Shirakawago

While in Takayama to visit Shirakawago is a must-do. Once a secluded village, located in the mountainous region of Gifu and cut off from the rest of the world for a long period during winter, Shirakawago can nowadays be reached in 50 minutes by an Express shuttle bus from Takayama. Surrounded by tree-covered mountains, most beautifully displaying the various shades of autumn colours, the about 150 traditionally farmhouses in Ogi-machi are outstanding examples of a traditional way of life perfectly adapted to the environment and people's social and economic circumstances. They were built in the Gassho-Style, of wooden beams combined to form a steeply pitched thatched roof - resembling two hands together in prayer - to stand long-lasting rain and heavy snowfalls. The village subsisted on the cultivation of mulberry trees and so the houses were larger than normal Japanese private houses to have space in the attic for rearing silkworms and for producing fuming nitric acid to earn rare cash.

It was a pleasure to cross the suspension bridge and to walk through Ogi-machi. On this sunny day washing was on the line everywhere and clothes out for airing. A wheel barrow was leaning against a wooden shed and the colourful farmhouse gardens were gleaming in bright light. There were bikes and cars and of course modestly modern buildings in this lived-in historic village. I managed to find Kanda House, one of the two original Gassho-houses, now kept as a museum and open to the public. Up in the attic I could see the wooden structure of the roof and a display of the implements of the home industry. At ground floor there was an Irori fireplace and I was offered a cup of tea brewed from wild grass.





Back on the other side of the Shougawa river is the Heritage Museum of Shirakawago, a quiet and peaceful place, a world apart from the busy shops and eating places of Ogimachi.
Provided with a map in English at the entrance I strolled around a rebuilt historic village from various parts of the area. There are farmhouses, barns, sheds for storage of all kinds of goods, stables, a teahouse, a working watermill, a shrine and also a fire watchtower - all beautifully set along a river and ponds. On a field by the river two people where harvesting and bundling sheaves of corn.

Sake

Hida Furukawa as well as Takayama is noted for the high quality of its water and so two Sake breweries producing particular good tasting Sake can be found in the old town. Look out for a huge Sakabayashi or Sugidama, hanging under the eaves of the brewery's front door. This ball of tightly bound Suigi leaves which slowly fades over the year turning from green to brown is used as a symbol for a brewery.

It was early afternoon and I seemed to be the only visitor around. What a delightful day, it had turned bright, sunny and warm, whereas in the morning my fingers were numb with cold. More than anywhere else on my trip I experienced a considerable difference in temperature during the day in the mountainous northern Gifu prefecture - but bear in mind this area is also called Japanese Alps.

Koj

Before the old town would be too crowded I set off for Hida Furukawa, only 15 minutes by train North of Takayama, another Edo Period town, prosperous due to the rich high quality timber resources of the surrounding woodlands. This smaller riverside town is also full of historic wooden buildings nicely preserved.

Not far from the station I stepped aside to have a look at my map when I suddenly found one of my legs halfway plunged into water. What happened?
I had not realized until then that in Japan small canals are running close to the houses. Usually they are well covered and I do not know why a small panel about 40cm wide was put aside to cause my mishap. Fortunately by then the sun was shining quite warm and dried my sock and shoe quickly. Luckily I did not step into the deeper and wider Seto which is inhabited during the warmer season by beautifully coloured koj-carps.
Hida Furukawa is such a calm and pleasant place, that I soon recovered from the shock and carried on along the picturesque Seto canal, lined by old fashioned white-walled storehouses.

Sannomachi

The old town of Takayama, east of the river Miyagawa retains a traditional touch with beautifully preserved buildings more than most Japanese cities due to her isolated rural situation at the foot of the Japanese Alps. Many houses and whole streets in the Sannomachi part date back to the 16th century when Takayama was a thriving merchant town. The city was always surrounded by woodland. So the lined beauty of the old wooden buildings side-by-side with projecting lattice and eaves of uniform heights are fine examples of the excellent carpenter's craftsmanship which the area was famous for. Nowadays the houses are shops, living quarters or museums. The places of interest are well signposted and easy accessible and draw a considerable amount of tourists to the region.

Morningmarket

It was a chilly morning with the mist about rising over the bridges across the Miyagawa.

I kept my gloves on when visiting the morning market along the river and the farmer's wives offering their fresh produce covered their knees with blankets to keep the cold at bay. They come from nearby villages with vegetable, fruit and pickles. One stall presented a great variety of delicious apples and thin slices for you to try.
There were stalls with textiles as well obviously for the visitors, although pretending to be in the local Sashiko technique the label gave the goods away as "Made in China"...

Hoba Miso

I was warm and comfortable in Oyado Yoshinoya, and the food was excellent. On my first night I objected when I was given knife and fork for my dinner thinking, that it was expected that a westerner cannot use "hashi" properly, but soon found out that there is no other way to eat Hida steak, a beef raised in the Hida Highlands famous for its marbled meat and melt-in-the-mouth tenderness. As the steak was only one of the various dishes I could make use of chopsticks as well.
Breakfast the following morning was even more special. Along with the usual I was given HOBA MISO, thin slices of Hida beef with fermented soybean paste and mushrooms which is grilled on a leaf of a wild growing mountain magnolia. The girl from Okinawa, originally from the region who shared my table showed me how to cook the meat and also introduced me to the way how Japanese people eat breakfast. I followed her diligently but once it came to mix the raw egg with rice I was already full...

Hida Express to Takayama

Next day on the train again, I am used to the convenience and comfort of the fast Shinkansen by now.
Transferring in Nagoya to the Wide View Hida Ltd Express which brings you in just over 2 hours to the high mountainous district of the same name in Gifu Prefecture, I went on the most scenic journey of my trip. Past Mino-ota the unique landscape is carved up by the rough waters of the Hida . The train follows the river, crosses over again and again, sometimes on level with the river, sometimes high above offering at every new turn another breathtaking view.
At times the wild water runs in a narrow winding bed enclosed by misty mountains, or widens up to a calm shallow river.

It was already dark when I reached Takayama in the northern Japanese Alps and considerably cooler than in Miyjima which I left in the morning.

Kintay-kyo

Before returning to Miyajima in the late afternoon I took a local train to Iwakuni. Here in Yamaguchi, the next prefecture and only 40 km distant from Hiroshima crosses one of the most famous bridges of Japan the river Nishiki. Although during my visit the river seemed to be picturesque and calm, its fast moving currents during rainstorms often swept the wooden bridges of old entirely away. After repeated trial and failures in 1673 the Kintay kyo was completed using highest engineering standards spanning 210 m of the river in 5 steep arches without using a single nail. Only in 1950 after years of negligence of adequate maintenance the "indestructible" bridge was swept away by floods caused by a typhoon. With great efforts the almost identically reconstructed bridge was reopened only three years later.

At one time only samurai were allowed to cross the elegantly formed "brocade sash" bridge. Nowadays by paying a small fee I could walk the up and downs of the high arches across the magnificent structure, so getting a feeling for times long gone by..

Hiroshima

Just when the megaphone-guided visitors started to crowd the island I took the ferry to the mainland, first of all to visit Hiroshima and its Peace Memorial Park. The Atomic Bomb Dome, severely damaged and burnt by the first atomic bomb conveys the horror of nuclear weapons especially on a grey and overcast day and strongly appeals for peace.

Daishoin

During my 2 days on the Island I visited the sites at various times, preferably in the early morning, sometimes even before breakfast, and in the late afternoon or evening. I did not climb Mt Misen as it was overcast mostly apart from the morning of my departure.
Located at the foot of the mountain and above Itsukushima shrine the Buddhist Daishoin temple
was easy accessible and with its many magnificient statues, grand halls and pituresque gardens at least as interesting as its more famous Shinto counterpart. The richness of the site lavishly decorated in gold was enhanced by its natural surroundings of colourful maple woods in autumn foilage.
I know too little about Buddhism to fully appreciate the treasures at Daishoin but I visited the temple often and always found something pleasing. Numerous Rakan statues lining the steps with their unique facial expressions were intriguing to me and most of all a little figurine laying asleep with a small animal on his back.

o-torii

The cause of Miyajima's fame is the most revered Itsukushima shrine and its large torii floating over the waters at high tide.
Once the crowds returned to the mainland I was among the few visitors who staid overnight and as the stone lanterns were turned on and the sites illuminated I enjoyed the calmness of the beautiful island strolling in my yukata the lonely streets and even under the majestic wooden structure of the vermillion O-torii - as it was low tide by then.

Miyajima

Next day I made for Miyajima one of the offical three most scenic views of Japan.

What a change coming from peaceful Shimane to the hustle and bustle of the San'yo coast. Once facing the crowds on the sacred "Shrine Island" I realized how lucky I was to secure a room on the Island, indeed I found that this was only due to a mistake as single rooms are very rare at anytime. The Island is only small with about 2000 inhabitants and 20 hotels or guesthouses. Back in May I had already considered to look for a place on the mainland receiving many rejections of my request for bookings and so the confirmation of Ryoso Kawaguchi came as a surprise. On arrival I was asked where the second person was and then it was obvious that they had mistaken my booking for 1 person for 2 nights as for 2 persons for 2 nights.



I can only praise Ryoso Kawaguchi, there was no further problem, one futon and the yukata was removed from my spacious room and I was welcome to settle in a excellent guesthouse. The house was beautifully restored and furnished with great love and care for every little detail, the miniature pottery fish in a stone pond at the entrance, parts of roof tiles of the old house embedded into the modern floor, a branch of a tree as railing for the stairs and smaller branches covered with Japanese paper as lampshades in the dinning room, to mention but a few. I admired as well the many quilts and handcrafts by the owner of the inn.




The food cooked by the husband and chef was just mouthwatering delicious. As the oyster-season had started one of the many dishes was oysters in a homemade sauce covered with cheese and baked in foil. One morning at breakfast the young french couple at the next table asked to take a photo of my displayed breakfast - they were chewing toast and marmelade and did not dare to eat Japanese for breakfast...