Gifu Prefecture – March Trip to Hida Takayama and Shirakawa-go [Day 3]
I visited Hida Takayama and Shirakawa-go in Gifu Prefecture in March over 3 days and 2 nights.
The area is great to visit in any season, but I decided to visit while the snow was still around this time.
In this article, I’ll be introducing my day 1 travels from Shinjuku to Shirakawa-go as well as my walk through Shirakawa-go.
This article will introduce the 3rd day of my trip as I visit Takayama’s morning market and “Hida Furukawa,” the setting used in the movie “Kimi no Na Wa (Your Name).”
Dates of Visit: March 4th-6th, 2017
Breakfast at Spa Hotel Alpina Hida Takayama
I’m a repeat customer at “Spa Hotel Alpina Hida Takayama” since I enjoyed my previous stay.
It’s built in a great location, and the rooms are spacious and beautiful. There’s also a large public bath and open-air bath, both drawn from a natural hot spring. A single night’s stay that includes breakfast is 6,500 yen.
There’s also an information terminal called “Alport” on the 1st floor that lets you search for recommendations for local restaurants and other sights. You can also pick up coupons exclusive for hotel guests.
You can even use the coupons at Kitchen Hida, which I visited the previous night.
Spa Hotel Alpina Hida Takayama
- Address
- 5-41 Nadamachi, Takayama City, Gifu
- Access
- 3 minutes on foot from JR Takayama Station
- TEL
- 0577-33-0033
- Check-in
- 3 pm
- Check-out
- 10 am
- URL(English)
- http://www.spa-hotel-alpina.com/english/
Morning Walk
I planned to walk all the way to Hida Furukawa on my 3rd and final day, and since I still had some time until my train, I went for a morning walk to see Takayama’s morning market.
As you can see, there was unfortunately cloudy weather on my 3rd day.
This morning market is held every day in the plaza in front of Takayama Jinya. There are usually 20-40 shops set up.
I got the impression that there were a lot of local customers.
Morning Market by Jinya
- Address
- 1-5 Hachikenmachi, Takayama City, Gifu
- Access
- 10 minutes on foot from JR Takayama Station
- Hours
- 7:00am-12:00pm (8:00am-12:00pm November-March)
- Closed
- Open every day
It was still rather quiet in the morning.
This is a long-armed statue at Kajibashi.
Supposedly there’s a similar long-legged statue on the bridge too!
Apparently the long-armed and long-legged statues are a married couple.
The Miyagawa Morning Market is held every day in the Miyagawa area between Kajibashi and Yayoibashi.
There were more people shopping here than at the market in front of Jinya, and there were a lot of tourists too.
There were over 40 shops selling things like fresh vegetables, fruits, pickles, miso, and crafts.
Miyagawa Morning Market
- Address
- Shimo3-machi, Takayama City, Gifu
- Access
- 10 minutes on foot from JR Takayama Station
- Hours
- 7:00am-12:00pm (8:00am-12:00pm November-March)
- Closed
- Open every day
I took this picture after buying two items as souvenirs.
Sarubobo are made to look like baby monkeys.
Takayama Station
Next I headed back to Takayama Station to get to Hida Furukawa.
I took the escalator into the station.
This hanging banner celebrated Takayama Matsuri being registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
I made my way from Takayama to Hida Furukawa by regular train along the JR Takayama Main Line.
Hida Furukawa Station
I arrived at Hida Furukawa Station about 20 minutes after leaving Takayama.
You’re welcomed by a cut-out of “Hidakuro,” the Hida Takayama mascot, at the station.
I quickly discovered a poster for “Your Name,” a huge hit movie that took place in Hida Furukawa.
This was the view from the overpass above Hida Furukawa Station’s platform.
This exact same view is shown in the movie.
I got a map of the surrounding area from the tourist information center in front of the station, then started my walk around Hida Furukawa.
Home of Okoshidaiko – Hida Furukawa Matsuri Hall
The Furukawa Matsuri is held here every year on April 19th and 20th.
Furukawa Matsuri was registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage along with Takayama Matsuri and others.
Hida Furukawa Matsuri Hall features stalls, mikoshi, and mechanical dolls that are actually used in the festival.
There were also 3D projections introducing Furukawa Matsuri on display too.
Home of Okoshidaiko – Hida Furukawa Matsuri Hall
- Address
- 14-5 Furukawachoichinomachi, Hida City, Gifu
- Access
- 5 minutes on foot from Hida Furukawa Station
- Tel
- 0577-73-3511
- Business Hours
- 9:00 am - 5:00 pm ※Until 4:30pm from December through March
- Closed
- Open every day
- Admission
- Adults (high school students and older) 500 yen, children 300 yen
- URL(Japanese)
- http://www.okosidaiko.com/
Enko-ji
The visiting of the 3 temples is a traditional event that has been ongoing for over 200 years. It occurs every year on January 15th.
It’s known as a series of visits that will improve your marriage prospects, so many young women go from temple to temple wearing Japanese clothing.
The visiting of the 3 temples is a traditional event that has been ongoing for over 200 years. It occurs every year on January 15th.
It’s known as a series of visits that will improve your marriage prospects, so many young women go from temple to temple wearing Japanese clothing.
Enko-ji is located right near the Seto River and Shirakabe Dozogai Street, which are great places to take photos.
Enko-ji
- Address
- 11-11 Furukawachotonomachi, Hida City, Gifu
- Access
- 5 minutes on foot from Hida Furukawa Station
- Tel
- 0577-73-2954
- Closed
- Open every day
- Admission
- Free
- URL(Japanese)
- https://www.hida-kankou.jp/spot/3827/
Sobasho Nakaya
I had lunch at a restaurant that has hand-made soba noodles made with local buckwheat flour.
This was made with egoma (wild sesame), a Hida specialty. The wasabi, which you grate yourself, was also delicious!
The soba had a lovely fragrance to it and was delightfully chewy; amazing!
Sobasho Nakaya
- Address
- 1-16 Furukawachosannomachi, Hida City, Gifu
- Access
- 5 minutes on foot from Hida Furukawa Station
- Tel
- 0577-73-2859
- Business Hours
- 11:00 am - 3:00 pm, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
- Closed
- No scheduled holidays
Hida Furukawa Sakura Bussankan
Here you can check out the Hida crafts and souvenirs on sale, or even try out braiding!
A Panel for “Your Name”
This poster is sure to bring back the feelings you had while watching the movie.
Hida Furukawa Sakura Bussankan
- Address
- 2-20 Furukawachosannomachi, Hida City, Gifu
- Access
- 8 minutes on foot from Hida Furukawa Station
- Tel
- 0577-73-7770
- Business Hours
- 9:00 am - 4:30 pm
- Closed
- Thursdays (Open on National Holidays)
- URL(Japanese)
- https://www.hida-kankou.jp/spot/3862/
Shinshu-ji
Next I headed to Shinshu-ji, a temple located right by Hida Furukawa Sakura Bussankan.
This is another stop on the “3 Temple Visit.”
Honko-ji
Honko-ji is the final stop of the “3 Temple Visit.”
The main temple building is the largest wooden building in Hida.
Seto River and Shirakabe Dozogai Street
This is the #1 sightseeing spot in Hida Furukawa.
There are about 500 meters of white-plaster-walled storehouses and old houses along the Seto River.
There are over 1,000 koi fish that live in the Seto River, but during the winter (late November through early April) they’re moved to another pond, so I didn’t see them.
You should be able to get better photos here in a season where the plenty of colorful koi are swimming around.
Enko-ji again, which I’d visited just prior.
Taking a Break at an Old Japanese-Style Café
I found this pleasant café online.
The café is built inside of a renovated old house that’s over 100 years old.
I really liked the atmosphere inside the café, with pleasant jazz music flowing through the air, so without thinking I ended up ordering some ginger milk too.
I learned this after I’d returned home, but apparently former Japanese soccer player Hidetoshi Nakata visited this café himself and sang praises of their melon bread.
Ichinomachi Café
- Address
- 1-12 Furukawachoichinomachi, Hida City, Gifu
- Access
- 5 minutes on foot from Hida Furukawa Station
- Tel
- 0577-73-7099
- Business Hours
- 10:00 am - 5:00 pm (L.O.)
- Closed
- Tuesdays (Following day if Tuesday is a holiday)
- URL(Japanese)
- http://www.okosidaiko.com/
Hida Furukawa Station
It was almost time for me to leave, so I headed back to Hida Furukawa Station.
The taxi boarding area in front of the station was also shown in the movie.
I saw a lot of fans of the movie “Your Name” going around the various locations that were used in the film in Hida Furukawa.
Heading Home – Hida Furukawa Station to Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal
I headed back to Tokyo since my 3-days-2-nights trip had come to a close.
There was a nonstop express bus on the Shinjuku-Hida Takayama Line departing from Hida Furukawa.
The bus took about 6 hours from Furukawa Station to Shinjuku. It was 6,900 yen one way.
※Fares and travel times may vary.
The bus arrived at Shinjuku right on time.
The buses I’d taken on my previous trips had been caught up in traffic on the way back, but we got back with time to spare this time.
I saw nothing but historic buildings while on my trip, so arriving back in Shinjuku felt like I’d traveled through time (lol).
This ends my 3-days-2-nights solo trip to Hida Takayama and Shirakawa-go.
Shirakawa-go, Takayama, Hida Furukawa…. Each had its own unique charm, and I enjoyed my trip very much!
The scenery changes beautifully with the seasons, so no matter when you go you’ll be able to enjoy your sightseeing!
Author
Birth place: Tokyo
Kosu
While living outside of Japan for a while, I began appreciating what Japan has to offer.