This was one of the highlights of our trip - to visit Takayama and Shirakawa-Go village - a UNESCO world heritage site. Since the latter is quite remote and not easy to get to, we decided it would be less hassle to book a day tour instead of trying to make it there on our own. We chose the one by Klook.
The departure point was Meitetsu bus station, which is on the 4th floor of Meitetsu Shopping Centre at Nagoya station.
The first stop was Takayama, and the route was took us through the highlands. Due to an accident on the expressway which caused a jam, the driver had to take the local roads, which turned out to be a blessing, as it set us back only by 15 mins but led us through a very picturesque snowscape. Breath-taking.
Takayama is an old town in the mountainous Hida region. Land wise, it's larger than Tokyo, but 90% of it consists of mountains and forests. It's very pretty and quaint, reminiscent of Kyoto but less touristy.
Takayama has a few specialities, such as sake. This is one of the few sake shops and breweries.
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| Yes, he's now old enough to drink. |
Honestly, we were not prepared for the cold. We stupidly didn't realise our day trip would take us to where there was SNOW and 2-degree weather, and were dressed for 12-degree Nagoya. This aptly describes us in winter:
So every chance we got, we ducked into a shop to warm our hands.
This was a miso shop, with free miso soup.
This shop sells daifuku - chilled confectionery with whole fruit in it. There were all kinds of flavours on display, from strawberry to kiwi and orange.
Another speciality - Hida beef sushi. This one attracts long queues...and after tasting it, we knew why. It's pretty darn delicious.
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| Served on a cracker |
We didn't eat too much at Takayama as a buffet lunch at Green Hotel was provided as part of the package. It's a surprisingly generous spread from Japanese to Western and Chinese. Of course we zoomed in on the Japanese selection. There's even a chocolate fountain.
Finally, we arrived at the main attraction - Shirakawa Village. You have a cross a long suspension bridge to get to the village.
Because we came in winter, we were treated to snow-capped houses and a frosty scene - the things fairy tales are made of. For people who live in the tropics, this is simply mesmorising.
The traditional houses are called gassho and are made with thatched roofs. Not a single nail is used. We were given entry to one of the houses. It's dark and cold inside, with lots of beams and steeps stairs.
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| My goofy kids |
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| Swinging from a rafter |
Views from the gassho.
It was bitingly cold. Andre kept singing to himself, "I can't feel my face when I'm with you." Lesley-Anne, who's cold even in Singapore's 30-degree weather, sat herself in front of fires and drank hot green tea wherever it was available.
It was a long day, but Shirakawa-go is one of most picture perfect destinations I've ever visited. The landscape is enchanting, like something out of a movie set. If you have the chance, go see it in winter. I hear that it's even more beautiful in the evenings. But don't be silly like us, and wrap up!
In case you're not familiar, at Ichiran, you place and pay for your order at a vending machine first. (Note: their "salted egg" is the ramen egg, not the salted egg we have at home. This is a must-try).
Then you wait in a room for a booth to be free, and fill out a form stating your preference for richness of broth, condiments, etc. When booths free up, you're shown to yours. The bamboo curtain is up until you hand your waiter your order.
When the order is served, the waiter discretely lowers the curtain so you can enjoy your ramen in peace, alone in your booth. This is an introvert's dream.
Kenneth is not a big fan of ramen so he ordered the rice and stewed pork.
But the rest of us were in ramen heaven.
Good to the last drop.
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