Today you will take a tour with a local guide to the beautifully preserved old town of Takayama and the UNESCO site Shirakawa-go village.
Start the day with a visit to the local Miyagawa Market along the Miyagawa River in the old town.
Most stands sell local crafts and farm products such as vegetables, pickles and flowers.
Take a walk in the district called San-machi Suji, the traditional home of Takayama merchants and sake brewers, which has been preserved in almost exactly the same state as 200 or 300 years ago. Here are inns, shops and taverns which trace their history back many generations.
Visit the Takayama Jinya. Because of its valuable timber resources, the Hida Region around Takayama was put under direct control of the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1692. The Takayama Jinya served as the local government office, headed by the officials dispatched from Edo. The present building complex includes various rooms for administrative purposes, offices, kitchens, toilets, bath rooms, residential space, a courtroom and storehouses. It was in official use until 1969 and is now open to the public as a museum.
End the morning by stopping at a sake brewery and enjoy a tasting on Japan’s national tipple. Takayama’s sake is renowned nation-wide, thanks to the clear water of the surroundings. Kampai! (“Cheers!” -in Japanese-)
In the afternoon reach Shirakawa-go region. Your guide will show you around this picturesque village, famous for its traditional Gassho-zukuri farmhouses, some of which are more than 250 years old. Gassho-zukkuri translates as ‘Praying Hands’, as the farmhouses steep thatched roofs resemble the hands of Buddhist monks pressed together in prayer and are designed to withstand the heavy snows which fall in the region. You will then return to Takayama.