I have to admit that fresh ingredients can indeed better highlight the original taste of the food.

The 400-year-old Takayama Jinya is the only extant site of the magistrate's office from the Shogunate's Gundai period in Japan. It was originally one of the residences of the Kanamori family, the lord of Takayama Castle, and later became the location of the Tokugawa Shogunate's direct-controlled regional office, which was probably an ancient government office. Zhenya 420. Everyone takes off their shoes when entering the room. This time, you can only go barefoot. Each person is given a plastic bag to carry their shoes. The tour route is planned. You can see the office, tea room, Go room, waiting area, prison cell, Xueyin (said to be the general name for Zen toilets), etc. There are some simple layouts and exhibits inside. I took a quick look because it was too cold to walk barefoot and the wooden floor hurt my feet. The courtyard in the middle would be very beautiful if I came in summer or maple leaf season. Tip: When you go to Japan in winter and need to take off your shoes to enter the house, you can prepare hot packs in advance to stick to the soles of your feet to keep them warm, otherwise your feet will be really cold. Takayama is about an hour’s drive from Shirakawa-go. When we arrived, we first had some Hida beef nigiri sushi to fill our stomachs. After waiting in line to buy, we could find a seat inside and slowly enjoy it. The tender beef was fragrant after being slightly grilled, and was seasoned with a small amount of sauce and chopped green onions. Even with raw quail egg yolk, it did not have any fishy smell. The millet cakes (maybe shrimp cakes) that served as trays were crispy, slightly salty, and delicious. We have to admit that fresh ingredients can indeed better highlight the original taste of the food. Although the village is small, it has everything it needs, including a shrine. I didn't go into the Hachiman Shrine because I was afraid of being asked to take off my shoes, so I just looked at it from the outside. It's not very large, with two towering trees guarding the entrance of the shrine. I couldn't see how tall it was, but it was really tall. If you don't go from house to house, two hours is enough. When walking on the suspension bridge on the way back, the bridge surface on the side out of the village is all ice. Everyone has to hold the cable next to them with both hands and slide down carefully, otherwise they will fall down if they are not careful. 🤭 Tip: There is a lot of ice on the suspension bridge and the slope to the observation deck after snow in winter. Be sure to wear non-slip snow boots, otherwise it will be difficult to move.