Traveling Back in Time in Hida Takayama
About 4 hours by train from Tokyo sits Hida Takayama, a historic village nestled in the mountainous region of central Japan. It serves as an excellent home base if you plan on visiting farther afield to some of the more rural areas in the region like Shirakawa-go and Gokayama, but it is also great on its own if you just want to spend time exploring its historic old town, Sanmachi Suji.
You’ll find plenty to see and do here to keep yourself busy. If you like rustic, charming towns – and who doesn’t? – then you’re sure to love it here. Keep reading to discover some of the best parts of visiting Hida Takayama.
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Things to do in Takayama
Wander Around Hida Takayama’s Old Town
Hida Takayama’s main draw is easily its old town district, Sanmachi Suji. This historic part of Hida Takayama is lined with traditional wooden houses from Edo Period Japan. If you’ve been to Kyoto, it’s very similar to its famed Gion area but not as big or crowded.
The three main roads are filled with different restaurants and shops. Sanmachi Suji is also where you’ll find several of Hida Takayama’s famed sake breweries.
While Sanmachi Suji has all sorts of places to stop and shop, simply walking along it’s roads is a highlight itself. It’s a bit crowded but that’s for good reason: Everyone wants to come and experience a slice of old-world rural Japan. Fortunately, if you venture off the three main roads or if you’re staying the night in Hida Takayama, it’s fairly easy to escape the crowds.
Another highlight of Sanmachi Suji is the Miyagawa Market. This morning market is held along the Miyagawa River right on the edge of Hida Takayama’s old town. The market has up to 60 stalls and vendors selling a variety of produce, arts and crafts, souvenirs and local delicacies. It’s a must-see if you spent the night here.
Take a Day Trip to Shirakawa-go and Gokayama
Hida Takayama is an excellent base to serve as your gateway to Central Japan. This area of Japan is known for its mountains, hot springs and rustic rural villages.
One of the main reasons we stayed in Takayama was to use it as a springboard for day tripping to Shirakawa-go and Gokayama. This area of Japan is one of the country’s most culturally significant due to the style of homes found there.
Gassho-zukuri architecture is a type of home in Central Japan that features steep thatched roofs to counter the heavy snowfall the area gets. These farmhouses are only found in this region of Japan and offer a window into the country’s past.
Ogimachi in Shirakawa-go and Ainokura in Gokayama are the two best places to see gassho-zukuri homes. Ogimachi, being the much larger of the two, has a wider variety of homes to see but is also more crowded and a little touristy. Ainokura is off the beaten path, smaller and much more evocative. Still, it’s worth making the time to see both during your time in Hida Takayama.
Spend the Night in a Ryokan
If you’re visiting Hida Takayama to experience its historical Japanese charm, then what better way to cap your time here than with a stay in a traditional ryokan?
Hida Takayama is perfect for doing just that with its wide variety of ryokans to choose from. You’ll feel like you stepped back in time when you spend a night in one of the town’s ryokans.
Just imagine walking back to your ryokan after a long day of sightseeing to be greeted by its aged, dark wood interiors. You walk to your room where a tea setting has been placed for you to rest with a cup of tea while you reflect on your day. Afterwards, you can head to the inn’s on-site onsen to soak in its hot waters before going back for an exquisite meal of finely crafted local foods.
And that doesn’t even begin to do the experience of staying in a traditional ryokan justice. It’s something you have to do during your time in Japan, and Hida Takayama is a great place for it!
Sample Sake From Centuries-old Breweries
Hida Takayama has a rich tradition of sake brewing dating back over 300 years, when wealthy merchants would use the rice given to them as tribute to make the alcoholic beverage. Visitors can easily visit several of these breweries, all within a short walk of one another in Hida Takayama’s historic center.
These breweries are a great way to taste different types of sake while also learning a bit about the sake-making process. Tours are offered through various companies and private individuals, but some of the breweries have signage and models if you just want a general idea of how sake is made.
And, of course, each brewery offers tastings of their sakes for a small fee. This is a great way to explore the world of sake and its different varietals, especially if you’re a little on the fence about sake.
I already knew I liked sake going in, but I had no idea how varied this beverage could be. Much like wine, sake has a wide range of flavors and various levels of dryness. You’d be hard-pressed not to find at least one you like while touring the sake breweries of Hida Takayama.
Visit Temples and Shrines on the Higashiyama Walking Course
Atop a hill on the eastern part of Hida Takayama is an area of 12 temples and shrines overlooking town. These temples and shrines are lined up neatly in a row, making a visit here fairly simple and relaxed.
This area of Hida Takayama seems to be somewhat overlooked by most tourists, who tend to stay in Sanmachi Suji, but you’re missing out if you skip this part of town. After you’re done in Sanmachi Suji, leave the rest of the tourists behind and head uphill to explore the different religious buildings.
Because it’s less crowded, this area offers a nice way to escape the crowds for a leisurely stroll among the various temple gardens and manicured landscaping. In a way, it’s like a miniature version of Kyoto with all the temples and shrines jumbled together on a single path. You can also get some nice views back onto Hida Takayama due to the area’s position up on a hill.
This area of town is part of the Higashiyama Walking Course, a 2-mile trek through town that includes various sights. If you don’t have time for the full walk, you can just skip straight to the temples and shrines via a short walk from Sanmachi Suji like we did.
Where to Stay in Hida Takayama
We stayed in two different accommodations during our time in Takayama, both of which I highly recommend.
Sumiyoshi Ryokan
Our first night was spent in Sumiyoshi Ryokan, a locally owned ryokan just inside Hida Takayama’s historic center. Sumiyoshi Ryokan turned out to be our favorite accommodation during our entire two weeks in Japan.
From the moment we were greeted for our stay by one of the charming elderly owners, we were both in love with this place. Rooms are quaint and cozy, with a tea setting set up during the day that gets replaced by tatami mat beds in the evening and a small sitting area just off the bedroom. Apart from the rooms, Sumiyoshi Ryokan also has two onsens that offer a chance to relax after a busy day.
Where Sumiyoshi Ryokan really shines is in its included meals. The dinner and breakfast make the price tag of a stay here well worth it. Both meals feature masterfully created local and traditional dishes in private rooms separated by screens adorned with various Japanese artistic motifs. Our meals were perfect, including our entertaining server who didn’t speak a bit of English but still managed to engage us in conversation.
Sumiyoshi Ryokan comes with one significant downside: its cost. It’s not a cheap stay, which is why we only stayed here one night despite being in Hida Takayama for two. Because of this, we stayed in Chisun Grand Takayama for our second night.
Chisun Grand Takayama
At first glance, Chisun Grand Takayama doesn’t seem particularly appealing. It’s a fairly generic large hotel with a comfortable room. It’s also fairly cheap.
However, Chisun Grand Takayama has one feature that makes it worth considering during your time in Hida Takayama. This hotel comes with a relaxing spa for guests to use at their leisure. It may not be as nice – or private – as the onsen at Sumiyoshi Ryokan, but it wasn’t bad at all for a hotel at this price point.
Another positive about Chisun Grand Takayama is its location near the train station. While this hotel is far from Takayama’s historic center, it can be nice to be right next to the station if you have an early train.
Places to Eat and Drink in Hida Takayama
Hida Takayama has plenty of options for good eats and drinks. I don’t have many recommendations for where to eat because two of our meals were taken at our ryokan and another was during our day trip to Ainokura, but the two meals we ate while walking around Hida Takayama were excellent.
Our first meal in Hida Takayama was at Oshokujidokoro Sakaguchiya, a relatively cheap, traditional restaurant in the middle of Sanmachi Suji.
I had Hida beef nigiri sushi and pork ramen with a miso broth. This region of Japan is known for Hida beef, and I wasn’t disappointed with my first taste. It literally melted in my mouth. These two pieces of sushi were some of the best things I ate in Japan. My ramen wasn’t anything particularly special, but it was still pretty good. Between the setting, price and excellent Hida beef, I highly recommend Oshokujidokoro Sakaguchiya.
Our other meal was at a yakitori spot in the Asahimachi neighborhood. Unfortunately, I don’t know the name of this tiny restaurant because everything was in Japanese. It’s pictured below to help you find it. Regardless, it was a fun little spot with a variety of Japanese staples. We had korokke, various skewers and edamame. The mushroom skewer was especially good.
Even if you don’t eat at this exact restaurant, I still recommend an evening walking around Asahimachi. The tight alleyways and various small restaurants evoke post-war Japan and are vaguely reminiscent of Tokyo’s Golden Gai district. You’re bound to find somewhere good to eat.
For drinks, the #1 thing to do is sample sake at the many local breweries. Sanmachi Suji has several that have been honing their craft for many years. We tried three different breweries: Harada, Hirata and Funasaka.
All three were enjoyable, with Harada being my favorite with its wide range of samples to choose from. Harada also used a coin-operated pour system that I found fun to use. On the other hand, Hirata actually had the best sake tastings, but they weren’t as varied and the brewery itself was less interesting.
Funasaka was also good but more modern and I didn’t find the sakes I tried to be quite as tasty. It wasn’t a bad brewery, but if you could only pick one of the three, I’d skip Funasaka.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hida Takayama
Is Hida Takayama worth staying overnight in?
Definitely, especially if you are planning to visit Shirakawa-go and Gokayama. Hida Takayama has just enough to see that it’s a perfect home base for the region. On the other hand, if you aren’t interested in seeing much else in the area, you could make Hida Takayama a day trip.
When is the best time to visit Hida Takayama?
This depends on what you want to get out of your visit. Cherry blossom season around this region of Japan is from mid-April to early May, and autumn foliage peaks in October. August and September also tend to be busy months for touristm.
If you want to avoid the largest crowds, try to travel during other months of the year but keep in mind that this region gets a lot of snow during the winter months from December to February.
Is Hida Takayama the same as Takayama?
Hida Takayama is the more popular name of the town, and while the two names are used interchangeably, Japan has at least one other town named Takayama. If you’re planning your trip’s route, make sure you look up either Hida Takayama or Takayama in Gifu Prefecture.
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