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Recently, IES Abroad took us to visit Takayama, Shirakawa-go, and Gujo Hachiman. These are 3 towns north of Nagoya, closer to the Japanese Alps. Shirakawa-go is known for it's phenomenal snowfall, and the traditional thatch-roof houses built to withstand the cold and snow. Takayama is further North, and famous for it's agriculture (especially miso), Tokugawa-era shogunate administrative house, and—of course—the gorgeous nature surrounding it. And Gujo Hachiman is known for "sampuru", the plastic food displays you see in front of a lot of restaurants here.
My time in Takayama was quite memorable. This is because I love food, and Takayama is where the food is at. I woke up extra early to wander around town a bit and stumbled upon the Sunday morning-market, where I bought regional miso (filled with nuts and fruit! It's like a chutney, it is indescribably delicious) and a big bag of apples. Then after our group had breakfast and toured the shogunate house, I went back to the market. I ate so well...a skewer of the regional specialty, Hida beef, barely grilled and served with a cup of hot sake was definitely the winner. It was $8-9 for it, but definitely worth it. I saw candy-makers, shichimi-togarashi-grinders, cloth-weavers, incense-crafters, wood-carvers...Takayama is filled to the brim with handcrafted items.
Thus far my favorite places in Honshu are Kanazawa and Takayama. If you like mountains, good food, and friendly people, these are the places to be.
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