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Hida Takayama Sanmachi Walk: Folk Crafts and Street Food in an Edo Period Town

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Hida Takayama Sanmachi Walk: Folk Crafts and Street Food in an Edo Period Town

 

 
 
Hida Takayama, a popular sightseeing spot in Gifu Prefecture, has recently received a further boost in popularity thanks to the animated movie Your Name. In particular, the historic district of Sanmachi is a must-see destination if you travel in this area. We explored some of the best things that Sanmachi has to offer.
 

What is Sanmachi?

The city of Takayama was once the flourishing center of the Hida province. Although the province doesn't exist anymore, the city is known as Hida Takayama to this day. Sanmachi was the most prominent merchant town in Takayama. About a 10 minute walk from Takayama station, it includes the six neighborhoods of Kamiichinomachi, Kamininomachi, Kamisannomachi, Shimoichinomachi, Shimoninomachi and Shimosannomachi. The Kamisannomachi area is particularly vibrant and it's where most restaurants and shops are.
 
Sanmachi
If you walk straight from Takayama Station for 10 minutes you will arrive to Kamisannomachi.
 

Travel Back to the Edo Period in Hida Takayama's Old Town

In the old streets, the traditional wooden townhouses still look the way they did back in the Edo period. The lattice doors and windows create a simple, uniform and beautiful townscape.
 
The Edo period landscape is still intact
The Edo period landscape is still intact

Inside each townhouse, traditional handicrafts passed down from generation to generation of craftsmen continue to tell the history and culture of Hida to this day.
 
A row of old shops
A row of old shops

Walking the streets, our attention is drawn by the signs of a few sake breweries. The sugidama, an ornament made of Japanese cedar leaves, is hanging outside their door.
 
By watching the sugidama gradually change color from green to brown, you can tell how long the sake has been left to mature.

By watching the sugidama gradually change color from green to brown, you can tell how long the sake has been left to mature.
Even if you don't buy a bottle, it's still fun to peek into the shops and try some local sake by doing kikizake (sake tasting).
 
Local sake and sake cocktails
Local sake and sake cocktails

One thing you will almost always spot in the souvenir shops lining Sanmachi street is the sarubobo. In Takayama dialect sarubobo means 'baby monkey'. It is said that they were originally made as dolls for children to play with during the cold winter, when they couldn't go out. Nowadays sarubobo is considered Takayama's representative character.
 
Every souvenir shop in Takayama sells sarubobo
Every souvenir shop in Takayama sells sarubobo

Since ancient times, Hida Takayama has been blessed with the abundance of wood and has developed a unique woodblock printing culture. You will find a lot of woodblock printed folk crafts and goods in the shops of Sanmachi street. Even modern objects are made while preserving the traditional techniques. It's a beautiful souvenir that you can only get here.
 
Woodblock print paper trays

Woodblock print paper trays

Woodblock print stuffed toys

Woodblock print stuffed toys

A demonstration of woodblock printing

A demonstration of woodblock printing


Sumishin Shoten | 住真商店
Address: 8 Kamisannomachi, Takayama-shi, Gifu
Hours: 9:00am - 5:00pm
Closed on Tuesdays except for January and February


If you're interested in Japanese woodblock printing, we recommend you stop at Coffee House BAREN. Built inside a hundred-year-old Japanese style house, this cafe showcases unique woodblock prints from local artists. You can also enjoy the view of the old town from the seats on the second floor. Surrounded by beautiful craftworks and enjoying a beautiful view, that's the best tea time!
 
Old towns Coffee House BAREN

Old towns Coffee House BAREN

The woodblock prints are displayed on the walls

The woodblock prints are displayed on the walls

Coffee and sweets set 1,100 yen

Coffee and sweets set 1,100 yen


Old towns Coffee House BAREN | 飛騨版画喫茶ばれん
Address: 107 Kamisannomachi, Takayama-shi, Gifu
Hours: 8:30am - 5:00pm (9:00am - 4:30pm in winter)
Irregular closures on Thursdays 


If you cross the red Nakabashi Bridge by Sanmachi street you will get to Takayama Jinya. This former government outpost was designated as an historical landmark and today it's the only building of its kind in Japan. Inside the building is information about life and culture in the Edo Period. Another trip back in time!
 
The entrance to Takayama Jinya
The entrance to Takayama Jinya

Takayama Jinya | 高山陣屋
Address: 1-5 Hachiken-machi, Takayama-shi, Gifu
Hours: 8:45am - 5:00pm (closing time changes to 4:30pm from November to February and 6:00pm in August)
Holidays: December 29 and 31, New Year's
Admission fee: 430 yen


A morning market is held in front of Takayama Jinya every day at 7:00am. Here you'll find locally grown vegetables, pickles and other products sold by the locals. If you're planning to visit Takayama Jinya in the morning we recommend you go a little early and explore the market, too. Another popular market is the Miyagawa morning market along the Miyagawa river from Kajibashi Bridge to Yayoibashi Bridge.
 
The morning market runs until noon
The morning market runs until noon
 

A Food Tour of Sanmachi Street

Tabe-aruki (eating while walking) is a must when visiting different places in Japan. Shops and restaurants along the busier streets offer all kinds of street food that you can enjoy while strolling around town. That allows visitors to try a bit of everything and discover all the local delicacies that the area has to offer. Takayama is no exception and the one thing you can't leave without trying is the delicious Hida beef. This wagyu beef is rated A4-A5 which is quite high. With that in mind, let's dive into the street food of Sanmachi street!
 

★Sample Three Varieties of Hida Bee

The line outside this restaurant doesn't seem to end. This place serves Hida beef sushi. The three-variety sushi set includes meat nigiri and gunkan-maki. The meat is seasoned with Takesumi bamboo salt, ginger and soy sauce. The plate is a senbei (rice cracker), so you can eat the whole thing. It might take a while to get these, but the meat melting in your mouth makes it worth the wait!
 
Hida beef three pieces set 900 yen
Hida beef three pieces set 900 yen

SAKUYAKONOHANA KOTTEGYU | 咲くやこの花 こって牛
Address: 34 Kamisannomachi, Takayama-shi, Gifu
Hours: 10:00am - 5:00pm

 

★The Unmissable Croquettes and Beef Skewers

Croquettes are a classic street food. A crunchy breading so stuffed with meat that it overflows when you bite it. If that's not enough, try the beef skewer as well. This one is also very filling.
 
Original Hida Beef Croquette 200 yen, Original Hida Beef grilled skewer 800 yen
Original Hida Beef Croquette 200 yen, Original Hida Beef grilled skewer 800 yen

Jugemu | 飛騨牛串焼とコロッケの店じゅげむ
Address: 72 Kamisannomachi, Takayama-shi, Gifu
Hours: 9:00am - 5:00pm

 

★Get More Delicious Beef With a Hida Gyuman

Hida Takayama's staple among staples, the Hida beef bun! This fluffy bun is filled with hida beef, vegetables and locally produced miso. One bite releases the concentrated umami of the meat.
 
Hida beef bun 430 yen
Hida beef bun 430 yen

Hida Nikuman Honpo | 飛騨牛まん本舗
Address: 53 Kamininomachi, Takayama-shi, Gifu
Hours: 9:00am - 5:00pm

★Simple, Sweet, and Cheap: Mitarashi Dango

Another staple street food, mitarashi dango are skewered rice dumplings covered in a sweet soy sauce glaze and grilled. It's a simple taste, but everyone that passes by stops to get some. From kids to adults, everyone loves this cheap treat.
 
Mitarashi dango 80 yen
Mitarashi dango 80 yen

Sangawaya main store | 三川屋本店
Address: 43 Kamisannomachi, Takayama-shi, Gifu
Hours: 9:00am - 5:30pm
Closed on Tuesdays from December to March

 

★Remembering 'Your Name' With Gohei Mochi

There's a scene in the movie Your Name where Okudera-senpai eats this very snack. Gohei mochi is rice pounded into a cake and stuck on a skewer to be glazed with soy sauce and miso.  Fragrant and delicious, it's a regional cuisine from a part of Japan that includes Hida.
 
Gohei mochi 200 yen
Gohei mochi 200 yen

Akebonoya | あげぼのや
Address: 3-181-3 Showamachi, Takayama-shi, Gifu
Hours: 9:00am - 9:00pm
Closed on Sundays

 

★Hida's big drum

These senbei are 15cm (6 in) in diameter. Every single one of them is carefully grilled on the shopfront over Bincho-zumi, a type of Japanese white charcoal. You can see the entire process of preparing the sembei, from putting the mochi on the stove to the seasoning it with soy sauce, and the finishing with nori seaweed. The size is so big that one sembei is enough to share between two people.
 
Hand-grilled senbei 250 yen
Hand-grilled senbei 250 yen

Teyaki Senbeidou | 手焼き煎餅堂
Address: 85 Kamisannomachi, Takayama-shi, Gifu
Hours: 9:00am - 5:00pm

 

★Add Some Cuteness With Cat Manju

A traditional sweets shop that has been in business for 100-odd years, Tohoen took inspiration from the cats that roam the old streets of Takayama for their manju. They are very photogenic and they became quite the hit on Instagram. There are five different flavors. They are so cute that it's a pity to eat them!
 
Left: Russian Blue  cat black sesame manju 185 yen. Center: cat paw wagashi 240 yen. Right: Tabby cat brown sugar manju 185 yen
Left: Russian Blue  cat black sesame manju 185 yen. Center: cat paw wagashi 240 yen. Right: Tabby cat brown sugar manju 185 yen

Tohoen | 稲豊園
Address: 2 Asahimachi, Takayama-shi, Gifu
Hours: 8:30am - 8:00pm
Closed on Tuesdays

 

★Sweet and Refreshing Fruit Daifuku

Carefully selected seasonal fruit and white bean paste are wrapped in a soft mochi. There are usually 10 different varieties of daifuku that change every season.

 
Pineapple daifuku 200 yen, black strawberry daifuku 270 yen
Pineapple daifuku 200 yen, black strawberry daifuku 270 yen

Fukujuan|福壽庵
Address: 29 Kamisannomachi, Takayama-shi, Gifu
Hours: 10:00am - 4:00pm
Closed on Wednesdays

 

★Enjoy the Small Things: Maruppo Mikan

The Japanese enjoy fruit in its simplicity. Maruppo mikan are frozen mandarins. They come on a stick accompanied by a homemade sweet syrup that couples perfectly with their zesty flavor!
 
Maruppo mikan 100 yen
Maruppo mikan 100 yen

SAKUYAKONOHANA KOTTEGYU|咲くやこの花 こって牛
Address: 34 Kamisannomachi, Takayama-shi, Gifu
Hours: 10:00am - 5:00pm

 

An old merchant town from the Edo period, exquisite folk crafts and delicious local food. There are a lot of other places that we couldn't fit in the article, too. We recommend you visit and discover Takayama Sanmachi for yourself if you get the chance.
 

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THIS ARTICLE IS BASED ON INFORMATION FROM 12 06,2017 Author:DiGJAPAN! Editorial Team

 

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