TAKAYAMA TRAVEL GUIDE | 11 Things to Do in Takayama, Japan on a Day Trip!

Welcome to our Takayama travel guide! This city sits in the mountainous Hida region of Gifu Prefecture surrounded by the scenic Japanese Alps.

Takayama is a place where you can explore beautifully preserved neighbourhoods from the Edo period, see the floats that are paraded in one of Japan’s most famous festivals, enjoy the walking trails that go past temples and shrines, and sample the local cuisine which features plenty of Hida beef.

In this Takayama travel guide, we’re going to share everything you can do with one day in Takayama and it’s an action-packed itinerary!

Things to do in Takayama, Japan | Takayama Travel Guide

00:45 – Miyagawa River and Nakabashi Bridge
01:32 – Takayama Jinya
03:30 – Hida Takayama Retro Museum
07:34 – Hida Beef and Vegetarian Lunch Set at Local Cuisine Hisadaya
10:48 – Sanmachi Suji
12:02 – Yoshijima Traditional House
13:49 – Cat Cafe and Cat Rescue Centre (猫の月さくらやま)
16:26 – Takayama Matsuri Yatai Kaikan
18:32 – Nikkokan
19:42 – Sakurayama Hachimangu Shrine
21:17 – Higashiyama Walking Course
23:26 – Matsuki Burger

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TAKAYAMA TRAVEL GUIDE | 11 Things to Do in Takayama, Japan on a Day Trip!

Welcome to the captivating city of Takayama, nestled in the heart of the Hida region in Gifu Prefecture, Japan. This city, embraced by the breathtaking Japanese Alps, is a treasure trove of culture, history, and natural beauty, making it an essential destination for any traveler exploring Japan.

Takayama, with its beautifully preserved neighborhoods from the Edo period, offers a journey back in time. The city is renowned for its Takayama Matsuri, one of Japan’s most famous festivals, where exquisite floats parade through the streets, showcasing intricate craftsmanship and the rich cultural heritage of the region.

In this detailed Takayama travel guide, we provide an action-packed itinerary perfect for a day’s exploration in this enchanting city. From morning until evening, Takayama unveils its charms, blending historical wonders with natural beauty and culinary delights.

Morning Adventures:

Miyagawa River and Nakabashi Bridge: Start your day with a serene walk along the Miyagawa River, leading to the iconic Nakabashi Bridge. The picturesque setting offers a perfect introduction to Takayama’s scenic landscapes.

Takayama Jinya: Step into history at Takayama Jinya, a former government outpost that now serves as a museum. This site provides insight into the governance and daily life during the Edo period.

Midday Discoveries:

Hida Takayama Retro Museum: Dive into the past at this museum, showcasing the Showa period’s lifestyle and culture. It’s a nostalgic journey through Takayama’s recent history.

Local Cuisine Hisadaya: For lunch, savor a meal at Hisadaya, where you can enjoy sets featuring Hida beef or vegetarian options. It’s a culinary experience highlighting local ingredients and flavors.

Afternoon Explorations:

Sanmachi Suji: Wander through the historic streets of Sanmachi Suji, lined with traditional houses, shops, and sake breweries. It’s a vibrant area where history and modern life meet.

Yoshijima Traditional House: Visit this well-preserved traditional house, offering a glimpse into the architectural elegance of Takayama’s past.

Cat Cafe and Cat Rescue Centre (猫の月さくらやま): Take a relaxing break at this unique cafe, where you can enjoy the company of cats and support a local rescue center.

Evening Wonders:

Takayama Matsuri Yatai Kaikan: Marvel at the festival floats displayed here, each a masterpiece of art and engineering.

Nikkokan and Sakurayama Hachimangu Shrine: Explore the cultural depth of Takayama at these sites, rich in history and spirituality.

Higashiyama Walking Course: Conclude your day with a peaceful walk along this trail, passing by temples, shrines, and natural beauty, offering a reflective end to your journey.
Bonus Stop:

Matsuki Burger: If you’re craving something different, try a local twist on the classic burger at Matsuki Burger, a perfect blend of Western and Japanese flavors.

This Takayama travel guide invites you to immerse yourself in the city’s rich tapestry of history, culture, and natural splendor. Whether you’re exploring ancient streets, enjoying local cuisine, or simply taking in the majestic views of the Japanese Alps, Takayama promises an unforgettable experience.

Music We Use: http://bit.ly/SamAudreyMusic

Welcome to takayama Japan this city sits in the  mountainous region of gifu prefecture surrounded   by the scenic Japanese Alps this is a place  where you can explore beautifully preserved   neighborhoods from the edo period and just having  an opportunity to see how people live back in the  

Day see the floats that are paraded in one of  Japan’s most famous festivals I’d love to see   a parade live enjoy the walking trails that go  past temples and shrines that’s how we stay in   shape while we travel and Sample the local  cuisine which features plenty of heat a beef  

And it’s being cooked right before my eyes I’m  in charge it’s a little bit scary you know in   this takayama travel guide we’re going to share  everything you can do with one day in takayama   and it’s an action-packed itinerary so takayama  is a city of many bridges we have the miyagawa  

River which flows through the historic old town  and then we also have the famous nakabashi bridge   which I’ll show you right behind me it’s it’s  this beautiful Red Bridge and it’s just such a   lovely Scenic Place in the heart of the city like  it’s so green so Lush you have weeping willows and  

Reads and just I don’t know I really like it  a lot so we’re just enjoying a little morning   walk along here before we dive right into  the attractions and the [Music] sightseeing so next up we visited takayama jinya which  was a type of administrative headquarters  

During Japan’s Edo period and today this  building is a National Historic Site that   is open to visitors you can walk through  all sorts of tatami rooms that would have   had different uses like offices conference rooms  interrogation rooms residential rooms and guest

Rooms there very impressive it’s like you  first come in and you’re like oh this is   just a you know a small complex to visit  and then once you get inside you’re like   oh my gosh almost like a maze there’s a reason  why they kind of direct you with the with the  

Ropes yeah there’s a lot of dead ends there a  lot of dead ends i’ probably get lost [Music] otherwise hi highlights from this visit  any favorite elements it was so neat I   just I actually enjoyed the sheer size of the  place the most and just having an opportunity  

To see how people live back in the day  and here’s an example where I’m really   happy they had English explanations because we  saw these beautiful kimonos and we thought oh   those are like you know for celebrations but  they were actually fireman suits so it was a  

Really really neat Place big you want to give  yourself quite a bit of time to enjoy this at   least maybe 45 minutes to an hour as it’s not  like a quick little attraction you you pass   through but definitely worth visiting and a  great kind of introduction to the day we’re  

Planning to have here in takayama japan and my  highlight was visiting the rice Storehouse rice   was actually collected as as a tax and yeah  I just had never seen how rice was stored   in like these giant straw barrels so that was  pretty cool but yeah overall really enjoyed the  

Place and now we’re going to continue with  our little tour around the Old town yep we go as we were walking around town we came across a  building that was covered in vintage movie posters   and had an old truck parked out front we got  curious and decided to investigate and that’s how  

We ended up at the Hida takayama retro Museum this  was a super fun place to visit so let’s take you   inside all right guys so we are now visiting the  hida takayama retro Museum I have a feeling this  

One is going to take us back in time the first  room we’ve walked into is what a Japanese school   used to look like not entirely sure about the time  period I’m guessing maybe going back to the 70s  

You know what I’m realizing I’m old enough to be  retro I am seeing Astro Boy I’m seeing Godzilla   toys I’m seeing things I played with as a kid so  this is fun so it’s very cool it’s immediately  

Reminding me of the DDR Museum that we visited in  Germany uh that one was also Frozen time you know   Eastern Germany so that’s the vibe I’m getting and  I can’t wait to see what the other rooms [Music]

Hold so I’m I’m kind of in shock because I  feel like some of these displays are from   the ’90s and that’s already considered  retro of course it is it’s a different   Century different Century I know the it  doesn’t take long to get old to life does  

It right yes that’s the sad [Music] truth  are we having fun yeah I did really grow   up playing these games so little tricky for  me here you’re learning in real time I grew   up in the mountains okay I laid outdoors  spend time in nature there you go there you

Go a okay this one is three I’m playing street  fighter guys apparently it’s Street Fighter I   don’t know what this is f oh I can choose my  player Honda Lanka oh I’m me Honda I have no  

Idea how to do okay this is jumping approach  punch oh he got me oh oh he got you right on   the you know what yeah he’s getting oh just J thrd  here guys I don’t know how to use the controller  

Haven’t even haven’t even got oh here I come oh  yeah oh yeah oh yeah yeah yeah yeah so now we’re   at a retro Barber Shop check that out bit of a  creepy doll not a of dolls but yeah this is such  

A cool place can’t believe we ended up here by  chance and now we’re at an old doctor’s office wow and you have his little desk chair oo okay that was fun played some video games  wasn’t that fun it’s one of those places that  

I honestly could have got I could have got  stuck there and spent like half a day playing   games it was just so cool it’s like reliving your  childhood right but also made me think too and um  

This is a question for you the audience would  you rather travel back into time or would you   rather go into the future to see what that  looks like oh that’s tricky I I don’t know   the answer I’m pondering that at the moment  but I’d love to hear what you think [Music]

For lunch we managed to retrace our steps  to a restaurant we had visited during our   very first trip to takayama a few years back  it’s located in Sanmachi Suji the historic   quarter which is also considered one of the  best preserved Ado districts in all of Japan  

This restaurant is listed as local cuisine  hear on Google Maps you can order hea beef   the local specialty or go vegetarian and get  the set featuring Mountain vegetables [Music] vegetables a hida beef he a hida beef friends  I’m having the most classic meal you can have  

Out here of course is heat a beef and it’s being  cooked right before my eyes I’m in charge it’s   a little bit scary you know anyways the it’s  really neat because they gave you two types   of Chopsticks this is these are the cooking  Chopsticks and these are the eating Chopsticks  

So right now I’ve just been flipping it over a  few times spreading it out a bit and you can see   there’s an alteration between what’s still pain  and what’s been cooked and eventually once it’s  

All all been cooked it’ll be time to eat it I  thought it was quite amusing that they told us   wait until the meat changes color before you  yes yeah it makes me makes you wonder what   what’s gone on here before you what some other  foreigners have done in the past here are my  

Mushrooms slowly cooking Sam’s piece of advice  was wait until until the meat turns brown um   for me they just said wait until it’s soft they  looking good over there yeah it smells very nice   I’ve also got a bowl of rice some soup and just  a nice assortment of tofu and little vegetables  

Amazing little meal my meat’s coming along nicely  and uh yeah wow great sets here they have so much   variety and you can also choose a vegetarian set  too you can yeah this looks like soft tofu with

Ginger good stuff huh we’re really going to enjoy  we’re we’re feasting hey friends I so busy filming   Audrey I sort of forgot to tend my meat but it  looks like it’s all done I don’t see any pink  

Whatsoever so that means I can eat it now check  that out it looks cooked really nicely it’s got   like a nice sauce on it and I’m going to take the  advice and use the proper Chopsticks here let’s   grab some of [Music] that totally delicious  oh it’s so tender it’s got like a beautiful  

Marinade on it too thing that is so nice is that  we don’t eat really a lot of beef when we’re in   Japan I can’t remember having it on this trip  so this is a treat to be having it all nicely  

Prepared like this and served with this delicious  sauce and just a traditional seating environment   and cooking it in front of the table it’s just a  really it’s a really fun experience guys and um   something you should do if you’re here in payama  okay so we are now walking through sanachi suji  

This would be the historic quor here in takayama  and here is a little tip for you this area it’s   a quarter it’s not just one single Road for some  reason everybody seems to crowd on the one single  

Road that has a lot of shops and restaurants  and it can be a bit overwhelming but if you   take the parallel streets and the side Lanes it’s  a completely different experience and 100 times   better let’s be serious they still have shops  here too it’s like there’s still craft shops  

There’s still places to eat it’s just everyone  clusters in the same area you know what they say   it’s never crowded along the extra mile so go the  extra mile you don’t even have to walk an extra   mile literally one street over one street over  and it makes the world of a difference because  

We were just walking on the main road and we’re  like wow like this is really busy it’s a lot of   people and like you know you almost feel like you  were having to Elbow your way through um yeah just  

Don’t walk on the main road or do for a little  bit and then explore the side [Music] streets [Applause] after lunch we kept walking around  and eventually reached the Yoshi Jima traditional   house given this is a very touristy and busy  District we were surprised to be some of the  

Only people visiting there was only one other  person in the whole house so we got to tour the   place quietly and take our time if you enjoy  Japanese architecture and design you should   definitely consider visiting Yoshi Jima house  so something you might be interested to know is  

That you can actually visit some of the historic  homes here in this district oh my gosh so right   now we are inside Yoshijima house it was built in  1907 by a master Carpenter and it used to belong  

To the Yoshi Jima family who at the time was  a well-known Brewer of sake here in takayama   and they were also money lenders they were very  well off so we are touring their home and I think  

This is just such a great way to really be able  to appreciate the architecture and get a better   idea of what this district is really like because  otherwise you’re just walking down you know the   main streets just looking at the exterior but  it’s nice being able to go in and have a [Music]

Tour [Music] hi it’s a cat  cafe is it oh yeah let’s do it and then we ended up at a cat cafe completely  unexpected but a wonderful surprise what’s   unique about this place is that it’s not  only a cat cafe but it’s also a cat rescue  

Center (猫の月さくらやま) so the cats that you see  here are available for adoption the lady who   runs this place is so lovely and sweet you can  tell this is her life’s Mission and she cares   so much about each individual cat so it made us  super happy to be able to visit and contribute  

To helping Takayama Street kitties this cat cafe  was just half a block down from the Yoshi Jima house what was that it was the  the motorcycle [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] yes oh my gosh fashion show so this happened completely by  chance we were walking down the street we saw some  

Cats we realized it was a cat cafe and we went to  inside and it’s a rescue Cat Cafe place is amazing   go it is it’s like we’ve got a chance to talk to  the owner and she has a really cool Mission she’s  

Rescuing these cats rehabilitating them feeding  them socializing them and finding new homes for   them so it feels really nice to support something  like this we had a really nice cup of hot apple I   guess almost cider almost yes yeah with cinnamon  and we get 30 minutes with the cats um that uh  

You pay 700 Yen for that and it’s just been total  Bliss we’re having a great time and this is like   kind of I don’t know this is seeing takayama  ourway we’re just being spontaneous and doing  

What we want to do exactly and it’s nice to  know like the 700 Yen it’s basically to cover   you know the cats living costs like their food  medical cost they may have things like that and   yeah they’re all just waiting to find homes  and they’re such sweet cats they are [Music]

Okay so next up we are visiting takayama Matsuri  Yatai Kaikan float exhibition Hall very excited   to be here because this is actually considered  one of the most important festivals in takayama   and it takes place twice a year in the spring  and in the fall we’re actually missing the  

Fall Festival by just a couple of days and we  tried bucking accommodations for those dates   but absolutely everything was booked fully sold  out so basically what happens during the festival   is that they take these floats that you can  see behind me they’re behind glass and those  

Are paraded through the city and in takayama  japan it’s a tradition that dates back over 350   years so yeah since we can’t be here for the  festival we’re going to admire the beautiful   floats which are here on this PL and admission  to this exhibition Hall is 1,000 yen per [Music] [Music] [Applause] Person what do you think Sam very impressive I  like that you get to go on the ground level and   you get that one vantage point and then  you get to go up on the second level and   it’s completely different view so impressive  so interesting and I’d love to see a parade  

Live and in person I know we’re just missing  it by two days that’s the crazy part yeah it’s   really crazy fortunately we won’t be there  but that’s one of the reasons like we were   not here is because the the city was fully  booked no hotels zero we need to get out  

Of here yeah we even tried in neighboring  towns but it was a noo so yeah keep that   in mind sometimes festivals happen when you’re  traveling somewhere and you may not know about   it so the first building we visited with  the floats is called Matsuri Yatai Kaikan  

And included in the admission ticket we also  got access to nikkokan a hall that contains   impressive replicas of different buildings of  toshogu shrine in nikkokan we actually visited   nikkokan during our very first trip to Japan  so it was nice to relive that through these models [Applause] [Music]

[Music] we then visited a Sakurayama  Hachimangu Shrine which dates back to   the 5th Century making it the oldest Shrine  in takayama japan the setting is beautiful   the shrine sits at the foot of a hill  with an Old Forest right behind [Music] it oh steep that was rough oh my gosh that’s how  

We stay in shape while we  travel that’s why we eat so much we still eat that much even if  we weren’t exercising let’s be [Music] honest [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] friends we’ve gotten outside of the tourist  path and we are up a little bit in the Hills  

Right now there are two interesting hiking  paths you can take from here one of them   being the Higashiyama walking course and  the second one here is the circular tour   Road for historic spots and I’ll mention the  The Walking course does start at a graveyard  

So if you feel like you’re lost or you’re in  the wrong place no that is right yeah it’s   like it’s not that clearly marked to get here  so if you think you’re lost you’re probably not

So here we are in the middle of a forest  it’s a cedar Forest it is so beautiful so   green so peaceful also there’s a lot of moss  along the path along the stones like you can  

Tell this place just receives a lot of rain  based on how green and how Lush it is they’re   going to be different shrines along the way  we’ve already reached one of the first and   we’ve got a sign here there are grave markers  along the trail as well there is a few tombs  

Of note uh that are marked throughout  the cemetery so yeah I think we’ll go   visit our first shrine it’s hard to miss it  because it’s very Orange in a sea of [Music] green hey Sam thoughts on the Walking course  morbid or worth it uh definitely worth it  

It’s a beautiful walk through the forest Japanese  graveyards are fascinating they’re very different   from Wern style graveyards so you can appreciate  the the difference in culture and just it’s just   a way to kind of get away from the city center  too and to challenge your legs maybe you’re  

Going to do that to build up an appetite or you  just want to get the exercise in but um glad we   did it well it’s it’s hard to find dinner at  3:30 p.m. we do eat at strange hours we do and  

We walked around trying to find a few different  restaurants Matsuki Burger um Google Maps said   they were open and then we would go and no no it’s  closed um not open till 5: which makes sense but  

We ended up what we ended up doing is we changed  our strategy we walked to the train station and   we found a burger place that makes burgers with  heated beef and so we’re sticking to the theme  

Of the local meat and we’ve ordered Burger sets  so we’re quite excited and we got the same thing   both the heated beef burger food is here Burger  nicely tucked in this little piece of paper fries  

Oolong tea Coke for Sam oh oh that looks amazing  wo nice check that out that also makes it easy to   grab and eat having it wrapped up like that oh  it’s is going to be good guys it’s going to be  

Good it looks great woe ooh [Music] yes this is  honestly so good it’s so juicy lots of cheddar   cheese lots of lettuce makes the burger nice  and crispy onions there’s some Dijon mustard   let’s admit it we’re hungry after walking around  all day mhm we’re putting some serious [Music]

Steps okay so we are back in our tiny little  business Hotel crouching in front of the camera   to share some final thoughts of our 24 hours  here in takayama japan so would you like to   begin yeah I mean what an Eclectic day I don’t  think we’ve ever had such a random itinerary  

Before anywhere like just just recap okay we  went to famous museums we went to private houses   we went to a cat cafe we went to an arcade  we’ like rub shoulders with tourists along   pedestrian streets we found off the beaten path  spats we had a traditional meal and then we had  

A fast food meal yes and we wandered through  a cemetery so so that should give you an idea   of what you can do when you come to takayama  if you’re not staying for several nights if   you’re just coming for the day there’s plenty  to do and um so many different options this is  

Also a popular place to do a realon day could be  your first realon it was ours 5 years ago it was   neat to come back very different experience this  time around a lot more highend we’ve noticed some   big time development so especially around the  train station and just uh yeah way more packed  

With tourists the last time we were obviously  traveling off season in the in the monsoon   season not the smartest time but anyways it was  neat to come back and do everything we couldn’t   do and we hope you guys enjoyed this little  takayama travel guide we’ll have more videos  

From Japan coming soon so if you enjoyed this  video we invite you to give it a like subscribe   leave a a comment and we’ll see you soon with  more Adventures from Japan thanks guys [Music] Tata