Takayama-Trip-07.04.25

Today, we are heading to the Japanese Alps by train, to the mountain town of Takayama. The highlight will be our hotel, a traditional Ryokan inn, with an Onsen bath sourced from thermal springs.

It's another early start, with breakfast at 6:30 AM. Despite the early hour, breakfast is as crowded as on other days. Around 7:45 AM, we set off for the train station. Before that, we give our luggage to be couriered to our hotel in Tokyo. We have a change of clothes for 2 days packed in our backpacks. Toiletries are always provided at the hotel. Kayoko hands us our tickets, including seat reservations, and around 8:30 AM, we board our train. On time, we depart, leaving Kyoto, along the shores of Lake Biwa, heading north. The landscape becomes increasingly mountainous, and we pass interesting scenery, with many cherry trees lining the way.

After about 4 hours, we arrive in Takayama around 12:30 PM. We gather at the station and then head to the city center. Here we have some free time to relax and shop. It’s truly a charming little town, with many old houses. Takayama has a beautiful old town, where many merchant houses and sake breweries from the Edo period (1603-1868) are located. Here we also find small souvenirs for our children. Then we visit an old merchant house that we can tour, which impresses with its spacious layout over 3 floors and a beautiful garden. On the ground floor, there is a coal stove that heats the entire open house.

Then we have more free time and find a lovely tea house, which is lovingly run by the owner. After removing our shoes, we are welcomed and shortly after enjoy delicious tea, coffee, and Matcha tiramisu. To finish, he sings us a Japanese folk song. A truly impressive experience.

Then we meet in the city center and walk together to our Ryokan hotel, where we receive a warm welcome. We check into our rooms, which are large but simple, with tatami mats and cushions on the floor, and a veranda with chairs (thankfully) as there are no beds. We put on the kimonos that are ready in the closet and go straight to the Onsen, where we can enjoy 42° hot thermal water in indoor and outdoor pools.

Around 7:00 PM, the group gathers for a multi-course Japanese dinner, with several appetizers, a main course cooked at the table in a wok, desserts, beer, sake (both cold and hot), green tea, ... Everything is truly delicious. After 2 hours, we return to our room, where our futons are already laid out. Kayoko offers a walk through the beautifully lit old town in the evening, but Anne and I are quite tired and fall into our futons, where we surprisingly sleep very well.