Day Trip to Takayama - Wednesday 9 October

Headed off to catch the 7.29am Shinkansen to Nagoya before a change of trains there to the Hida Wide View Limited Express for the journey up into the mountains.

The Hida Wide View Train at Takayama Station

We enjoyed our breakfast of assorted sushi on the way from Kyoto to Nagoya. We are becoming adept at bringing out our food and chopsticks and enjoying ourselves! We had purchased the sushi the night before at the supermarket in Aeon Mall and with a fridge in our hotel room it was fine for this morning's trip (including the prawn draped over rice :)).

Weather today was cloudy when we left Kyoto and we passed through showery weather as the train climbed up into the mountains with many twists, turns and tunnels along the edge of the Hida River.

Hida River valley from the train

Some of the rapids in the river

Arrived in Takayama at around 11am and were met by more persistent showers so Alison's first purchase in the town was a folding umbrella.

Bonsais along the street

Alison making good use of her new Chinese umbrella!

We then spent the next couple of hours winding our way through the narrow streets of the old town

Home parking at a premium - no wonder they have so many narrow models.

Philip in the old part of town

Even the lanterns have umbrellas!!!

and also along the main street which was not unlike that of a Queensland country town.

Alison loved this Japanese take on a kewpie doll. 

Philip playing up in the main street! 

Alison playing up in the main street!

Takayama is famous for a Spring and Autumn festival and unknown to us until we arrived and discovered at 6pm today there is a procession of their prized floats. These floats are housed in special buildings in the old part of town and we were fortunate to see the doors open on some of the "float houses".

Float House with doors closed

With the weather continuing to throw intermittent showers at us, we decided to purchase some lunch from the street vendors who were set up and then try for an earlier train back to Nagoya and Kyoto. We bought okonomiyaki from one vendor and a dish of fried noodles, cabbage and thinly sliced beef topped with a fried egg. Started eating whilst sitting on the raised kerb on a bridge over the town river but the rain came and we managed to find a rickety Bunnings style garden seat under a shop awning where we could sit and enjoy the remainder of our lunch. We have noticed that there are few places to actually sit in the public areas that we have visited so far.

Enjoying lunch

Back to the Takayama Station at 1.20pm and we scored reserved seats on the 1.30pm departure for Nagoya.

Two happy travellers who got the earlier train!

The Hida was a little late into Nagoya but we easily managed to get to the platform in time for our Shinkansen to Kyoto. There was a large Japanese school group boarding the carriage and one of their teachers was an English speaking European and Alison made a comment about being a teacher and good luck to them. When we were coming into Kyoto the teacher spoke to us and asked Alison which part of the States we came from! She informed him that we were Australian and he volunteered that he was also. Where did we live - on the Gold Coast. Where did he grow up, Southport and worked as a teenager at our local Woolworth's Supermarket at Runaway Bay. Asked if Alison happened to know a primary teacher named Troy Maher. Well in fact Alison had taught Troy in Year 5 at Musgrave Hill. The Australian teacher to whom we were talking happened to be best friends with Troy's brother. What a small world and all because we changed plans and took an earlier train back from Takayama.

Have revisited Aeon Mall after dropping our gear back in the hotel room and purchased a range of snacks

to carry on our day trips and also some crumbed chicken breast with teriyaki sauce and custard puffs for dessert with our drip coffee. Also stocked up on some large bottles of our favourite soft drink - Pepsi Nex - yes that's right there is no "t". There is a small bakery outside the supermarket and all their items are Y100 so we carefully chose four savoury items for tomorrow's breakfast. The cashier was very nice to tell us in broken English and sign language that we could in fact have five items for the price of four - bargain!