Gifu Prefecture, Japan

 Notes from the journal:

5/18
• The bullet train was indeed very bullety and I felt kind of dizzy with a weird pressure in my head but we got to see some great views of Mt. Fuji
• Got off at Nagoya and transferred to JR Hida Wide View Express line, beautiful train ride through the foothills of the Japanese Alps to Gero with great views of river valleys, foliage, rural villages
• Bought the onsen pass in Gero that allows 3 onsen uses at participating ryokans during certain hours
• The town was very small so we could walk everywhere and it was tucked at the base of some mountains so the views were gorgeous
• Strolled around town and spent about an hour in each onsen (separate bathing areas by gender), I had mine mostly to myself so it was very meditative and I enjoyed the beautiful weather. One had a beautiful pool overlooking a small bamboo grove and another was on a rooftop with great views of the mountains
• Sat down by the river near the train station to enjoy the views of the town and then got back on the train to Takayama
• Takayama was a lot larger than we expected and definitely had a lot of western culture and tourists
• We couldn’t find a place to eat that wasn’t pricey or didn’t require reservations so we stopped at a hole in the wall place on the way to our hostel and the food was really bad (luckily the only bad food experience in Japan) but it was kind of a hilarious experience

5/19
• Walked around the hostel neighborhood to see some traditional Japanese houses and attempted to hike to some castle ruins but the trail was really overgrown and abruptly ended
• Rented bikes from hostel (no tread or functional brakes lol) and biked to the Higashyama walking course where we strolled through temples and cemeteries in the woods
• Biked to an Onigiri place for lunch with a very kind owner and then biked along a highway for ~6 miles where we turned off onto a road with some farms, rice fields, and good views
• It was raining steadily so we got soaked while biking and we took a turnoff onto a farm road with a few houses along the Imatani River
• We got some very weird looks since tourists do not usually venture that far out of town, especially on rickety bikes, but we got to see some waterfalls in the river and eventually arrived at a beef farm where all the cows looked at us curiously
• We could hear kids playing so I wanted to go see if they would give us a “tour” but there was a security fence
• Biked back to Takayama and stopped at the big, weird-shaped dystopian/dictatory looking temple (that actually did turn out to be a cult when I looked it up later)
• Went to an okonomiyaki place for dinner in town and the owner was a kind old lady to used google translate to let Tyler know that his order was going to be spicy (the English translation said “is pain but is okay”)

5/20
• Went to the Jinya Mae morning market for some snacks and then walked around the empty Sanmachi Suji streets (quaint waterways and traditional shops) in the early morning before heading to the Miyagawa morning market
• We walked the first part of the Kitayama walking course up to Kitayama Park, where we enjoyed a great view of the city while waiting for a cafe to open
• When the cafe at the top of the hill was open, we stopped for some yummy food, great views, and perfect vibes
• Took the Hida wide view train back to Nagoya and got on the Shinkansen to Kyoto but it was kind of chaotic

Read if I referred you to this post:

• Gero is the best place to go for an onsen experience without paying an arm and a leg. The pass is 1,500 yen (can be purchased at tourist center at train station) and is good for 3 onsets, although you must pay attention to the available hours. I had most of mine to myself and Tyler usually only had one other person in his so they were very peaceful and not on the mainstream tourist trail (the whole town was catered towards domestic tourists who did not really visit the onsens).
• I would not recommend Takayama. You get enough of the views on the Hida Wide View tain to Gero so I would recommend going elsewhere in Japan to find a mountainy place that is more off the beaten path
• If you do decide to visit Takayama, my only major recommendation would be the Ichii cafe at the top of the Kitayama walking course