Tom Takayama was one of the highlights of this trip because of the high quality of wagyu (Japanese Beef) from this area, known as Hidagyu. To kick start the day, we headed to the Takayama morning market that operate daily at Takayama – Jinya-Mae Takayama Morning Market (陣屋前朝市) and Miyagawa Takayama Morning Market (宫川朝市). The morning markets in Takayama operate from 7am to 12pm daily…
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The day started with a light drizzle. As we were still early, we decided to seek shelter at a pavilion near Jinya-Mae Takayama Morning Market to have our breakfast. We also bought hot coffee from a nearby vending machine…
Jinya-Mae Takayama Morning Market (陣屋前朝市)
After breakfast, we headed over to Jinya-Mae Takayama Morning Market (陣屋前朝市). There were many aunties who were there early and set up their tents to sell their fresh produce of fruits and vegetables…
At Jinya-Mae Morning Market, we bought some grapes for 700 yen. The champagne grapes were delicious and had an interesting jelly-like feel to it. The only thing was that there were too many seeds 🙁 You’ll also be able to easily find Jinya-Mae Takayama Morning Market as it’s located right in front of Takayama Jinya Historic Government Site
Takayama Edo-Period Preservation Streets
The other major attraction in Takayama is the edo-period preservation streets such as that at the Kamininomachi Street Preservation Area…
Miyagawa Takayama Morning Market (宫川朝市)
As we were early (before 8am), we were able to have shots of the edo-period Kamininomachi Street Preservation Area in Takayama with no ones else around 😉 Next, we visited the other Takayama Morning Market – Miyagawa Morning Market (宫川朝市)…
The Miyagawa Takayama Morning Market is a more “happening” market as it is lined along the street next to buildings with shops. So you can choose to hop in and out of the shops and explore the market all at the same time. One of the things we tried at Miyagawa Morning Market was the Hida Beef Bun…
You may have seen many posts online that featured this steamed bun with hidagyu beef within. Priced at 450 yen, hida beef buns aren’t cheap at all. But do they taste good? The answer is NO. As Kate anticipated, the beef within did not taste like hidagyu beef and were probably “leftovers” elsewhere that were used to make this bun. Please give this a miss. But you can try this…
There are a couple of stores that sells this yellow squarish eggy thing at Takayama morning markets for 100 yen each. They’re actually eggs in the form of a square! Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Delish.
There’s a miso shop along the street of Miyagawa Takayama Morning Market. We headed in because of the free (and warming) miso soup that they were dishing out. After we tried it, we realized that this miso was different. We never felt thirsty anytime after having this homemade miso. Moreover, we also read about the benefits of miso for the digestive system. Hence, we got some as gifts for relatives as well. You can also visit all 3 miso shops of the Koujiya Shibata Haruji Shoten at Takayama – one of which, the main store, is celebrating 150 years in 2019!
As the crowd was building up, we decided to have an early lunch. We saw a well-priced hidagyu shop along the old preservation street and entered. It turned out to be a amazing lunch experience!
Hoba Miso Hidagyu (Hida Beef with Miso over Magnolia Leaf)
Tasting the Hidagyu (飛驒牛) Beef of Takayama is the other highlight of our Japan travels (the other highlight being staying at Konansou Fuji Kawaguchiko with in-room onsen overlooking Mount Fuji). One of the unique part about eating wagyu in Takayama is the hoba miso hida where the beautifully marbled hida beef is served over miso on a magnolia leaf. All these served over an individual hot stone stove. Quaint setting within the restaurant also helped the overall dining experience. Although this was an amazing hidagyu tasting, little did we know that the best hidagyu wagyu experience was yet to come! A little more about that in our next post…
Sake Tasting in Takayama
Before we decided to head up the hills to visit the Takayama Castle Ruins, we wandered into a sake shop and thought about doing a sake tasting. In Japan, sake shops are easily recognisable with the sugidama (杉玉) or cedar ball hanging on the outside of the shop. In this particular sake shop along the preservation street of Takayama, the sake tasting was 200 yen. We took a look at the choice of sake by the refrigerator inside and there were 12 sake choices to choose from. We were pleasantly surprised that with 200 yen, you’ll be able to try 12 different shots of the sake. Not only that, you’ll be able to keep the Ochoko or sake cup as a souvenir – what a steal!
Tip: Remember to start from the bottom and work to the top right sake – junmai ginjo sake (best quality sake).
Shiroyama Park Takayama Castle Ruin
Another “attraction” at Takayama is the Takayama Castle Ruins at Shiroyama Park. However, to our dismay, there was nothing to be seen at the castle ruins, except the fortified walls shown above. Hence, if you’re looking for an actual castle ruin, you’ll be disappointed. Nonetheless, the walk in the park was a relaxing and refreshing one. Besides the signs that says “Bears Beware”, the walk with bearbear was simply wonderful.
Takayama Hidagyu Sushi
After our stroll up to the Takayama Castle Ruins, we headed past the Takayama Preservation Streets once again. This time, we saw a queue at a sushi shop and we were curious to see what it was. Soon, we found out that it was raw hida beef (hidagyu) sushi! The marbled fatty goodness of the hidagyu could be tasted on every chew as the sushi melted away in our mouths. At 600 yen, the hidagyu sushi is definitely worth a try!
As we drew close to dinner time, we wanted to try out Ryu Ryu Ramen in Takayama for its popular tomato based fried chicken and ramen. Unfortunately, it was sold out by the time we arrived. Have you tried Ryu Ryu Ramen? If so, tell us more about your experience in the comments section below!
Across the railway tracks from Takayama Station (opposite side of Takayama Old Town), you’ll enter the residential areas of Takayama. We took a walk for about 15 minutes and were able to visit supermarkets such as Surugaya Azumo, Valor Takayama and Boss Foodsmarket. We did some shopping at the 100 yen shop and also checked out the My Melody gift towel at Mister Donut before deciding on our supermarket dinner of Oyakodon and Yakisoba with fried chicken patties for a grand total of 1080 yen. Thankfully, there was a microwave at the lobby level of Country Hotel Takayama to warm up our food 🙂
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Book with Agoda Here: Popular Hotels in Takayama
Book with Klook Here: Popular Activities in Tokyo
We hope you have enjoyed our coverage of all the things to do and attractions of Takayama 高山. Stay tuned as we check out the must-visit hidgyu restaurant of Takayama in our next post!
Related Post
If you have just completed a post from our 12 days of travels in Japan. Find out more about this trip to Japan in the following posts below.
15 Travel Experiences and Things to do in Tokyo Japan!
Top 9 Things to do in Mount Fuji and Kawaguchiko Area!
Top 5 Things to do in Hida Takayama (高山)!
Top 6 Things to do in Nagoya (and food to eat)!
12 Days of Japan Travels: Tokyo Jimbocho and Imperial Palace Gardens Day 1
12 Days of Japan Travels: Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building Shinjuku Pablo and Shibuya Day 2
12 Days of Japan Travels: Mount Fuji, Lake Kawaguchi, Sanrokuen and Fujizakura Inn Reviews Day 3
12 Days of Japan Travels: Lake Kawaguchiko Natural Living Center & Sightseeing Bus Tour Day 4
Konansou Mount Fuji Hotel Review (湖南庄) : In-Room Onsen and Meals with views of Mount Fuji!
12 Days of Japan Travels: Takayama Morning Markets Jinya-Mae, Miyagawa and Takayama Hidagyu Day 6
12 Days of Japan Travels: Takayama Hidagyu (Hida Beef) and Bus Ride to Nagoya Day 7
Takayama Hidagyu Beef: All You Need To Know!
12 Days of Japan Travels: Eating our way through Nagoya Day 8
12 Days of Japan Travels: Visit Nagoya Castle and Overnight Bus Ride from Nagoya to Tokyo Day 9
12 Days of Japan Travels: Ichiran Ramen & Kamiya Pub Reviews Day 10
12 days of Japan Travels: Tsukiji Fish Market, Ippudo Ramen & Akihabara Tokyo Day 11
12 days of Japan Travels: Ueno Zoo, Ameyoko Shopping Street & Giga Butadon Day 12
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