Gifu Attractions|A Day Trip to Takayama Old Street in the "Little Kyoto of Hida" during the Winter Snow—Takayama Furumachi
#ItinerarySharing
As one of the world's cultural heritage sites, the Hida Takayama area in Gifu Prefecture, surrounded by nature, is breathtakingly beautiful. As an ancient town representing the Hida Takayama area, Takayama Old Street still retains the old streetscape of the Edo period. The three old streets in the upper and lower towns of Takayama are called Takayama Old Streets. Among them, "Sanmachi-dori" located in Kami-San-no-machi, Kami-Nin-machi, and Kami-Ichino-machi is a famous tourist spot in Takayama.
Transportation Tips: The Hida Takayama area is located in Takayama City, Gifu Prefecture. Take the Shinkansen from Tokyo or Osaka to Nagoya Station. From Nagoya, you can take the express bus to Takayama Station or the Hida Express Train to Takayama Station, and then walk to the old street. Alternatively, you can take the Nohi bus or tour bus from Takayama Station to reach the old street. The transfer information at Takayama Station is quite clear, so the transfer is not difficult.
The town has many quaint old shops lining both sides of the street. The whole street is hung with old-fashioned noren curtains and other charming street scenes full of original Japanese scenery. The rows of machiya buildings retain the traditional style with lattice sliding windows (called "chugoko" in Japanese), and you can feel the strong historical atmosphere and traditional culture. There are also wine cellars, cafes renovated from old houses, and general stores. It is recommended to take a walk and carefully appreciate the beauty of the old street. Don’t miss the Takayama delicacies such as Hida beef, soy sauce dumplings, croquettes and gohei cakes.
The Miyagawa Morning Market, which runs along the coastal road from Kaji Bridge to Yayoi Bridge, is a historic morning market that dates back to the Edo period. It is one of the three largest morning markets in Japan, along with the Wajima Morning Market in Ishikawa Prefecture and the Katsuura Morning Market in Chiba Prefecture. Most of them are locally picked seasonal vegetables, fruits, flowers, pickles and mochi-like processed products, as well as a few handicrafts and snack stalls.
Takayama Jinya was the place where officials such as the magistrate and the county magistrate carried out government affairs during the Edo period. It consisted of an official office, residences for officials and their subordinates, and a warehouse. The deputies and county representatives dispatched from Edo all carried out government affairs in Hida at Takayama Jinya. Inside the building, there are many places worth seeing, such as the entrance reception room with the eye-catching "Aokai wave" pattern, the official office (Goyakusho), the local official office (Goyōchō), the lobby (Ōhiroma), the official residence (Yakuya), and the court (Mishirasu). The entire Takayama Old Street is usually arranged together with the Shirakawa-go itinerary. The photo was taken at the end of February when we went to Hida Takayama. It will still snow at the high latitude, and it will sometimes be sunny and sometimes rainy, so you still need to keep warm in this season.