Japan | Kanazawa & Takayama (Days 3-5)
Kanazawa Day 2
Our second day in Kanazawa began with another stop at Higashi Chaya – which was mercifully free of tourist crowds so early in the morning. We then headed off to Kanazawa Castle, one of the city’s biggest landmarks and which was once the home of the Maeda family, who governed present day Ishikawa and Toyama for 280+ years. We embarked on a free tour with a guide, who told us the castle had been reconstructed three times due to earthquakes and fires – but certain original walls still stood because of a clever feat of engineering that barricaded big rocks with smaller stones that could shift and fill the gaps during earthquakes without toppling over. Pretty ingenious.
Interestingly, there were a lot of middle-school aged kids around on this day – we spotted them on the bus ride over, and they were all over the castle grounds without a teacher in sight – moving as a little pack. Had some fun exchanges with them – one boy waved at our group and shouted “Go Yankees!” A girl with braids in her hair responded to a member of our group saying to her “you look so pretty!” with a giggle and a bow. Another group flagged me over to take their picture, and enjoyed posing in lots of different configurations.
Lunch was a hearty bowl of Jinbuni stew, complete with beef, loads of veggies, and delightfully springy dumplings. I didn’t get a picture before I dug in, but here’s a pretty life-like plastic recreation from outside the restaurant.
Plastic, but basically the real thing.
During the meal, our guide Roger taught me the phrase “Gochisousama deshita” – which is a lovely traditional expression of gratitude that thanks everyone who helped prepare the meal, from the farmers and fisherman to the chefs. I tried it out as I paid, and it earned an immediate surprised but delighted grin in response. I’m now trying to remember to use the phrase after each meal – each time I’ve deployed it, without fail, it’s earned a genuine smile.
We wandered through the stunning Kenroku-en gardens afterward – one of Japan's most famous gardens. The name means “garden that combines six characteristics” – which are spaciousness, seclusion, artifice, antiquity, water sources and glorious views. And it certainly did just that. While inside, we enjoyed a ‘lite’ version of a tea ceremony, where we had some lovely matcha and some sweet bean paste intricately twisted up that tasted a little like very thick frosting and went surprisingly well with the tea.
Later in the day, we made our way to the Samurai District, a preserved historic area that was once the residential district for Kanazawa’s samurai warriors. For dinner, we ate at Temakizushi Coil – a roll-your-own sushi spot, where we had great fun choosing our toppings and attempting to craft the perfect hand roll. It definitely took some trial and error to figure out the ratio of stuff. Some of our creations did end up as neat little rolls, while others resembled tacos or burritos – but it was a fun way to end our time in the city.
Takayama Day 1
Getting to Takayama meant swapping the Shinkansen for a local train that wound its way along the mountains and along a river, offering up some seriously scenic views during the journey. We arrived to what felt like peak tourist hour – the narrow streets were especially packed. But once we peeled away from the main streets, the crowds thinned out and we could really appreciate the charm of the town. Takayama specializes in woodcrafts, and we wandered through shops filled with gorgeous handmade pieces I could only dream of fitting into my suitcase.
Lunch was a generous bowl of curry ramen at a spot called Kaminari and afterward, we grabbed coffee at Haiz, a sleek little café perched by the river. We even spotted a heron trying its luck at fishing before heading off to our next stop: sake tasting. I was not expecting the experience to be a little gamified – basically, you cough up a few coins to buy a cup that comes out of a vending machine capsule with a token in it, and feed the token to various machines with different selections of sake. I’m truly no sake connoisseur, so I chose to sample two fruit varieties – yuzu and plum. Both were delicious - but the yuzu in particular was excellent.
From there, we sampled roasted dango with sweet soy glaze (a local speciality), and made our way back to our hotel along the river, spotting many cherry blossoms in peak bloom. In contrast to our previous two hotels, this time we were staying at a very traditional ryokan inn. Futons on the floor? Check. Shared onsen and showers with no privacy? Uh, also check. Much to the chagrin of our group, the hotel staff explained that no swimsuits were allowed in the onsen – so we quickly made a gameplan to devise a little shower schedule and update each other via WhatsApp once we were out. It led to a very wholesome little string of texts from different members saying “I’m in!” and – just a few minutes later – “I’m out!” so that others could have a turn without needing to see each other naked.
After check-in, I wandered to the nearby Sakurayama Hachimangu Shrine, where the red wood and golden accents glowed in the evening light, and there weren’t too many people around. I couldn’t resist sprinting up a steep flight of stairs to explore every corner. On the way back through the quiet residential streets, I enjoyed little glimpses of how people lived – with their compact boxy cars and stunning front gardens that everyone clearly takes a lot of pride in maintaining.
Dinner was a birthday celebration for one of our group members at Tenaga Ashinaga, known for Hida beef. And – truly – wow. The meat was super tender and practically melts in your mouth. After eating our fill and singing a round of ‘happy birthday’, we walked back under glowing streetlights and – to our surprise – spotted many tiny little bats swooping and diving around the skies to eat bugs.
Takayama Day 2:
We started with a wander through the riverside morning market, where locals and visitors browsed stalls. As I walked up and down a few times, I couldn’t resist sampling my way through:
A marshmallowy Tatamen
A fish-shaped pastry filled with warm custard
A fluffy freshly steamed beef bun
A pot of pudding with caramel at the bottom
From there, we headed to Hida No Sato, a folk village made from relocated historic houses and a way to experience the charm of traditional village life. As I wandered around, I swear that this quaint, beautiful place looked like it could have been plucked straight from a Zelda video game, with massive A-Framed structures with thatched roofs, ranging from farmhouses and stables to blacksmiths and wood workshops.
Back in town, I found a tiny spot for lunch with amazing gyoza and a pork cutlet bowl – exactly what we were craving. I then tackled part of the Higashiyama Temple Walk, a winding path through 12 different temples (Buddhist places of worship) and a few shrines (Shinto places of workship) – which were both located uphill in the forest away from the main path and up many, many stairs. While I didn’t finish the full course due to the strength and heat of the afternoon sun, it was peaceful and beautiful all the same.
In need of caffeine and shade, I ducked into a random cafe that turned out to be run by an older geisha woman, who came out and greeted me and the two other girls from the Netherlands who were seated. After chatting with us for a bit, she invited us to play some traditional instruments together – instructing one of the Dutch girls to strike a beat on a drum, and me and the other girl to use a metal kane (kind of like a tambourine without the jingly bits) that you strike with a small mallet. None of us were especially rhythmic, but she accompanied us on a stringed instrument called a Shamisen, and sang a short song. After that, she switched on a TV with a video playing what looked like an interview and performance from her earlier days – though it was all in Japanese, I’m not entirely sure what was going on. Before we left, she snapped a photo of us together and sent us off with warm smiles. Definitely more than a bargained for from a coffee stop, but it was all incredibly charming.
Re-energized, I wandered along a very pretty canal walk, watching uniformed students bike past as the school day ended and rested my feet again along the banks of the river to people-watch . To catch the sunset, Asya and I went up a steep hill in search of another temple with orange Torii gates. We managed to find it and glimpse the sun descending over Takayama.
Dinner was a bit of a challenge – apparently, different towns have different ‘days of rest’ and Thursday is Takayama’s day so a lot was not open. Asya found a place near our hotel called Yotteku and invited the rest of our group to join us. What followed was the most memorable meal of the trip so far. It was a tiny mom-and-pop shop, with just a handful of locals inside when we arrived, all older men chatting and unwinding over drinks. The handwritten menu was entirely in Japanese, and there wasn’t a word of English in sight. The woman running the place looked genuinely surprised when our group of foreigners walked in, but she welcomed us in.
To get around the language barrier, we used the photos that were part of the Google Maps review to try and identify which dishes were available, and the wife gamely worked with us by pointing “yes!” to what was available and “no” to what was not. The small room soon filled with the smell of cooking – as the husband and wife team began quickly preparing our meals. We ended up with some delicious yakisoba (which I’m still thinking about) while others had gyoza. We caught her husband peeking out from behind the counter to see our reactions to the food – and when we beamed and gave him big thumbs up, he laughed and nodded in appreciation. As we wrapped up our meal, the wife came over and asked in English where we were from. When we told her – USA, Canada, Italy, England – she seemed delighted and asked how we all knew each other.
This restaurant felt more like a living room than a business, with family photos and drawings lining the walls. The wife began pointing out the photos, telling us the ages of her kids at different stages, helping us piece together who was who as they grew up over the years – with her pride evident from her voice. Then, with a grin, she told us she was 73 (!) and her husband 76 (!). As we headed out with profuse thank yous for the delicious meal and bows of respect, one of our group members blew her a kiss, and she didn’t miss a beat – grinning wide and blowing one right back. We all burst into laughter together. It’s hard to explain why so many of us left that little meal with actual tears in our eyes, but there was just something so moving and special about the warmth and sincerity they showed us. A needed reminder that the world is smaller—and kinder—than we often think. We caught her stepping out of the front door to make sure we made our way back safely into the night.
Later that evening, I worked up the nerve to brave the shared showers. I also took a tentative dip into the onsen, which was lovely… for a grand total of two seconds before I made a hasty exit. I’d thought I might have the space to myself, but just as I was stepping out, I’d thought I might have the space to myself, but just as I was stepping out, a Japanese woman entered – an occurrence that our efficient little WhatsApp shower schedule couldn’t quite anticipate. Seeing my deer-in-headlights look, she quickly said, “It’s okay! It’s onsen!” I appreciated the reassurance even as I quickly scurried away back to my room. We’ve got one more shot at an onsen later in the trip, so perhaps I’ll get my courage up and stay long enough to actually relax.
I absolutely loved being in Takayama. Maybe it was because we were staying a bit outside of the center of town, but it felt like I got a real glimpse of local life. The scenic views were great, but honestly? My favorite part was just wandering the quiet back streets, walking along the beautiful river, and watching everyday scenes unfold.
