irresistible with the smell of soy permeating the air. What was even better was the little fish-faced pancakes filled with all sorts of goodies. We bought a pack of 5 to taste, then got a pack of 15 to follow up because they were too delicious and we couldn't have just one each! The bite-sized pancakes were reminiscent of dutch Poffertjes, but they had fillings like chocolate, hot dog, sesame, and red bean. I'm a fan.

Moving across the street, the boys bought some Japanese beer at a tourist shop. The storekeeper opened the beers for them, and there they were drinking in the middle of the street. Which is awesome for us, although I don't know how socially acceptable that is in Japan. I found out later, when talking to a local in Tokyo, that people don't eat or drink while on the go. That explains why it's always so difficult to find a garbage bin, but doesn't explain what all the vending machines are for.

Sake is another regional specialty of Takayama. We were way too tired to truly enjoy it, but there were a few stores in the old town that provided free samples of sake. In one of these stores there was a mysterious tatami room. Taking off our shoes, we followed the tatami floor through a passage to find the cutest little cafe. Amber ordered a deep roasted green tea latter, and Scott had this parfait that was heavenly.

Just before leaving the old town, Mike and I filled up on a Hida beef croquette. This one is a delightful blend of salty Hida beef flakes with mashed potato, deep fried with what I assume is a crunchy panko crust. We couldn't eat just one.

We walked through the south markets and along the lakeside park before returning to the hostel in the afternoon. With plenty of time to spare, we decided to rent bikes from the hostel (at K's House it's about 100Y per hour, to a max of 700Y).

We rode along the south side of the river, and up a steep hill towards a quiet temple. We parked the bikes and hiked further up the mountain to the Ruins of Takayama Castle. There are several trails to hike in the forested mountain here. We were scared away by the impending rain though, and returned to the hostel after seeing the ruins. This hiking area is a nice way to enjoy nature nearby the city. It was a charming forest.

At the Ruins of Takayama Castle.
By the way, the "ruins" is an empty platform at the top of a mountain, and there are no building remnants to see.
But the walk is pretty, and the view worthwhile.

Remember how I said this was the Onsen tour of Japan? Yep, you got it. We went to another onsen at the Takayama Green Hotel. This onsen was pleasant enough to sooth our fatigued bodies, but lacked in atmosphere what Okuhida offered.

Parking the bikes to hike up the mountain.

For dinner, we just went to a rice bowl place. It's nothing special, but satisfying in its simplicity: japanese sticky rice, mixed with egg, and topped with crispy tonkatsu and spring onion.

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