While we had initially in mind to go outside the town for the day, possibly to the village Shirakawa-go which counts over 100 traditional thatch-roof houses (Unesco World heritage); however we were told that it would be a lot of transport for a very packed visit of the village so probably not worth it (we were there during the Golden week!). A few other options were also available to us, e.g. take a bus to Shinhodaka and go up the Shinhotaka Ropeway (cable car) to catch some great views of the Japan Alps (not open in winter) and then take a dip in the wonderful Shinhodaka-no-yu Onsen or go to the hiking center of Kamikochi (requiring an early start). Due to the time and the very busy period therefore we decided to stay in Takayama for the day and explore the surroundings and there was actually plenty to do, we filled the day very easily!
We started our day heading down to Takayama city center and the very popular Miya-gawa Asa-ichi market which runs in the morning until noon along the east bank of the Miya-gawa (river), between Kaji-bashi and Yayoi-bashi. The market offers a variety of stalls from farm-fresh products to local arts and crafts. You can go down to the river and see closer the massive local fishes.
We then headed up to the busy Sanmachi-suji district, which reminded us a little bit Kyoto. The Sanmachi Suji District consists of three streets in the heart of Takayama’s old town: Ichino-machi, Nino-machi ans Sanno-machi where you can find a large variety of merchants inc. cafés, antiques and sake breweries. This is generally quite busy, esp. around lunch time and you can see people queuing everywhere to grab various street foot. In Japan, it seems love queuing and they are great at that! These streets were excellent if you want to go souvenirs shopping, you will probably find here more traditional objects/presents than in more touristy places in Japan. In particular, this is where you can buy some traditional Japanese kitchenware such as chop sticks (that you can get engraved for free) or rice bowls, etc.
After this shopping session, we had lunch in a typical soba (buckwheat noodles) restaurant. They explain you how to eat soba and how to use the various pots they are serving you. It was not very big but it was excellent.
In the surroundings, there are a few Heritage houses and museums (history & art, foll crafts, etc.), we skipped the visit but you may want to also stop to see those.
In Takayama, there are 2-3 recommended and well-signposted walking paths.
After lunch, we took one of them and walked along the river up to the East towards the greenery of Shiroyama-koen. We followed one of the trail through the park and up the mountain-side to the ruins of the castle, Takayama-jo.
We eventually arrived on the other side of the mountain in a more traditional, isolated & rural part of the village. We could also see quite clearly from there the beginning of the mountains.
We took a different itinerary through Higashiyama Teramachi to go back to the town, and this time we could enjoy plenty of temples & shrines on the side of the road. This walk took us a good 2h30-3h.
Back to the center, we took a few pretty pictures from the bridges on Enako-gawa and pursued our walk up to Hagi Takayama mountain and had a great view over the town.
For dinner, we followed another great recommendation from the Lonely Planet and got to Sakurajaya. We were actually very lucky as we did not book and the owner told us that most of the time this is fully booked! (so book in advance if you want to go!). Located 3-8-14 Sowa-machi, slightly outside the city center, this was a great and very unusual experience for us. The owner is super welcoming and a character! We were sitting in the bar and enjoyed various Japaneses-German food creations that you select like "tapas". Don't go there if you want a genuine traditional Japanese experience or a short dinner. The owner wants to share a 3-4h unique experience with you! Not cheap, but very fresh products and this is a whole show when the owner is preparing dishes in front of you! Probably one of our best dinner in Japan!
Takayama was definitely a nice stop if you have a few spare days during your trip in Japan.
Held annually in the spring around April 14 and 15 and in the autumn around October 9 and 10, the Takayama Matsuri festival is one of the great festivals of Japan so I would definitely recommend if you are there around those dates. In winter, expect to get some snow!
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