Some Like It Hot

Three trains and about 6 hours later we make it Takayama. By Japanese standards, it is a small town in the hills of the Japanese Alps. The two hour final leg of the journey was like taking a train through the valleys of the French or Swiss Alps. Snow capped mountains in the distance though the view was somewhat impeded by cloud cover. The train followed a meandering river and it was great fun going to the front of the train for a panoramic view. See my video by clicking on link below. The light is somewhat distorted but you will get the picture.

It was a charming town with the Myagawa River flowing through the town center. There were lots of quaint shops, on quiet streets, and a farmer’s market to take in, on the Sunday morning. Fresh croissant and a riverside walk, complete with lots of orange koi swimming about, made for an enjoyable morning. The Hida Folk Village was also an interesting place to visit. Created to preserve traditional houses, more than 30 of them were moved from different regions in the area. Artisans still ply their trades of wood carving and lacquering in hope that the Hida culture will continue to survive.

The hotel had a hot tub as one of its features. What the hell, when in Rome. I searched out a pajama style outfit provided by the hotel, and headed through the lobby in search of the baths. In true Japanese form you scrub  yourself prior to entering the hot tub, buck naked. No pictures please J  Despite being an outside bath, the naturally heated waters were probably about 39 -40 degrees Celsius and I could only stay in for about 10 minutes. Needless to say, but the baths are not co-ed, so I was not sharing with anyone of the opposite sex and as it turned out I had the place to myself. There are no water jets and it is just a natural flow of water in and out from the hot spring source.  A margarita would have been nice but you are not allowed to bring anything into the pool. I’ll take our Western style hot tubs anytime, complete with entertaining women, water jets and a cold drink.

Sayonara