Time in Takayama

We are a family of 4 (kids aged 10 and 7) in Takayama in late September. We will have had 4 nights in Tokyo(inc Hakone day trip) prior and will travel on to 5 nights in Kyoto(inc Nara day trip) afterwards. Then 3 nights Tokoyo at end to see Disneyland. We prefer to travel slow and have a half day every second day to crash if kids need it.

With 4 nights in Takayama, we want to experience a quieter time. We'll have a Day 1 walking tour inc morning market of Takayama, Day 2 to Shirakawago, but seeking recommendations for Day 3 which is a full day staying there overnight again.

Keen for recommendations for cooking/cultural craft classes, as well as onsen as well as outdoors experiences, and anything else you may think of!

Hi, we really like Takayama. Takayama Park is nice for a walk, also I like the Squirrel (Risu) Park which is maybe a 1500 yen taxi ride out of town. We really like the beef restaurants in town, and there is a bit of shopping to be done there. We usually stay at Hotel Associa which is an onsen resort, but there are onsen areas nearby - this year we are trying Hirayu Onsen which is about an hour away by bus. We are also going to finally get to the Hida village which we have never managed to include in 4 or 5 previous visits.

Hi!

I travel to Japan every Summer with my child. (we're just 2.) She went at 5, 6, 7, and 8 and she's going on her 5th trip in less than a week.

Unless your children are vastly different from mine I can't imagine them enjoying Shirakawa Go. To be blunt, I didn't enjoy Shirakawa Go. I get why, people need to make a living, but it felt like every building there was either restaurant, shop, or accommodations and the restaurants and shops all seemed to be selling the exact same things. The look out was pretty, but do you really want to travel 2 hours round trip for a lookout? I went on a tour out of Takayama because it was 2010 and I didn't want to coordinate buses to go to one of the other villages. There was a lot less English in Takayama in 2010 vs. now. At that time, Japan in general was a lot less crowded. Shirakawa Go is now on a lot of people's lists and I can't imagine how crowded it is now based on how crowded Kyoto has been the last few Summers.

On the other hand my child loved Hida no Sato, which we went to in 2017. It was quieter, there were a lot fewer tourists and since it's a historical sight, they have more on how people use to support themselves in the Hida region. They also had areas where you could participate in various activities which I find in general my child enjoys. My only regret is we didn't give Hida no Sato more time.

I enjoyed Hirayu onsen in 2010. I took my child to Kamikochi from Matsumoto, but you could just as easily visit it from the Takayama side. A lot of people seem to like the Shin-Hokata Ropeway. I have friends from Nagoya that really enjoyed Gero onsen, but it was a romantic overnight for them. It really depends on your interests.

Good luck!

I haven't been to Shirakawa go, but I've been to hida no sato and it was very enjoyable as rkold said. If your kids like hiking , they would love Kamikochi. There are easy hikes there that my kids, although they were much older, really enjoyed. It's such a beautiful place.

Thanks , that gives me some more ideas to look at!