Goodbye to Takayama

Goodbye to Takayama – for now

This morning it had stopped snowing and the snow was gradually melting, falling in startling plops from roofs and branches. We had another grand Japanese breakfast at the Ryokan, a little different from yesterday’s.

We wandered through the morning market beside the river – not a very profitable market for the stall holders I suspect, selling small amounts of market produce or trinkets for tourists. We went on to the Takayama Festival floats exhibition, where a selection of the floats used in the Spring and Autumn festivals are kept. Some date back for three centuries, though the oldest, a beautiful gilded float is no longer used as it requires 80 men of the same height to carry – they can no longer be found!



Lacquerwork and woodwork are the specialities of Takayama, and we had an enjoyable time on the way back browsing in craft stores and bought lacquer bowls of various types. Neil and I also bought Inden – lacquer design on deerskin – a wallet and glasses case. Ingrid thought about it for a long time but eventually indulged in buying a tiny stepped chest which she can use as a jewellery case.
After a cheap but surprisingly lavish lunch near the station we caught the train back to Tokyo, this time without incident.
Lumbered with our luggage we took the easy option of a restaurant in the food court of the Tobu department store next to Ikebukuro station, and chose Vietnamese for a small break from the total Japanese food experience. Then back to our basic hotel, though this time upgrading to a twin room, which is much more comfortable.