Got our temple fix early in the morning at Hida Kokubun-ji, Takayama's oldest temple. It was originally built in the 8th century. Next to it is a 1200 year old Gingko tree....
We then headed to the Miya-gawa morning market...right alongside the river. This market takes place every morning. We had the street food mitarashi-dango, skewers of grilled riceballs seasoned with soy sauce.
Most of the sellers are rugged farm folk...selling bags of mystery dried fruits, vegetables, pickles and other unidentifiable objects.
We then went to the Sanmachi district which has the furui machinami or "old private homes". Beautiful old traditional homes right near the river.
Amongst the homes we found a Sake brewery! They are easily recognised by the spheres of cedar fronds hung out front. This one had a shop full of goods as well as a beautiful back garden.We could also see the fermentation tanks, tastefully covered in bamboo...everything "industrial" in Japan is disguised.
Then there was the sake bar! Makes you want to take a seat, doesn't it? We did try some local sake, but not here.
On to the Takayama-Jinja, the only remaining prefectural office building of the Tokugawa shogunate. There are government offices, a rice granary, garden and torture chamber (of course).
After lunch, and a nap (we are both fighting colds) we did the Higashiyama Walking Tour. Basically a two hour walk that can be extended when you can no longer find the signs that say "Higashiyama Walking Tour". The first part is in the Teramachi district which has over a dozen temples and shrines.
Behind the temples we found huge old cemeteries We saw a few women cleaning their loved ones headstones and providing fresh flowers as well as food and drink offerings.
After many wrong turns, and getting mauled by a non-English speaking Japanese women's Akita dog (okay, so it was a puppy..but still...and we did manage to break the language barrier...she pointed us in the right direction) we came to Shiroyama-koen, a mountainous park.
Oh, as an aside.....even the manhole covers in Japan are beautiful. I had been wanting to take a picture for days...but had to wait until no one was around. "Crazy American!"
In the park, I got the chance to use the "Japanese" style toilet. The actual use of the toilet was not the problem...it was the small nature of the space. Getting out of the stall without putting a foot in was difficult. When I came out Dean said, "jeez, did you fall in?
A view of the Japan Alps from the ruins of the castle, Takayama-jo built in the late 16th century. Nice view to wake up to every morning.
Ended the day with another fantastic meal of Sukiyaki....cooked the beef and vegetables over the little grill, then dipped it in raw egg. Quite good!
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