One Ticket to Paradise: Takayama

With my vacation in full swing, I left the madness of Tokyo to head to a lush, green, paradise-of-a-mountain-town, called Takayama.  My trusty Japan Rail Pass came in handy and I hopped on the bullet train to Takayama (which literally means "Tall Mountain").  My cab driver on the way to the station reminded me to be sure to pick up a Bento Box for breakfast -- since they are so tasty (his words!).  I'm no fool, when a local says to be sure to try something, I'm game.  

My tasty Bento Box Breakfast

I had to make one transfer on the way at Nagoya Station, however, the platforms were well marked, and luckily my ticket had my destination in both English & Japanese - so I just flashed that around a few times to make sure I got on the right train :)  The first leg was on the Bullet Train (Shinkansen) and it definitely was bullet-like!  My second leg was on a 'regular' train, which still seemed fast to me.  It took me up through adorable farm towns with gorgeous mountains and a stunning river below.  The view made the ride seem like the destination!

I arrived in Takayama at 1:09 and had about an hour until I was picked up by the staff at my Ryokan.  It was pouring rain, but no matter, I popped into a soba shop for a quick lunch.  My ride showed up on time and whisked me away to Wanosato.  The 160 year-old minka (house of the people) is built with the 'Gassho-zukuri' roof construction, which literally means 'praying hands style'. The rain poured down but it only made the colors more vivid -- after 3 weeks of huge metropolitan cities, the greenery was a lovely change.

Wanosato, Takayama

I arrived at what looked to be a fairy-tale forrest.  The buildings were beautifully architected in the traditional Japanese style of the region.  The grounds were lush and unbelievable.  I was ushered in to the central area to enjoy some hot tea and sweets at the fire.

From there I was shown to my (HUGE) room; really 2 adjoining rooms with huge picture windows out to the forrest and river below and a private bath with tub.  You can hear the river running by no matter where you are in the Ryokan.  The rain let up a bit, so I set out on a walk through the property:

River with fish boxes -- keeping the fish alive until dinner!

After my stroll, I headed straight for the onsen.  Wanosato has 2 different onsen, and they switch each day between being for men & women (always separate though).  I was happy to have learned the proper etiquette from Gillian before I headed in :) -- THANKS GIL!!

First you take a stool and a bucket and head to the shower area to wash: soap up completely and wash and rinse your hair.  After that, you can head into the onsen (baths) but really more of 'hot springs'.

Onsen #1:

Onsen #2:

My private cedar bath:

As you can see, they were all pretty amazing!  I made it a point to head in twice a day during my stay.

After my soak, it was time for dinner.  I opted to have it served in my room - what a treat!  My first night, a Kaiseki dinner was served.  It took over 2 hours and had over 10 courses.  I'm a big eater, but even I had a difficult time finishing all of the food.  It was amazing!  I know I keep saying that about the food here in Japan, but really, it is!!

Here are the courses I was served:

1. Sweet syrup plum & sweet tea
2. Catfish with soy sauce jelly
3. Hida beef with gold-leaf, eggplant, crushed tofu, potato with miso wasabi
4. Soup with rice cake & mushroom & dandelion petals
5. Whole fish sashimi
6. Meat & portobello mushroom to grill (with a little stone grill)
7. Lemon sorbet & mint jelly
8. Soba noodles in a champagne flute
9. Whole river fish (from the boxes in the river)
10. Eggplant & chicken soup & fried sashimi
11. Rice with tiny shrimp, miso soup, pickled veggies

Each dish was presented in the most beautiful way, here are a few of my favorites:

The whole experience was like watching someone create art.  It was so lovely and each bite was delicious.  I'm not sure what some of the items were, but they tasted good so I ate them!

After that, I laid down in my futon bed and fell asleep to the sounds of the river outside my window...

In the morning, I had another huge meal -- followed by a visit to the onsen, before heading to the old town of Takayama for some exploring.  It was still raining, but for some reason it didn't bother me too much.  Sort of a nice day to stroll around, stopping in shops, taste sake from the local breweries/distilleries and exploring a few local museums.

Rainy streets in Takayama's historic district

Miyagawa Morning Market

Takayama home

Two of my favorite places I visited were the Fujii Folkcraft Art Gallery and the Yoshikima-ke merchant house.  The Folkcraft Art Gallery was basically an old historic home turned museum that houses a small - but amazing - collection of wares: combs, china, kimono, antique trunks, swords, and lanterns.  It was an antique-hunters dream (just nothing is for sale).  My favorites were the collection of sake cups:

And combs & hair pieces made of tortoise shell (I could just imagine a Geisha receiving these as a gift):

They also had leather cases that were just beautiful:

I was so inspired by the antiques, that I sought out a few shops (actually selling wares) and found in the back corner of a case a 200-year-old wood block of 2 horses being led by a monkey, made by a Takayama artist in the Ukiyo-e style which reminded me of one of my favorite Japanese artists, Hokusai (Mom - do you remember the wood-block art project I made years ago!?).  Well, I fell in love and decided I just had to have it :)  I think I will need a bigger apartment to house all of my new things!

On the way to Yoshikima-ke, I passed this lovely little red bridge:

I didn't want to eat much (knowing I was in store for a large dinner) but I did grab some of Hida Beef (famous in this area) from a street vendor -- along with a nice cold beer:

Yoshikima-ke is a family home built in 1907 by the master carpenter Nishida Isaburo. The Yoshikima family was at the time a well-known brewer of sake in Takayama, as well as making a fortune by lending money. The house was sparse, which was common at the time. The simplicity highlighted the architecture as well as the gardens in the back. The ceiling was one of the most impressive I've ever seen:

Heading back to the main square to my pick up, I passed along this lovely row of houses on the river:

Back to Wanosato for a soak and a dinner of Shabu-Shabu (the first I've ever tried - but definitely not the last!).  The most humorous part was my server trying to explain to me how to cook it!

Hida Beef with gold leaf

My first attempt at Shabu-Shabu.  Turned out pretty well if I say so myself:

Me, feasting away:

Tomorrow I head off to my last stop on my magical trip: Kyoto.  I am really going to miss this place!