Of Chemistry and Cherry Blossoms: Week Four: Central Japan Trip, Day One (Rainy Takayama)

Locations: Takayama, Shiroyama Park, Oyado Yoshinoya ryokan

This is the first of a series of posts from my solo trip to the mountainous region of Central Japan. Since I took so many photos, I decided to split the trip into 5 parts; one for each active day during the trip (I spent one day doing almost nothing at all due to typhoon rains, so it doesn't count).

Below is a rough map of my travels through central Japan. I spent the first 3 days in the Hida region, mostly in Takayama, underlined in blue on the western leg of my path. Then, I crossed the Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route on the northern side and spent the next 3 days camped out in Matsumoto, underlined in blue on the eastern flank.

Anyway, it was rainy on the day of my departure from Osaka, so the 4-hour bus ride to Takayama was unfortunately not very photogenic. While I did catch multiple glimpses of tall, fog-shrouded mountains and narrow valleys, I wasn't able to take any decent pictures en route. I did, however, get a better appreciation for just how mountainous and rugged most of Japan really is.

I arrived in Takayama at 1pm, which gave me another 2 hours to spend before my check-in time at my ryokan (a traditional Japanese-style inn). I decided to cut through the old town and take a hike through the largest city park, Shiroyama Park, most of which is composed of a small forest mountain with the ruins of Takayama castle at the top. The rain wasn't quite heavy enough to make the hike impossible, and walking through the wet, foggy pine forest completely alone was actually a pretty mystical experience overall.

My rainy welcome in Takayama

At the trailead, Kanamori Nagachika, founder of Takayama castle, greets me on horseback

The humidity and coniferous ground cover are almost reminiscent of a Pacific redwood forest!

Exploring the misty forest, hearing nothing but raindrops

At the very top of the mountain, a plaque indicates the former location of Takayama castle
(the grassy plaza is all that remains of the castle)

A mountain temple with an unintentional muddy moat

Lower down the mountain, a small shrine sits in a tranquil pond

Returning through the rural suburbs of Takayama... backyard ride paddies are kind of a thing

Looking back at the foggy mountain park

After this hike, I arrived at my ryokan (partially soaked, despite my umbrella's best efforts) just in time for check-in. Oyado Yoshinoya is a narrow, 3-story building located in the old town of Takayama. Upon entering, I was immediately welcomed by the family who runs the ryokan, and guided to my room on the top floor. After explaining everything I needed to know about my stay there, the owner was kind enough to give me an English map of the city, along with a few recommendations on places I should see. And with that, I was left alone in my room! I'll let the pictures do the explaining.

Since the weather would not improve until the following morning, I decided to spend the rest of the day lounging in my yukata and enjoying the atmosphere of the place. Dinner was served downstairs in the common dining area. The traditional Japanese style consisted of a multitude of small dishes, mostly vegetables but some seafood as well. In addition, this particular dinner included homemade sukiyaki, which was delicious! Many of the vegetables were pickled or marinated in a special way, but most tasted fine. Out of politeness, I ate the sashimi, which actually turned out to be not bad. Who knew that raw fish doesn't taste fishy? At the very least, that doesn't sound intuitive to me. Anyway, the cooked river fish was much more difficult to tackle, and I politely surrendered after a few hesitant bites. As a reward for the effort, however, I enjoyed an incredibly delicious small steak of Hida beef, the famous meat of the area and a rival to Kobe beef.

Finally, after dinner, I took a soak in the indoor onsen and then went to bed early. The entire experience was extremely relaxing, and despite having spent a day full of new experiences, I felt refreshed and ready for another!