Given the quickly shifting weather Alex and I have been experiencing in Takayama and Kamikochi we were thrilled to wake up early with the sun shining outside. We decided to make use of the great weather and went for a morning run through town before returning for a shower and soak in our new favorite spa. Needing coffee and nourishment we found Soeur, a cute little spot serving amazing tea, great coffee and incredible little scones.
I recommend the chocolate chip scone and caramel tea if you ever find yourself passing through!
By the time we finished our breakfast the weather had turned cold, cloudy and rainy. Hopeful that the sun would return later on we headed to the Higashiyama Walking Course, which winds through many of the town's historic temples and other landmarks. The weather continued to shift between cloudy, rainy and intermittent sunshine (as the pictures show!) and though we were pretty cold walking around outside we really enjoyed checking out the various shrines and ruins.
Unryuji Temple.
Alex posing by another building at the Unryuji Temple complex.
The Sogenji Temple entrance.
Daioji Temple.
Alex read that Takayama is currently celebrating the Festival of Glorious Fall Foliage and we would have to agree!
In the garden of the Hokkeji Temple.
Another temple garden. Look at the finely raked rocks!
One of the shrines had hundreds of tiny, intricate paper cranes.
Soyuji Temple.
Ninomaru Park.
Shorenji Temple.
Freezing and ready to eat, we headed to a nearby Japanese restaurant and warmed up with some soup - the curry udon has become our local favorite. Afterward we walked around the historic neighborhood of Takayama and checked out some of the "old private houses" which are really just the original homes built in the town.
Walking down the streets of Takayama.
The weather actually got much worse - it hailed! - so we stopped into a nearby sake brewery and had a few tastings (at $1USD a pop and at 19% alcohol content, we were able to warm up quickly!) We tried to keep walking around, visiting various shops and checking out the crowded streets, but the freezing temperatures and rain made it pretty miserable so we headed back to Soeur for some tea and internet access.
For dinner we are walking over to Center4 for burgers - our first non-Japanese meal since we've been here! Given the local specialty is beef, we are pretty excited...