After a leisurly 7 days in Kyoto it was time to hit the road again. Armed with a 7-day rail pass, we went on a whirlwind tour of central Japan, primarily in Nagano prefecture.
First stop - Kanazawa: The train was uncharacteristically delayed by many hours, which meant we did not have all that much time to explore Kanazawa... but we got to check out what we came here for, which is the so-called 'Ninja Temple'. As we sadly found out, no Ninjas ever lived there, but it wsa built in a Ninja style, which was still very cool... lots of trap doors, secret passageways and various other means of faking out enemies.
Takayama: The next morning we hopped back on the train and head for Takayama, a gorgeous little mountain town with a population of only 68,000. We stayed at a youth hostel located at one of teh major temples. It was amazingly clean and comfortable, though with a few too many rules and regulations... they kicked us out each morning at 9:30, and lights out at 11.. those monks can be tough!!
Takayama was memorable for several reasons, first it is a truly charming town. It has retained a lot of the original architecture - low wooden buildings, narrow, winding streets and a lively market along the banks of the river. It gives you an idea of what life must have been like in the old days... before there was a Starbucks and a Prada on every corner. We spent a full day wandering and sampling the food... which brings us to the second highlight, the food!
First, we stumbled upon a fantastic little noodle shop, where Alanna had eaten 8 years prior, and remembered vividly. So it was great to experience it again together. The same woman was there cooking up her flavorful noodle dishes in a tiny, but extremely efficient kitchen. Takayama is also known for Hida Beef... something on par with Kobe beef, tasty and tender and very welcome after some of our meat experiences in China. We indulged in several streetside meat sticks as well as a heavenly meal of various cuts of Hida beef which we cooked at our table. Yummy!! Finally, we had the best pizza ever!! It may seem odd, but it is definitely worth a mention here as it was by far the best pizza we have ever had... and in this teeny tiny town, it was fantastic. The chef had surely spent some time in Italy and brought back the art to this charming town.
If you ever go to Takayama, go on an empty stomach, and bring your sneakers to walk off all the tasty treats.
Matsumoto: From Takayam, we actually had to take a bus... which turned out to be great because the transfer point for the bus was also a major destination for Onsens, Japanese hot springs. SO we jumped at the opportunity to take another soak, and this one was serious stuff. There was an assortment of about 6 different baths, varying in temperature... the hottest were intensly hot (too hot for us Onsen newbies to get into) and the cold back was a virtual ice-pit. It was heavenly...
With our muscles relaxed we hopped back on our bus and arrived in Matsumoto mid-afternoon. Matsumoto is best known as a castle town... aside from the major castle site, it is also just a great city to spend a couple of days in. It has a neat mix of old and new, quaint side streets next to jip shopping streets with swanky cafes and tasty pastry shops. Our favorite, which was aptly named Sweet, had some of the best pastries ever.
While a beautiful site, the castle was over-crowded and not much fun to walk through at the snails pace we were required to take.. so we bailed out of it early, but enjoyed the views from the outside... as well as of the moat, which had the absolute biggest carp we have ever seen.. this thing was a monster, and would not cooperate for the camera.. so we'll have to leave that one up to the imagination.
Tsumago & Magome: The last stop on before Tokyo, was definitely the highlight. The train ride took us through some absolutely beautiful mountain terrain, and we disembarked at the tiniest of train station, which was abloom with all kinds of wildflowers and the air was fresh and cool... this was a beautiful place.
The two towns we visited here are connected by the Nakasendo, which is an ancient post road that connects Tokyo and Kyoto. Many towns along the way have been restored and segments of the road are available for hiking. We stayed at a great little Minshuku, Japanese guest house, near the post-town Tsumago. The guest house was in a tiny post with just a small street and a handful of houses and small fisheries. Our hostess was an adorable women who provided us with two fantastic home-cooked meals each day. We enjoyed traditional Japanes meals of fish, vegetables, pickles and soup... all the ingredients were local and super fresh!
The main event was the hike from our litle town to Magome. We got started very early (very odd for us), but it was beautiful, as the air was cool and the light was just perfect. The walk itself was indescribable, the woods we hiked were truly magical, with towering pines, a crystal clear river running throughout, butterflies fluttering around, waterfalls and bridges... we encountered few people along the way, so it was super quiet and peaceful. It took us about 2 hrs to high the 7 kilometers to Magome.
The town itself consisted of one road, lined with shops and eateries, down a steep slope. The view from the top was spectacular as it was a bright, clear day. We sampled some local treats (of course) which included a grilled rice-icle drowned in walnut paste and green tea buns filled with sweet red bean paste (sounds gross, but tastes gooood).
The walk was so beautiful that we decided to walk back, instead of take the bus... and we found just as many opportunities to stop and take pictures, to gaze in awe at the scenery and to stop and just enjoy our surroundings.
Tsumago was in a similar vein, though definitely with its character as it was nesteled into the side of a mountain and didn't have quite the same touristy feel to it, as it was a bit more rustic and worn looking, but beautiful just the same.
After a good 10 hours of hiking and exploring the town, we returned to our cute hostess for another delicious meal... and as we dozed off to the sound of the crickets and rushing water we were bristling with excitement for our next and final stop of the trip Tokyo!
