On this 4 day tour, depart from Tokyo, enjoy Mt.Fuji and then head inland to visit the impressive Takayama and Kanazawa areas, both offering insight into old and traditional Japan. Travel by train to Takayama retaining a traditional touch in its beautifully preserved old town. In Shirakawago explore the picturesque thatched roofed houses and in Kanazawa, visit the Nagamachi Samurai district, the beautiful Kenrokuen Gardens and the Higashi Chaya district, with its wooden-latticed teahouses and stone-paved streets.

OLD TOWN

The journey will take you through some stunning countryside during the 4 hour journey. Takayama is a city in the mountainous Hida region of Gifu Prefecture. It retains a traditional touch like few other Japanese cities, especially in its beautifully preserved old town, which has been beautifully preserved with many buildings and whole streets of houses dating from the Edo Period (1600-1868), when the city thrived as a wealthy town of merchants. The southern half of the old town, especially the Sannomachi Street, survives in a particularly pretty state with many old homes, shops, coffee houses and sake breweries, some of which have been in business for centuries.
On arrival you will meet your local guide for a walking tour to visit Yatai Kaikan Hall and on to Kusakabe Folk Museum, one of Takayama’s oldest merchant homes and then wander through Kami Sannomachi Street, still retaining much of its original atmosphere and traditional buildings.

HISTORY

Visit the Takayama Morning Market before a visit to the World Heritage Shirakawa-go where you can savour the taste of home-style cooking that can only be experienced in regions such as this. You will then continue to the Wada Residence (a traditional thatched- roof farmhouse) before moving on to Kanazawa. Your first stop will be the Nagamachi Samurai District and soak in the atmosphere of the days of the samurai in this area, where the earthen walls, waterways, and stone paths remain as they were when samurai of the Kaga domain resided here. Moving on you will visit what is justifiably one of Japan’s three most beautiful landscape gardens, Kenrouku-en Gardens. This spacious garden used to be the outer garden of the Kanazawa Castle and offers amazing seasonal views all year round.

TEAHOUSE

Continuing on you will visit the Higashi Chaya district, with its wooden-latticed exteriors of teahouses lining both sides of the stone-paved street, where something from the Edo period still lingers in the air. This area is an Important Traditional Building Preservation District. After a stop at the Hakuza (gold leaf shop) you will head to Kanazawa Station where you will board you high speed train taking you to Tokyo.

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