Takayama was another 1 hr 20 minutes drive from Gujo Hachiman. We’d stayed in Takayama for two nights during the 2022 trip, largely as a springboard for us to visit Shirakawa-Go and also the Hida Takayama Village. I’d initially thought that the small city would be too familiar and that there wouldn’t be much for me to get interested in. As it turned out, I’d misunderstood the geography of the small city: during the 2022 trip, we’d stayed near the train station and completely missed visiting the old town district that’s about a 10 minute walk away from the station. The old town was where the tour brought us to, and the time allocated to this area was 2 hours. That’s sufficient time for one to explore the old town area, with its many Edo period houses, cafes, restaurants, and shops. Still, the old town won’t be very different from other similar districts in Japan, so you’d want to manage expectations if you’re coming here.
The bus left Takayama at 2PM and made its way to the next and final destination – Shirakawa-Go. Continued in the next post!