Red gates, red leaves and a lonely bus stop

Travel Reports by Chunagon

Note: The opinions and views expressed in this user report are those of the individual author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of japan-guide.com.

November 7, 2013 - Red gates, red leaves and a lonely bus stop

Mountains, sunset and an empty road from nowhere to nowhere. If one day you feel like getting completely lost, there�fs nothing like the highway bus stop proudly called Gujo-Hachiman Inter, Gifu, Japan.
Definitely, we did not plan to get lost. The plan was to go from Kyoto to Takayama, visiting on the way Fushimi Inari Shrine famous for hundreds of red torii gates and the town of Gujo-Hachiman, famous for a nice hilltop castle. It worked for a while.

By the way, I wonder why girls in Japan always show V when being photographed. Like on the picture below. Sometimes it even looks like something natural born.

Thus blessed by Gods of old Japan we board a shinkansen at Kyoto station and set out for Nagoya. There we find that the next bus to Takayama (via Gujo-Hachiman Inter) is to depart in about 1,5 hour. But certainly it is not a reason to change plans�c
All I can say about Gujo-hachiman Inter - it is the loneliest bus stop in Japan and possibly in the whole world. A tiny roadside booth, not a single hambaiki, not a single taxi, not even a single ad by a local taxi driver clipped to the wall. It�fs 4 pm and dark is descending.
Here we are, some 2,5 km from the town center:

And here comes an Angel. A kind Japanese lady with a car parked nearby. It takes her two rides to deliver 8 henna gaijins to a more hopeful environment.
We even manage to hire a taxi and get to the castle while it is still light!

In time to catch the last glimpse of sunset over the valley below�c

�cand to get down to a charming dinery�c

�c with a wonderful river view which we cannot not enjoy because the dark did finally descend. Instead we enjoy local beef.
And on to Takayama, by another minibus taxi (30.000 yen from G-H, some 2000 extra per person compared to bus but who cares when all buses are fully booked), to hot bath, straw mats and all joys of rural Japan. And, oh yeah, to the red leaves.
Well, maybe not exactly red but anyway it is no doubt Takayama, next day, october 28:

To me it is the most lovely corner of the city - an alley along a narrow stream that flows into Miyagawa river that flows through Takayama:

The long red bridge that spans Miyagawa is now under repair and cannot be seen but this little one is even more charming:

Definitely, the hit of Takayama is its historical center, undisturbed by quakes and fires, beautifully preserved from the olden times:

Lively in daytime:

Romantic at night:

This is a bit outside of old town, but trying hard to stay in line:

And just across the street there is not much advertised but the must-see of the city. Showa-kaikan, a nostalgic museum, excellently featuring life in Japan of the 50-60-ies:

Sweet old posters:

Anybody has an idea what's that iron thing with wheels? The one on the floor?

Not just displaying things but artfully remodelling life. Like this post office:

It's a real trap. You can spend hours and hours in this magic shop. But there are still things to do in Takayama, that is - watching autumn leaves. A good option is to go Hida folk village - a short bus ride from the railway station. A collection of traditional farmhouses set in a scenic landscape:

And finally:

Bye.

list all posts

List of Posts:
2013/12/10 - Stone and paper
2013/11/19 - Shiodome-Tsukishima: Façades and backyards of Tokyo
2013/11/07 - Red gates, red leaves and a lonely bus stop