ramen Archives - In Search Of Umami

Takayama is one of those magical places where time disappears and you can spend days just wandering around, hours sipping coffee and countless nights enjoying sake. Although it’s fairly touristic, going just around the corner from the main street, everyone can find a calm place for themselves. We had a few days to explore the place on a very slow pace but the main highlands are definitely doable in a day. So let’s explore Takayama in 24 hours 🙂

Escaping the crowds on the main street

The main street in Takayama tends to get busy at around 9 am with groups of tourists. We went there before to feed our eyes with wooden, traditional architecture. With all gift shops closed and no groups of Chinese tourists it was nicely calm and quiet. Not comparable to the crowds later on the day. Though we loved the other face of the streets as well, vibrant, busy with lots of arty gifts and sake tastings.

Strolling through the morning market

Splendid way to spend a morning is going to the Miyagawa morning market where people who can handle some savory treats in the morning can enjoy pickles and those who love art can enjoy some live, calligraphy artists and locally made chopsticks. Something for everyone that’s for sure.

Morning coffee with charming, old couple in their little art paradise

Walking past it we got tempted by good price for coffee and music hits from the past. As soon as we entered we got completely charmed by the old couple running this place. They were both overjoyed and enthusiastic about art & coffee. We did not only sit on the tatami floor surrounded by pottery and jewelry but we also got coffee that was just divine! Delicious and beautiful with a painted teddy bear on there. Some say that Japanese live long because they follow their ikigai, their passion and purpose in life. That just has to be true with these seniors and we couldn’t resist going back for more every day.

Hida beef for lunch

Takayama is famous for Hida beef- high quality, meat that just melts in your mouth. We enjoyed in an amazing stew from one of the food kiosks on the main street. Although the name is only available in mysterious Japanese alphabet, the location is clear on the map below.

Since it’s not a big portion and not a cheap treat, we recommend it for small eaters for lunch.

Sake tasting

Sake is an essential part of Japnese culture and Takayama reached perfection in its production. There are many sake breweries offering sake tasting for a small charge presenting quite a selection to try. Those who think sake is not for them should give it a try. There are so many dry and sweet variation that I can’t imagine someone wouldn’t find something suitable for his/hers taste buds. For porridge lovers there is even sake with rice particles still in it. For whisky lovers there are quite few smoky ones out there.

We recommend three breweries for sake tasting

Funasaka Sake Brewery

Although located in a touristic, busy street, it’s pretty calm because 99% of the people don’t realize that once you bought your sake you can chill out with it in a charming little bar behind the shop. We especially loved that they were the only ones that served their goodies in a wooden container overflowing on a little ceramic plate underneath it. It also changes the taste slightly making it more whisky-like because of the wood.

Kawashiri Sake Brewery

It’s a small, family business run throughout generations with love and devotion. They don’t speak any English but they give a very interesting leaflet explaining all the different sake they offer as well as the process.

Hirata Sake Brewery

Another small, family business with plenty of sake bottles open to viewing, touching and tasting.

Serious bowl of decadent ramen for dinner

Tiny restaurant with very few tables, chairs along the bar and small table on a tatami floor. That’s where the whole neighborhood comes together to sip their evening away with bottles of sake and delicious noodles. We absolutely loved the food and the vibe in there. And it's worth mentioning that Hida ramen is another specialty of the region.

A good night sleep in a capsula

K’s house is a charming hostel with comfy capsulas as well as private rooms and a great common area to chill out. People working there are enthusiastic, very helpful and always smiling. The hostel has an excellent kitchen with great pottery to make whatever you cook very presentable.

Fukuoka was supposed to be our base to see the whole Kyushu Island. We couldn’t find any other place with affordable accommodation on the island and soon it also turned out that we couldn’t afford the trains going deeper in Kyushu either. Fortunately we discovered we wouldn’t be bored in Fukuoka at all.

The city itself doesn’t have good fame. From many we heard it was very industrial and just now it’s starting to do some major changes. For us it was just marvelous. Big, vibrant with lots of people but also no crowds that would kill us. It seemed like a perfect city to live in. Not only does it have small, charming streets full of cafes and restaurants just like Kyoto or Osaka where all the people in suits can hang out after work. But it also has other essential things for the Japanese: lots of shops. Japan could easily be the France of Asia. People care about their look here. So much that even with just a few degrees above 0 most ladies already walk around in sandals and short skirts. Beauty hurts… No wonder that in every major metropolis there are commercial centers and shopping streets. Fukuoka is no different. The Hakata Mall is like a little city with hundreds of shops and restaurants. For us It was a nice stop for free wifi and a little fountain show on the main square.

Just a stroll away from the beating heart of the city we spotted an oasis. Calm, green park and in the middle of it ACROS, an International Hall with tourist information and terraced gardens raising to the very top of the building where there is a viewing terrace. Great example of where the modern architecture should be heading.

Fukuoka is really a green city full of parks and the biggest one is just in the middle of the city. Ohori Park was perfect to go for a walk far from the crowds or just rest on one of the benches looking at the lake. But it was also fun to watch how the locals used the park. Except for the obvious running, walking and chilling out, people were using it also as a beauty salon for their dogs, trimming their hair to prepare for warmer, spring days.

As much as we loved Ohori Park, we couldn’t spot any flowers in there. But we have learnt that shrines are the best spots to do that. All the shrines starting from the famous Kushida Shrine were pleasantly quiet and free of charge. Here we started seeing the first cherry blossom. It turns out that there are variations that blossom earlier, even in February. Except for those we started spotting magnolias and other flowers everywhere. Spring was coming!

In Fukuoka we finally managed to taste matcha, powdered green tea so famous in Japan. We tried it everywhere we went in a variety of dishes but never as tea. In most of the places it was an expensive treat but in Rakusuien Garden we finally managed to enjoy a cup of matcha with some traditional sweets for a bargain of 300 yen (3 dollars). A treat especially considering that we got our very own private, little tatami room with views on the small garden. Unforgettable experience definitely recommendable for everyone coming to this part of Japan.

There might be plenty of restaurants and cafes but it’s the ramen stalls by the river that everyone is waiting for every single night. Yatai as they are called, are really small pop up restaurants that can seat maybe up to 10 people. They are famous for grilled goodies and very thin ramen noodles usually served in a yummy broth. Since the dishes are pretty cheap for Japanese standards the idea is to eat fast and leave 🙂 We were slowly working our way through the bowl of soup with our chopsticks while our fellow eaters were swallowing the food with the speed of light and the sound of an anime character. Slurping was the essential signal to show appreciation for the taste. We are still working on our abilities in that area. It doesn’t help that we were not allowed to slurp for most of our lives.

Tag: ramen

24 hours in Takayama