東京 (Tokyo) - 高山 (Takayama)
Today, we checked out from Weekly Mansion Sugamo as we are going to 高山 (Takayama) for a 2D1N trip.
We set off early to catch the 0803hrs Shinkansen to 名古屋 (Nagoya). From Nagoya, we have to connect the JR Hida limited express train to Takayama. The whole journey takes about 4 hours. The ride from Nagoya to Takayama was a scenic train ride. The train has wide windows so that passengers can enjoy the beautiful scenery during the 2 hours train ride. It was indeed beautiful.
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| Nagoya JR Station |
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| On board "JR Hida Limited Express" to Takayama |
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| Scenery along the way to Takayama |
At 1309hrs, we finally arrived at Takayama – the place that I have longed to visit for a long time…Yeahhhhh!
The Takayama Tourist Information Booth is right outside the train station. We collected maps about the area before deciding where to go. As it was past lunchtime and our stomachs are complaining, we decided to have our lunch. We asked the staff for recommendations (Takayama is famous for their hida beef) and they gave us a map indicating restaurants that served hida beef. We deposited our bags at one of the nearby convenience store and headed out.
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| Takayama Tourist Information Booth |
We were told that the restaurants stopped serving lunch after 1430hrs so we had to rush. We settled down at a French Restaurant called Le MiDi and ordered two 3-course set lunch. It is a small but nice restaurant. From where we sit, we could see the chef at work.
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| Le MIDI Bistro |
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| Interior of Le MIDI Bistro |
The starter was potato soup....... yummy! Next, the main course...... it was soooooooooo "(Speechless)".
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| Kathleen's Set Lunch |
We tucked in and finished everything on the plate even the sauce (wahahahah!!!). After that, coffee and tea was served and the restaurant manager was so nice to give us complimentary sorbert…..yum yum.
This lunch is not cheap (about S$70 per person) but totally worth it. After a satisfying meal, we decided to go to the famous Old Town. I have seen a lot of documentary and pictures of the Old Town from TV/internet but nothing beats being here personally.
Takayama is a small town and it is not as commercialized as Kyoto. There are foreign tourists but not much and thus it is very peaceful and relaxing. The Old Town is very well preserved and beautiful. I love it here. We took our time, stroll through the street and visited every interesting shop that we passed by.
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| Takayama Old Town |
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| Exterior of shops |
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| Old Traditional Miso Paste Shop |
At Takayama, you will notice this famous souvenir which you can find at almost everywhere – Sarubobo (さるぼぼ) or monkey doll in Japanese. It is a red faceless doll and it is said that this is a Japanese amulet which was made by grandmothers for their grandchildren as a charm for good things. The Sarubobo is associated with three wishes: protection from bad things, a happy home and a good match, and having an easy delivery on birth. The original color is red but now it comes in many different colors and the meaning is different, depending on the color. There is even a Hello Kitty Sarubobo!
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| Zarubobo |
We decided to head over to the ryokan which we booked our 2D1N stay – Hagi Takayama (萩高山) at around 5pm. So we went back to the train station and called the ryokan for pickup arrangement. Upon arrival, we were welcomed by an English-speaking hotel guide who brought us round the hotel for a simple tour. We even get to choose our personal yukata….Interesting!
After checking into our room, our guide even brought us hot towels and made us green tea – “Japan Hour” was the first thought that came to our mind.
As our dinner will be served at 6.30pm, we changed into our very own selected Yukata and headed to the onsen (温泉) or Japanese hot spring bath.
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| Us in Yukata |
Our booking at Hagi Takayama costs about S$200+ and it comes with dinner and breakfast for two. We selected shabu shabu for dinner and also made an additional order of hida beef steak. When we returned to our room after the onsen, our dinner was already there. It was a huge spread and really sumptous and fantastic!!
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| Our dinner set |
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| Shabu Shabu |
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| Hida Beef Steak |
We really enjoyed ourselves. After dinner, a staff came to clear the table and made our bed for us. We chatted briefly with her using our limited Japanese. She was really friendly. Then it was zzzz time…..
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