Japan Day 5&6 Himeji & Takayama

We rode the shinkanzen 45 minutes out of our way to see this newly restored castle in Himeji.  It was a great choice!! It is the largest castle in Japan.  We ate the most delicious breakfast of pastries on the train and then walked out to the castle before it even opened.  It was bright white and up on a huge hill.  A magnificent sight.

We toured the whole castle (no photography) and then the halls and walls all around.  The interesting thing about the Japanese sites, is they don't tell you much about WHAT was done there or how they really lived.  In this castle I finally got a feel for the purpose of the building and how the people lived.  

 We took a quick trip to the gardens next door which were beautiful, but not much in comparison to Kyoto.

 This day was very different from the past couple because after we saw this castle we were on the train for 3 hours.  We were hoping to see cherry blossoms and the only place they were still in bloom were up in the mountains pretty far away.  As we planned the trip I was worried about 'wasting' 3 hours each way traveling to Takayama.  This was NOT a fear I needed to have!  Sitting for 3 hours after days of walking and biking was SO rejuvenating, but it was also the most amazing train ride I've ever taken.  The train windows were huge so it was like you were right out in nature.  We crossed over a brilliantly blue river several times as we weaved our way up the mountains and canyons, with vistas of little cities.  The train only stopped a few times and the other hours were so enjoyable.  I was planning on napping, but was riveted to the scenery the whole way!

The first of many cherry blossoms!

When we arrived in Takayama our Ryokan (Japanese style hotel) came to pick us up at the train station.  We checked in and saw our futons on the tatami floors (we left our shoes in the lobby).  I could tell it would be just like living in Japan 

We walked up the street to the Hida Folk village museum.  This was a gem of a find!  We had the place to ourselves and it was amazing.  They have taken a little hut from each of the major villages in the area and placed them here with a little information about the village and what they did there.  The villages were vacated as close as 20 years ago!  I had no idea that people lived like this in my lifetime! 

 Every city in Japan has something it is famous for and Takayama had these red babies.

The pond and setting for these homes was so quaint and amazing.  I loved the detail they shared about how real families lived. It was so different from the empty castles and temples we toured before.  This showed what life was like.  I loved it.  Each village specialized in something, like silk worms or making paper by hand or making sleds, etc. 

We were free to enter and examine each home at our leisure.  

This was the woman's spot at the fire (can you believe they had open fires IN their homes?)

We walked back down the hill to our hotel and ate at the restaurant just outside (Teddy bear museum restaurant... random, right?)

The hotel had an Onsen (Bathhouse) I had looked everywhere for a private onsen but couldn't find any that were in our price range, so I figured we would just have to split up to experience the public baths together.  However, our hotel (without even advertising it) had a private couples onsen.  It was perfect to relax together.  The only problem with onsens is they are REALLY hot.  Your energy is zapped after and you sweat for hours after.  We donned our yukata and slippers and crashed on our futons on the floor.  Such a great Japanese experience.  

Still up early every morning, so our plan was to take the first train out to a  Cherry-blossom tree that was 1,100 year old!!  We couldn't believe any trees lived that long, but apparently there are 1500 year old ones as well.  It was in full bloom and was a spectacular site.  We ate our McDonalds (we had to do it once) as we sat under its delicate blooms.  

and watched the sun rise and the morning mist rise off the quaint little town.  Such a quiet and peaceful morning.

Back in the town of Takayama, I was feeling I wanted to stay all day to keep enjoying the peace and quiet area.  We rented bikes and went around the entire city in 2 hours...  We saw so many blossoms.  We went to a couple of street markets, a park,  a temple on the hill and tried to bike a giant mountain.   It was a bit chilly here (see our jackets) which was why the blossoms were still out. 

 Our favorite view as we biked along the canals.

 Ended our stay in Takayama with Yakisoba.  We tried everything on my list of foods to have and liked it all!

 Since we had seen everything the small town had to offer (including the foot bath on our way to the train),  we decided it was time to head back to the city.  

We took the train back into the main civilization of Japan and up to Tokyo.  The ride down was just as beautiful.  We couldn't get enough video hoping to capture the beauty.  

We found a bus to the temple (after much confusion and searching).  The big city was in such contrast to the little town we had just experienced and we realized once again that we love the beauty of nature and small and uncrowded gems of sights, rather than big cities.   The temple is smashed right in the middle of a bustling city it is amazing they could find land to build it on, but there is a beautiful and peaceful park right accross the street that adds some peacefulness to the scenery.  

We checked into our room at the Tokyo temple and got ready to go to a session.  I originally brought my expired recommend despite working hard to get my interviews before going to Japan.  Luckily, I also had the new recommend and we went to the temple.  We had to rent clothing and were 30 Y short (this is like 20 cents) and they hunted us down after to make sure we paid it.  It was so Japanese.  They make sure everyone keeps the rules, but in a kind way.

Day 1 & 2 Hiroshima   Day 3 & 4 Kyoto  Day 5 & 6 Himeji &Takayama   Day 7 Tokyo