We made a very early start that morning in Takayama in hopes of getting clear shots of the old district. We certainly achieved a lack of people, but prior to 9 a.m. cars are allowed on the streets, which took away from the traditional look of things. To make up for it we stumbled upon the Takayama morning market along the Miyagawa River. This is one of the two famous morning markets that occur in Takayama on a daily basis. It was the coldest morning we had had on our trip and we were lured into a shop with an offer of free cups of warm drink. A great tactic to get customers into the store and look at the goods. The first shop offered a mushroom tea, and as soon as we made a purchase and left, we were lured into the next store this time with black bean tea, which we purchased. There were also stalls on the riverside, and although no hot drinks were offered, we browsed and bought a thing or two, a great end to our time in Takayama.

We left freezing Takayama and had a long drive down to Inuyama to complete, but had a few stops planned along the way. Originally the plan was to stay in Gujo for a night, we had a fancy hotel booked right by the castle grounds, but just before we left for the trip I learned the castle was closed for renovations, and rebooked to stay in Inuyama instead. I still wanted to visit Gujo on the way, as they are famous for their clear waterways filled with koi. Gujo was deserted, I know the castle is closed but it was completely empty. It was also empty of fish and water! We had a walk around the town, which was a more colourful version of Takayama, and got as close to the castle as possible before getting back on the road.

Our next stop was in the middle of nowhere, literally! We wanted to see Taki shrine, a beautiful torii in the mountains of southern Gifu, up a very windy and somewhat perilous mountain road. Again, this place was deserted, and it was a real highlight for me, set in a mossy forest, no outside noise, just quiet.

We stayed for a while just taking photos and enjoying the quiet and the dappled sunlight, before beginning our way down the mountain. On our way down we spotted a sign which indicated there was a waterfall by the shrine, and so we turned around and made our way back up the mountain again! It was worth it, the atmosphere there was beautiful, and the waterfall was so relaxing, a worthwhile destination for a U-turn.

It took an hour and a quarter to get down the mountain and cross the border between Gifu and Aichi to make it to Inuyama, out stop for the night. We checked in to our hotel, which is one of the worst hotels I have stayed at in Japan. It absolutely stank of dampness and mold and was very much in need of refurbishments, also the front desk staff were so rude! We didn’t want to stay in for long so walked towards Inuyama Castle, one of the 12 remaining original castles in Japan.

Sadly the castle was closed for the day, and unlike other castles such as Matsumoto, the grounds are also closed so we weren’t able to get close. We were able to explore the lower shrines and took a very long walk to the other side of the river to get some great views of the castle on top of the hill. The castle looked beautiful by the river, and we got to enjoy the sunset from the riverbed, before grabbing some dinner and getting to bed for another early start.