XYZ: Oh, so you had a holiday in Japan? Where did you go?
Me: One day in Tokyo...
XYZ: Oh, did you buy anything? Tokyo's great for shopping!
Me: No, I didn't want to shop. Then I went to a couple of cities in Nagano...
XYZ: Oh, did you shop there?
Me: No, I didn't want to shop. Then I went to Takayama, which is all laid back and full of history.
XYZ: Oh, so did you shop there?
Hokay. Is it so strange that trips to Japan did not involve any form of shopping? Apparently, shopping for souvenirs and edible gifts is not considered shopping.
The other common question tossed my way was: "Why didn't you buy any Fancl products? Fancl is SO cheap there!"
But I don't use Fancl!
Anyway, enough of that. I want to tell you about Takayama, a charming town in Gifu Prefecture.
In Takayama people walked slowly and spoke tenderly. Shopkeepers who emerged from their shops would pause and smile or nod at passers-by.
In Takayama, much of the architecture appeared to have stood still in time.
The husband and I enjoyed walking down the streets slowly, stopping wherever, whenever we desired.
We chanced upon a cafe called Coffee Don. Its interior is reminiscent of an era when gentlemen donned bowler hats and smart black suits, and women wore their hair puffy and their eyes thickly lined, with a flirty flick at the end.
My heart did a little joyous dance when I realised that Coffee Don was playing the soundtrack of The Sound of Music film, which starred Julie Andrews. It was one of my all time favourite films. :)
So, while I waited for my caramel cappuccino and apple pie, I sang along to the songs.
The coffee was fragrant and the apple pie addictive.
We chatted with the boss of Coffee Don and learnt that the cafe has been in operation since 1951. His father started the business and now he's in charge.
"Coffee Don is the oldest coffee shop in Takayama," the boss chirped proudly.
"And it is really beautiful," came my dreamy rejoinder.
I hope his children or younger members of his family take over Coffee Don eventually, so people can continue to enjoy the place for many more years to come.
I asked the boss to recommend a restaurant that sold quality Hida beef that would not bankrupt us. You see, Takayama is famed for Hida beef, which brings red meat lovers to gastronomy heaven with its rich, buttery flavour.
I first tasted Hida beef several years ago when Gifu Prefecture's tourism representatives visited Singapore and brought with them a HUGE slab of it. They grilled it most deftly, leaving the meat still pink, while the fats were all melted and superbly fragrant.
And because Takayama is so renowned for Hida beef, there are just too many restaurants serving the meat. We did not want to end up in an outlet that served poorly prepared Hida beef at ridiculous touristy prices. We wanted to go to a restaurant that locals loved too. And I trusted Coffee Don's boss enough to rely on his recommendation.
He pulled out a map, scribbled the word Natupa on it, and gave us directions in halting English. Wonderful!
That was where we adjourned.
The boss of Natupa (pronouced Nappa) was a jolly old man who was so excited when he found out we were from Singapore. "Nice! Nice!" he exclaimed. Then he brought out his menu, which had only four items on it - all Hida beef dishes, and pointed at the second item.
It was a Hida beef steak, priced at 3,500yen (S$58) a piece. I looked at the other items and realised that it was the cheapest available Hida beef steak.
"This ok?" the chef asked, with a kindly smile on his face.
"OK!" the husband and I chimed together, and hoped it would be good enough.
While we waited for our lunch to be served, we horsed around and took this photo, hoping it would impress the chef and earn us a discount.
He was amused, but not impressed enough to shave a couple of yen off the price tag. :)
Anyway, here's our 3,500yen worth of red meat.
It was such a thin slab of steak, my friends. And it tasted so darned good! So tender, so creamy, so worth every single cent of the price.
Still on the topic of food, we also came across an eatery that stood out from the serene streets. In fact, it disturbed the serenity of the area with an ad jingle that has the ability to invade your head and stay in there for the rest of the day.
The jingle went like this: "Gyu tako gyu tako gyu tako..." and some other Japanese words.
No points for guessing what it sold.
Beef-filled takoyaki. Takoyaki is a Japanese ball dumpling made with batter, usually filled with diced octopus. It is the first time we tried it with beef fillings, and it is superb. :)
Apart from stuffing our faces in Takayama, we also fed our brains with visits to some heritage and cultural attractions. There were actually many attractions I was dying to visit, but we wanted to take it slower in Takayama. Moreover, all the hurried walking in Shinjuku, Yudanaka, Nagano city and Matsumoto had strained my back and weak ankles. Many times I had to lean onto the husband in order to walk. :(
The first attraction we visited was Takayama Jinya, which used to serve as Takayama's government office during the Edo Period. Walking through the preserved architecture, visitors could see how the ancient officials used to function.
In this room, important visitors were received and served tea. I was going to touch the kettle when I suddenly remembered my travel consultant's warning: "Don't touch the old exhibits. You might attract a spirit and bring it home with you."
Her warning came from experience. She once visited an ancient architecture like the Takayama Jinya and in her excitement, slipped her feet into an old pair of straw slippers. She fell sick after that and when she got back to Singapore, a relative with special powers told her she has a Japanese 'friend' tailing her.
Hokay. My goosebumps are up now. *shivers*
I kept my hands to myself throughout the visit.
The photo below shows a sedan for VIPs. Judging from its size, the ancients must have been so tiny!
The gardens at Takayama Jinya looked quite dreary - must be the season. I'm sure it looks most charming in spring and autumn.
We also visited Takayama Festival Floats Exhibition Hall and Sakurayama Nikko-Kan, which are located side-by-side. An 800yen ticket grants you entrance to both attractions.
Because there was a Shinto shrine at the back of the Takayama Festival Floats Exhibition Hall, the path leading to both attractions was fronted by this structure.
Takayama Festival Floats Exhibition Hall displays a number of elaborate festival floats, which are used during the annual festive celebrations.
A few steps away is the Sakurayama Nikko-Kan, where a one-tenth scale replica of the Nikko-Toshogu Shrine in Tokyo is on display.
The visit to Takayama would not have been as lovely if the hotel we stayed in was a dusty, old shack (which is how I would describe the hotel we stayed in Kanazawa; next post).
Takayama Green Hotel was the best property we stayed in throughout this holiday. Best Western Shinjuku Astina came in a close second. :)
Food was great; service staff was attentive, polite and knowledgeable; the guestroom was spacious and clean; and it offers private onsen to help us overcome the strict restrictions imposed on people with tattoos visiting public onsen.
Japan still holds much reservation against people with tattoos, perhaps because of the strong grip the Yakuzas still have in the society.
The travel consultant had earlier suggested that we cover our tattoos with plasters. I laughed. She has no idea how extensive my tattoos are. I would need to turn myself into a mummy in order to enter a public onsen.
Thankfully, Takayama Green Hotel has private onsen for hire at a price of 3,000 yen for 45 minutes. So that was where we spent our first night in Takayama. :)
Dining experiences at the hotel was also rather enjoyable. Breakfast and dinner was included in our stay and we got to choose Japanese or Western meals.
We had Japanese on the first night and the following morning. Both exceeded our expectations.
Dinner was a set meal of exquisitely prepared sashimi and other things, as well as a generous Hida beef shabu-shabu.
And we washed dinner down with quite a bit of excellent sake.
Breakfast was an impressive array of very healthy, but tasty, dishes. I'm not quite a breakfast person, so the spread was a tad overwhelming for me. But because every dish was so light, I warmed up to the meal quickly.
On the second night, we went for a Western dinner at the hotel's top-most floor. We started off with a delicate appetiser of prawn, sea bream and salmon sashimi with a sweet radish mousse.
The first main was a pan-fried cod fillet with garlic butter, and the second main was a well-done Hida beef steak. The latter was such a waste of good meat, as beef steak should never be done completely.
We ended dinner with a pretty selection of sweets. Such a lovely plate. Now I'm tempted to replace all the plates at home with such romantic creations.
Despite being so well-fed by the hotel, the cold weather got to us and made us hungry all the time. We snacked heavily on both nights in Takayama, and even emptied a one-litre bottle of local sake on the second night.
I'm sure I put on some weight on this trip. :)
We departed Takayama teary-eyed on December 14, bound for Kanazawa. And that leg, my friends, will be dissected in the next post.
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