Belated December 16th

Today we explored Takayama on foot. After a reasonably boring breakfast at the hotel we walked to a little market that happens every morning next to the river. We saw a few nice things which we bought as presents and had a nice time watching the ducks and fish coexisting in parallel dimensions. It was really cold.
We started to walk around town and found that Takayama has a few streets of very old buildings preserved in the Edo period style. It was nice to walk around this area but only a few of the shops were interesting. We started walking uphill and headed towards some trees. It turned out that we’d hit the edge of town and that we were walking up a small mountain to some castle ruins. The walk was a little bit tricky but we had some nice views. We started to see out of the valley which Takayama sits in and out to the high snowy mountains beyond. The "castle" turned out to be a flat area and a sign, but the walk was really nice. We headed down the hill by a different route and followed a walking trail on our map. This took us past a mysterious temple, a little spring and shrine with a mossy and icy fountain shaped like a frog, some strange playground equipment in a frosty park and other interesting views.
Eventually we arrived back in a remote corner of town and found a convenience store where we had lunch. The rest of the walk followed a different edge of town but was mostly on normal roads. We walked through a couple more temples and shrines before we got sick of the walk and headed back in the direction of the hotel to rest.
On this last leg of the walk we saw 3 Buddhist temples, each with a huge bell out the front. Why so many bells so close? Do they ring them all at once or alternatively? Are they competitive about their bells? We didn’t even see most of the temples in town, the map had many more marked.
After a rest at the hotel, we walked out to find a post office and some internet. The post office was easy to find but the internet was a bit lame and strange. We asked at the information desk at the station and the man invited us in to use a laptop which is apparently set up for this purpose. It was really slow and crap but we got to check emails and the trains for tomorrow.
We felt like dinner even though it was early so we tried another LP recommendation called Origin, yakitori restaurant. They weren’t really ready for customers but they accommodated us and the food was really, really nice.

Belated December 15th

Today we got up early and had the breakfast at our Nara Ryokan (same as yesterday, except Salmon instead of other fish). We packed up and took ourselves to the Nara station – quite a long walk but at least this time it was downhill!

Our newly activated JR pass works like magic. We just showed it to the guy at the ticket gate and he welcomed us through with a smile. We took a limited express train to Kyoto which filled up pretty quickly. We were then able to grab a bento box and get a Shinkansen to Nagoya, which took around 40 minutes. We were lucky enough to be in time to catch that hour’s train to Takayama. The weather forecast for Takayama today was 4 degrees and snow. So I had dressed really warmly for the day – thermal pants and top. The train from Nagoya to Takayama was very comfortable, with a lot of leg space and toilets and a food trolley. But it was incredibly hot and really bumpy – two things that do not go well with me. There was a thermometer IN the carriage and it was 26.8 degrees. It got down as far as 24.5 and then went up again. It was a 2.5 hour trip. The scenery was beautiful though!

We were relieved to get to Takayama. It was about 3pm when we arrived. We found the hotel relatively easily compared to previous times. It’s a big ryokan, and we’re on the third floor. As usual at Ryokans, you are asked to take off your shoes at the entrance and leave them in the shoe cupboard by the door. Indoor slippers are provided at the door, which are these faux leather slippers with no backs that you just slide on. The problem is that whenever we walk, they slide off again. Having experienced this at Nara, we didn’t put them on, but then we were chased with them so we did and just shuffled.

We were showed to our room, which has a little alcove to leave your indoor shoes (no shoes whatsoever on the Tatami mats) and your bags. A sliding paper door revealed a 12-mat room with a low wooden table, a television and kettle, cups, teapot and REAL TEA, a balcony area with a small table, and a bathroom with a shower/bath and toilet. No futons.

We went out to the Combini to get some late lunch and got some Inari sushi and a Meron bread. We looked around and saw the river and some interesting looking shops. It was cold. We went back and looked up some places to eat and decided to eat at a place around the corner, but first to look at the internet downstairs.

The internet was 100 yen per ten minutes! Outrageous! I put in 100yen and almost sent an email before it shut down on me. I’m writing this in Word and I’m going to post it tomorrow at the train station where they have internet.

We went to this place around the corner which had a really nice atmosphere and ordered Sukiyaki. It was a bowl of raw cabbage, bean sprouts, mushrooms, tofu, onion and the famously amazing Hida beef (Hida is the area we’re in now), all in a soy-based sweet sauce. This was placed over a burner and set on fire, and we were told to turn it all over and cook it up together. It was fun and tasted amazing. We were also given miso soup, rice, two lots of Japanese pickles, and unlimited green tea. It was delicious!

We walked towards Family Mart and bought some chocolates called Melty Kiss that I’ve been curious about since our first day in Japan, and also some dessert. When we got back, futons had been spread for us! Like stealthy ninjas they waited until we had our backs turned and then BAM! Futon attack!

I had a lovely bath in the hotel’s ladies’ bath (Japanese style) where I could take as long as I wanted because nobody else was there. We ate the dessert I bought and it turned out to be coffee cream on top and underneath… coffee jelly. Weird.