When I read about Takayama, and saw all the beautiful photos across the internet and instagram, I knew it was a place that I had to visit. A great morning market, a pretty temple and mountain walk, historic old town perfect for photography … and soft serve icecream in a plethora of creative flavours. Count me in!

GUEST HOUSE AND CAFE SOY

I am not usually one to review or rave over accommodation, as much as I love a character-filled place to stay, it is usually a matter or booking something affordable and practical when travelling with a toddler (or as budget as we could make it in our former lives as backpackers!). We happened to be in Takayama at the same time as one of the major festivals for the year and as we were booking a place to stay quite late there were not many options left. We finally found a little guest house, that whilst it was a 15 minute drive from the centre of town, got great reviews. We arrived very late after train delays an found out from the lovely host families’ son, who came to collect us, that we were not actually supposed to stay at the property with a child as the layout and nature of the old house made it not child friendly. He said he checked with the other two couples staying there at the same time and they were okay with us staying, so there was no issue. I was mortified at my mistake but felt very lucky to be able to experience staying in the beautiful house with the loveliest hosts. It felt quintessentially Japanese, with dark wood, a lovely relationship between the inside and outside, and arty attention to detail at every turn. Breakfasts were healthy and so pretty in their presentation and coming down the stairs in the morning to the feeling of calm as music gently played in the background was a real treat. In the evenings there was an open fire and comfy chairs to relax in, reminisce about the day that had been, and plan the way to come. If you get the chance I highly recommend staying at Guest House & Cafe Soy.

MIYAGAWA ASA-ICHI (TAKAYAMA MORNING MARKET)

I love a good market so I was very excited to hear about the wonderful Morning Market in Takayama. Set along a pedestrianised street right next to the pretty river it was abuzz with tourists and locals alike from early on in the day. The street is lined with both permanent shops and market stalls, both of which are worth a visit. If you are there in autumn make sure you splurge on one of the most crunchy, juicy, enormous, delicious (and expensive!) local apples I’ve ever tasted. There are plenty of stalls for sweet and savoury treats plus stalls selling tea and coffee to get you going for the day.

SANMACHI0-SUJI DISTRICT (TAKAYAMA OLD TOWN)

Takayama’s old town is full of beautifully preserved streets and buildings dating from the Edo Period (1600-1868). We loved wandering down San-machi Street with it’s plethora of lovely shops, old houses and restaurants. The photographer in me was totally overexcited at the opportunities to capture a little piece of quintessential Japan. Be warned though, it is very touristy and can get very busy!

Takayama is renowned for its noodles and we had a great lunch one day at Ebisu-Honten restaurant. They have been hand making noodles since 1898! It is local on San-machi Street and well worth searching out.

YOSHIJIMA HERITAGE HOUSE

Dotted throughout the old town are heritage houses – private residences that now serve as a museum of sorts. We chose to visit Yoshijima Heritage House, renowned for its architecture and design of clean lines, and simplicity.

TERAMACHI & SHIROYAMA-KOEN TEMPLE WALK

A lovely way to spend a morning or afternoon in Takayama is to walk the Higashiyama Walking Course, a walking route that passes through dozens of temples and shrines, the ruins of Takayama’s old castle, Takayama’s suburbs and Shiroyama Park, a pretty wooded hillside just outside of the town (we were warned to watch out for bears in this area so it might be worth carrying a bell if you are concerned!). If you are travelling with little ones there is a nice little playground and cafe at the end of the walk to let them expend any left over energy! We found the route to be well sign-posted and easy to follow. There is a map of the walk available here.