Trip Report: Nagoya/Central Japan 7 Days

We enjoyed our recent trip exploring Central Japan. Lots of walking but very great scenery. Perfect mix of city and nature. We traveled from the last week of March to the first week of April 2023.

**Day 1: Nagoya to Takayama**

We did not spend much time in Nagoya since we headed straight to Takayama. We arrived at Takayama at night (around 7 pm), checked in our hotel, and then looked for dinner. Most of the shops are already closed. We found Hida Takayama Gyoza Sohonzan for dinner. The staff was very helpful and friendly and he speaks fluent English so we did not have a hard time selecting our food and asking for recommendations. Most of their customers then were foreigners like us.

**Day 2: Takayama to Gero**

We started early morning to visit Miyagawa Morning Market. We ate a lot here hopping from one stall to another. After filling up we walked around the neighborhood to see shrines, matsuri museum, old houses, etc. We ate Hida Beef for lunch (skewer, sushi, croquette) which is a must when visiting Hida and tasted some sake in vending machines. We also went to Takayama Jinya but it felt underwhelming. We did not stay long probably because there was a group tour when we went in.

In the afternoon we went to Gero (via train) . We did not explore much of the neighborhood since we spent most of the time in the Ryokan. We want to try Gero pudding but the shop was already closed when we arrived. Our ryokan has its own onsen so we were able to try. we went there around midnight so there are less people.

**Day 3: Shirakawa-go**

From Gero, we went back to Takayama via train then boarded the Nohi bus bound for Shirakawa-go. There were lots of tourists but we were able to queue early. The bus center provided a second bus so I guess all tourists were able to go board.

The place is nice but we might have expected too much. Maybe it is better to visit it in winter when it is covered in snow for winter illumination.

We are bound for Kanazawa in the afternoon but the direct bus was already full (probably because we went there on Friday). We were advised to ride a bus headed to Takaoka instead and then transfer to the bullet train to Kanazawa. The bus ride was around 2 hours and passed through Gokayama.

We arrived at Kanazawa late at night, checked in to our hotel, and then went out for dinner. It is a city so it was easier for us to look for restaurants compared to Takayama and Gero. We just ate at the restaurants in Kanazawa Station.

**Day 4: Kanazawa**

We explored the city and visited Omicho Market, Kanazawa Castle, Kenrokuen Garden, and Higashi-chaya District. The entrance to Kenrokuen Garden was free probably because it was the full bloom of Sakura Trees. It was the best time to visit Kanazawa however, there are a lot of tourists and there are areas that get too crowded. We ate at food stalls near the entrance to the garden (e.g., candied strawberries, yakitori, karaage).

Late at night, we boarded the train back to Nagoya where we will spend the next few days until we go back home. We ate dinner beforehand since it is a long trip back to Nagoya. We bought snacks on the train as well.

**Day 5, 6, and 7: Nagoya**

For Day 5, we visited Nagoya Castle and National Science Museum. There were a lot of kids in the museum but we enjoyed it nonetheless. There is a planetarium but be mindful that it is in Japanese (no subtitles). The afternoon was spent mostly for buying souvenirs and other items to bring home.

For Day 6, we went to SC Maglev Museum. We thought we would only stay there for 1 to 2 hours but ended up enjoying the museum and going out around lunchtime. We went to Legoland for lunch and to check out the entrance and souvenir shop. We did not buy tickets. Haha. Late afternoon we went back to Nagoya to buy more presents and eat dinner.

For Day 7, we went early to the airport to check out the museum near Terminal 2. Our flight was around 2 pm but we were already at the airport at 10 am.

Overall we enjoyed our trip and we are looking forward to the next Japan trip! 😀

Some notes:

* We bought JR Pass (Takayama – Hokuriku). We were able to maximize it by using the four reserved seats which is ideal since we have luggage whenever we are transferring cities. I think we saved around 6k jpy.
* If traveling through different cities, make sure to pack light. The downside is that there were perishable items that we were not able to buy (intended to be brought back home) during our first few days.
* If you have big luggage, check the area if there are nearby elevators/escalators. We looked for the best route when we were in Kanazawa and Nagoya since our hotel was a bit far from the station via escalators/elevators.
* We used IC cards (e.g., Suica, ICOCA, Passmo, Manaca) to travel around Nagoya and pay for their subway lines.
* We could have reduced one day at Nagoya and stayed longer at Kanazawa or visit another city (Fukui or Toyama) since we mostly just shopped at Nagoya during the afternoon.
* We stored our luggage at the hotel except at Shirawakawa-go. There are coin lockers near the station but if they are full, there is a house nearby where you can leave your luggage while exploring the village.
* We ate our breakfast at 7-Eleven and other konbini. We always buy coffee/juice, onigiri, and other baked goods.
* Use Japan NaviTime app. Very useful for planning out the trip. It advises if our pass covers the whole route or if we need to purchase additional tickets.
* Wear comfortable shoes.