[Japan] One-day Trip to Takayama City | Map of 4 Major Attractions in Takayama City & Transportation Methods

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Summary

The article discusses the popularity of Hida Takayama, a city in Gifu Prefecture, Japan, as a tourist destination due to its proximity to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Shirakawa-go. The article suggests that Hida Takayama is a recommended stopover for travelers visiting the Hokuriku region and highlights the main attractions in the city, including the Miyagawa Morning Market, Kokubunji Temple, Takayama Jinya, and the historic streets of Kamisannomachi. The article also provides information on transportation options to reach Hida Takayama from Nagoya and Komatsu airports. Overall, the article emphasizes that Hida Takayama is a compact city that can be explored on foot in a day, making it a convenient base for further exploration of the Hokuriku region.

As one of the world cultural heritages, Shirakawa-go has attracted many tourists, making Hida Takayama a popular tourist destination in recent years. Located in Takayama City, Gifu Prefecture, Hida Takayama is suitable for a day trip along with a visit to Shirakawa-go, making it a must-visit area for tourists visiting the Hokuriku region in recent years. This time, taking advantage of the Hokuriku trip, we specially arranged a day trip to Takayama, visiting the main attractions of the city such as Miyagawa Morning Market, Kokubunji Temple, Takayama Jinya, and Kamisannomachi Takayama Old Town in a relaxed and independent manner.

Philos’ Travel Notes

Takayama City is a must-visit place for tourists heading to Shirakawa-go, Kamikochi, or Kanazawa and is highly recommended as a transit point for Hokuriku travel. Takayama City itself is not very big, so you can visit the main attractions of the city in one day. If you stay until the evening, you can also experience the different scenery of the old town at night, which is definitely worth a visit!
Recommended duration of stay: one whole day.

About Takayama City

Takayama City is located in Gifu Prefecture, in the central region of Japan. It is an important transportation hub in the Hokuriku region and can be reached by Hokuriku regional buses or JR trains. The central old town of Takayama has preserved the appearance of a castle town and merchant town since the Edo period, and is therefore known as “Little Kyoto of Hida”. It is about a 2-hour drive from Nagoya, and about 1 hour from Toyama or Shirakawa-go, so many people choose to spend a day in Takayama, visiting the richly historical city before heading elsewhere. The Japan National Tourism Organization has a special introduction to the Hida Takayama region, which can be viewed here.

Map of tourist attractions in Takayama City, image source: Hida Takayama Tourism Website, original image PDF file

The Takayama area is not large, and there is no need to take additional transportation. You can visit the main attractions on foot. The tourist map above is centered around Takayama Station (both JR and bus terminals are located here), and it takes about half a day to walk around. However, due to the limited opening hours of the morning market, those who want to visit it need to pay extra attention to the schedule.

Transportation to Takayama City

If you want to travel to Takayama, the most direct and recommended way is to fly in and out of Nagoya Airport or Komatsu Airport. To go to Nagoya, you can choose from China Airlines, Japan Airlines, and Cathay Pacific. To go to Komatsu Airport, you can choose from EVA Air and Tigerair.

From Nagoya to Takayama City

  1. By JR: Depart from “Nagoya Station” and take the train to “Takayama Station”. Take the JR Wide View Hida Limited Express, which costs a total of 5,510 yen including the limited express fee, and the journey takes about 2 hours and 20 minutes. If you plan to travel in the Hokuriku region for multiple days, you can choose the “Takayama and Hokuriku Area Tourist Pass” to travel there. The cost is 14,000 yen for unlimited rides on designated trains for five consecutive days.
  2. By bus: From “Nagoya Station”, take the JR Tokai Bus, Meitetsu Bus, or Nohi Bus to “Takayama Bus Terminal”. The one-way fare from Nagoya Station to Takayama Bus Terminal is 2,980 yen, and the journey takes about 2 hours and 30 minutes. It is worth noting that the bus from Nagoya to Takayama operates on a reservation basis, so those who plan to take the bus need to make a reservation online. For those who plan a multi-day trip in the Hokuriku region, you can choose to take the “Shoryudo Bus Pass”. It comes in two versions: three days (7,500 yen) and five days (13,000 yen), and you can choose according to your itinerary.

From Komatsu Airport to Takayama City

  • It is recommended to take a bus from Komatsu Airport to Takayama City, which is more convenient. You can take a bus from Komatsu Airport to “Kanazawa” first (costs 1,130 yen), and then take the Nohi Bus to Takayama City (costs 3,390 yen). The journey takes about 3 hours and 40 minutes. The “Shoryudo Bus” also supports this route, so you can choose according to your itinerary.

One-day Trip in Takayama/Attractions in Takayama City

Kokubunji Temple

Kokubunji Temple is a temple of the Shingon sect, built by Emperor Shomu during the Nara period (710-794 AD), and the main Buddha enshrined in the temple is the Yakushi Nyorai Buddha. In addition to several important cultural properties of Japan, including the three-story pagoda and the giant ginkgo tree, they are the main reasons why tourists visit Kokubunji Temple.

Due to the heavy snowfall the previous day, there was still ice on the ground, which made it very slippery, so be careful when walking.
There are several stone statues of Yakushi Nyorai on the right side of the main gate.
The three-story pagoda is the main landmark of Takayama City. It originally had 7 stories, but it was rebuilt to its current form in 1821 due to a fire.
The giant ginkgo tree in the temple is over a thousand years old and is still very magnificent even with only bare branches in winter.
The main hall rebuilt during the Muromachi period (an important cultural property of Japan), enshrining the main Yakushi Nyorai seated statue from the Fujiwara period (an important cultural property) and the main Shogon Kannon Bosatsu standing statue (an important cultural property).

Miyagawa Morning Market

The Miyagawa Morning Market in Takayama City is one of the three major morning markets in Japan (along with the Wajima Morning Market in Ishikawa Prefecture and the Katsuura Morning Market in Chiba Prefecture), and it is also one of the popular morning markets in Japan. According to the signboard at the entrance of the morning market, the opening hours on weekdays are from 06:30 to 12:00, and in winter it is from 07:00 to 12:00, so those who want to visit the morning market need to pay special attention to the opening hours.

Because of the heavy snowfall the previous night, the ground at the morning market was still wet in the morning.
The snow-covered Miyagawa River on both sides of the morning market is very beautiful, and in the distance is the famous Red Bridge.
Puddings made from fresh milk sold at the end of the morning market, they are delicious.

Kamisannomachi & Takayama Old Town

Across from the Miyagawa Morning Market is Kamisannomachi in Takayama City, also known as Kamisan, which preserves the traditional Japanese architecture of the Edo period and is an important cultural preservation district. If you continue walking from Kamisannomachi, you will reach Takayama Old Town, where there are many unique shops. If you have enough time, you can spend several hours here.

Kamisannomachi is very clean and is a well-preserved old town full of historical charm.
Even in the early morning, Kamisannomachi is crowded with many tourists, it’s hard to tell where they all come from.
The shops in the streets of Takayama City often have the mascot of Hida Takayama, SARUBOBO (さるぼぼ), on display.
The old town of Takayama at night presents a serene atmosphere, completely different from the bustling crowds during the day.

Takayama Jinya

Takayama Jinya is an important cultural property in Japan. “Jinya” refers to the magistrate’s office during the Edo period, which includes the official’s residence and the tax warehouse. There used to be more than 60 jinjas, but now only one remains in Takayama, so don’t miss it when visiting Takayama City.

Takayama Jinya

Opening hours: 8:45 AM to 5:00 PM (closed at 4:30 PM from November to February, and at 6:00 PM in August), open all year round
Ticket price: 420 yen

The main building of Takayama Jinya, because Takayama City receives heavy snowfall, there are “snow hooks” on the trees to prevent them from being damaged by heavy snow.
The exterior wall of Takayama Jinya is well-preserved. In the morning, there is also a small morning market in the square outside the jinya.

During this visit, due to the winter season and the exceptionally good weather, the ancient city of Takayama covered in white snow had a unique charm. The only regret is that due to the tight schedule of the trip this time, there was not enough time to fully explore this ancient city. Hopefully, there will be another opportunity in the future to slow down and immerse in the atmosphere of this ancient city. Finally, here is a picture of the snow-covered streets of Takayama City, which looks like a silver-white kingdom, even though it is just an ordinary cityscape, it is still very beautiful.

The streets of Takayama City covered in white snow, creating a serene atmosphere.

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