Curry on a cold day

Who does not like curry?

I love them. Thai , Indian , Japanese , I love them all.

After touring Hida No Sato, it was time for something warm. There were some Soba(Buckwheat) Noodle shop just outside the open museum but nothing really caught my attention. Till I passed by “御食事処大喜“.

What caught my attention was a couple with dogs going inside the restaurant. A restaurant that allows pet inside, interesting. When I checked the menu, Curry Udon with Hida Gyu. It was settled.

It looks like just another old house in the area.

Looks so warm and cozy just to seat in front of it. A little bit smoky though.

The Sarubobo welcoming the customers.

Nobody was there. I got the whole place to myself.

As soon as I got in, it started snowing again so I choose to sat near the window and gaze upon the falling white powdery snow with a pot of hot tea, free pot of tea of course.

A few minutes later,

Does it not looks so good?. It was really really good. I enjoyed every bite of it.

The Hida Gyu Mascot , bidding the customer farewell as you pay in the cashier.

I love the place. It has a nice homey feeling to it. The staff were very kind and attentive and the food was oh so good.

If you every visit Hida No Sato, try some of their delish menu and I’m sure you will love as much as I did.

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Winter 2013 : Hida no Sato

Hida no Sato is an open air museum located 30 minutes (more or less) walk from JR Takayama Station.  I was very excited when I arrived in Takayama because a friend told me that they were doing a light-up only to be disappointed that it was already over :(. I decided to visit the place on my last day in Takayama.

Sakura Guest House, where I stayed, is only 10 minutes walk to the museum but the road was slippery and of course I was playing with the snow, it took me almost 20 minutes to get there. The guest house also have 100 yen discount coupons for the museum. Regular entrance fee is 700 yen.

Let’s take a look around Hida no Sato. Let’s go.

Welcome to Hida no Sato

The site that greeted me when I entered. Everything was covered in snow.

The Goami Pond. It serves as a reservoir to supply water to the rice paddies. Children play and swam during the summer time and skate during the winter when its frozen.

The semi-frozen pond and some of the old houses.

Poor little guys , they look so cold.

Majority of the houses are open for viewing.

Looks like they make their own cloth too.

A sample.

One of the houses.

Another view of the pond. This area is not frozen.

Very snowy trees

Can you find the house ? 🙂

A small warehouse for Miso.

I like how the front porch is made. Nice view while sipping you tea in a cold morning.

One of the houses have this little wishing little pond. The water is so clear and very cold.

I decided to play a little bit, and build me a little snow man.

The pond again on my way out.

It was a nice walk in the snow, exploring the different house. I don’t have much pictures inside the houses though since most of them you have to take off your shoes when you go inside.

If you are in Takayama, Gifu Prefecture, I highly recommend checking out his place and get acquainted with the history of this place.

Entrance to the museum is 700 yen.
You can take the bus, a taxi or just walk all the way. I highly recommend the latter if you love to walk or just explore the local neighborhood.

I hope you enjoyed the tour. And for more pictures of Hida no Sato, please visit my flickr album.

Manhole : Takayama City

Takayama is a city located in Gifu Prefecture and it only has a population of 92,369 as of 2011 and it is actually as big as Tokyo itself (accdg to our Tour Guide 🙂 ).

It’s manhole design is based on the City’s Flower called Rhododendron reticulatum which is I think a kind of azalea.

Hotel Review : Sakura Guest House

The day I went to Takayama is the start of the winter break for majority of the company all over Japan and since I did not decide the trip one day before I left I  either have to stay in an very expensive place or transfer from one hotel to the other. I was on budget, so when I found a vacant bed in this guesthouse for the 2 nights , for only $40 (approximately) I booked it immediately. Unfortunately, its a dorm room, an a coed one at that.

The first time I stayed in dorm-style room was in Hakone but it was an all female room with a en-suite bathroom but this one is co-ed so I was a bit nervous 🙂

I made the right decision. Sakura Guesthouse is great. Clean, warm and with a big kitchen and really affordable. The owners where really nice old Japanese gentleman who were very helpful and very accommodating. The kitchen have all the necessary amenities for cooking. And they have this in the kitchen too :

The place is around 15 minutes walk from JR Takayama station on the way to Hida no Sato, which might be a turn off to some but I love long walks so I did not mind at all. There are also two big supermarket along the way, so you can grab some food supply if you want to.

There are 3 shower room is located in the first floor of the house. It was uniquely designed so that you can have you own mini shower room. Washing machine and dryer is also available to use for fee and is also located in the first floor. The rooms are all located in the 2nd floor. Hair dryer for girls are located in the second floor toilet in the girls section. You are also give your own private locker for important things if you are staying in the dorm room. There is also a small reading area located in the 2nd floor.

The bed in the dorm rooms have there own little privacy curtains , own lamp and some power outlet. You also get your own warm blanket which was not necessary for me , since the bed was already very nice and warm.

I also got some discount coupons for a nearby onsen and to Hida No Sato. Just make sure you check first with the owner if they have some discount available and I’m sure they are willing to share it :).
The guest house all covered in snow.

If I ever go back to Takayama again, I don’t think I will look for any other place to stay. I will definitely stay here again. 🙂

Sakura Guesthouse in Takayama is not related to the Sakura Hotel/Guesthouse in Tokyo.

Winter 2013 : Takayama

After returning to the town center of Takayama from touring Gokayama and Shirakawago, its time to explore some of the historical places around the station.

First stop is SanMachi or Furui-Machi-Nami. The village is just a few minutes (approx 10 minutes) from JR Takayama Station. Basically you can just follow some of the tourist going to the place or you can ask for direction from the Tourist information just outside the station.

In the village you can find some old merchants houses, sake breweries that are still there after all this year. It’s feels great just walking around enjoying the atmosphere and wondering what stories these streets, walls and houses could tell.

Let the adventure begin..

Selling some cute Takayama trinkets

The sign says, “Hida Nama Soba”.

I think this is a private residence.

Selling “Mitarashi Dango”. A pounded sticky rice shaped into a circle in most cases, grill and dipped into a sweetened soy sauce.

Old wooden barrel used for storing Miso and Soy Sauce. I forgot the name of the store, but they were selling some really good but a little expensive soy sauce.

One of the local Sake Brewery

A local Museum , unfortunately it was already close.

The adventure would not be complete if I did not try some of the local treats, right ? 🙂

A local meat bun made from Hida Gyu(Beef). It was good but a bit dry, I still like the 551 Meat Bun in Osaka.

I was walking aimlessly and I found the gate to the temple which houses all the festival floats but again it was already close.

The gate near the road.

Entering the temple now.

Gate lining up , a view from the temple offering box.

The deity with a sword. SMITE!!

I was getting hungry and it was getting darker so I went to look for a nice local place to eat, something nice and warm since it was also getting colder but along the way I found these two strange statue along the bridge.

This one with a very long feet.

And this one with a very long hand.
I tried looking for a description on what they are but I could not find any.

I also found chibi-ultraman guarding a circular postal box.

Around town, you will encounter this weird looking doll called Sarubobo which means “Monkey Baby”. I don’t find it cute though, it looks creepy without a face.

I finally found a nice family owned restaurant and had a really nice dinner of Hida Gyu(Beef) Croquet.

It was a great day indeed. I have seen all the places that I have been wanting to see and more.