By Shirakawago & Yamanaka Onsen
We did an overnight at Takayama and from there travelled an hour to Shirakawago. This is a UNESCO world heritage site and is featured in many travel brochures. It is not the easiest place to visit but is well worth the effort to make the journey.
We were fortunate enough to see one of the roofs being replaced and visited 2 of the houses that were open to visitors.
From Shirakawago, we then made our way to the charming down of Yamanaka Onsen. The link below gives full details of what you can do in Yamanaka Onsen.
[Link] Japan-guide: Yamanaka Onsen
The highlight for me was to walk along the Kakusenkei Gorge. It is a place full of serenity and felt totally in harmony with the nature that surrounds it. Truly, a welcome break from the concrete jungle city dwellers like me see on a daily basis. Here, I also learnt of the Japanese poet Matsuo Basho who famously walked along the banks of the gorge. He is a master of haiku, and many come to this Gorge to follow his footsteps, literally, and attempt to achieve the same level of philosophical enlightenment.
Kakusenkei Gorge
Kakusenkei Gorge taken from the Ayatori Bridge
The Kakusenkei Gorge takes just over an hour to walk. I walked past 2 bridges before turning around and heading back.
The Kayotei hotel sits just above the gorge and some of the rooms offer lovely views.
In the town, you will also find the Hall of Yamanaka Onsen Basho. It’s a charming place with some documents on Basho, the Japanese poet mentioned earlier.
Hall of Yamanaka Onsen Basho
We spent 3 nights here. Holidays such as these are not meant to be rushed. Take time to take in the atmosphere, culture and the moment.
SG Butler Tip: A word on accommodation – We stayed in several beautiful ryokans during our week-long trip. Many are only Japanese speaking. Booking via a travel agency – as we did – would be the best option.
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