Need help deciding how to go to Takayama from Kyoto

21 comments

1. Sorry, no input on your desination but just wanted to mention that I drove part of my trip both times I went to Japan and loved every second of it. Public transport is great but a rental car will get you to places no tourists usually go.

2. You could go from Kyoto into either Nagoya or Gifu City and then take a train from there to Takayama.

   When I did it I had a JR Pass and did Kyoto to Nagoya on a shinkansen and then switched to a special express to Takayama from there.

   I have been to Gifu City plenty of times from Kyoto. The previous through Nagoya has to go through and stop at Gifu City. So Kyoto to Takayama via Gifu City you need to switch trains at Maibara station and then at Gifu City station you can switch to the train to Takayama.

   If you have JR pass it will be the cheapest and easiest to take my first suggestion

3. 1. There are train routes to almost every town in Japan. Here’s the one from [Kyoto to Takayama.](https://www.insidekyoto.com/how-to-get-to-takayama)

4. Or you could rent a Yamaha if you dont have much luggage

5. The Sakura season varies year on year but late March, early April will see a lot of cherry blossom. At the height of the season there are loads of street food stalls and people out viewing.

   Public transport in Japan works really well. Everything is on time. Buses and ferries are not as bang on punctual as the trains but still very reliable. The JR pass system is great. Many buses and ferries are free with the rail pass. Those that aren’t you can use cash and card.

   I have driven in Italy where it’s ‘mental’ on the roads but not in Japan where it’s pretty civilised. Being British I would enjoy driving on the left.

6. 1. Car rental: your calculations are incorrect; as you will need to add highway tolls (which would add ¥15,000+ to your expenditures) and the drop off fee of ¥8,000+ (as you would be dropping off the car in the different location), which means you would be at about ¥25,000 per person, not including parking and fuel.
   2. I would definitely not take a compact car into Japanese Alps in early April. Some of the roads in the area can be still icy, and while snow is rare, it is still possibility if you take eg. scenic route from Shirakawa-go to Takayama.
   3. If you still want to drive, visiting Gujo Hachiman on your way from/to Kansai is a possibility. As Kamikochi will still be closed, other locations you can visit during your stay are Matsumoto, Gero Onsen or Hida-Furakawa.
   4. Note that all the locations listed above are fairly easily visited by public transport, except for Gujo Hachiman.

7. I don’t have the details of our costs to hand but we did the shinkansen from Kyoto to Kanazawa then picked up a rental and drove from there to Takayama via Shirakawa-go. That route was excellent. The bus follows a similar route leaving from Kanazawa. Bear in mind tolls can make up a sizable amount of your total cost if you drive.

8. Hey, I drive in Japan every day so I might have a little insight.

   First, you’ll have to make sure you get an international drivers permit. If you’re American you can get them through AAA. I would also highly recommend you look over a sheet of Japanese street signs and the kanji of entrance and exit which will be really helpful when it come to parking lots/garages. I saw you were a little worried about parking. As long as you get a compact car, then parking shouldn’t be a problem. In larger cities you can always look for a centrally located parking garage. In smaller towns, if you can’t find a free lot then you can park in the back of a combini or large store parking lot.

   I don’t know much about the area you’re going to be in, but I can highly recommend driving in Japan. There’s so much more freedom. I always end up stopping at random sights along the way, at roadside veggie stands, or Michi no ekis. It also allows you to get a better look at what life in Japan is like outside of the major cities.

9. Alternatively, there is one Wide-view Hida limited express train that runs Takayama-Kyoto direct departing 15:38 from Takayama, arriving 19:17 at Kyoto. Takes longer than transferring to the Shinkansen at Nagoya but better view and cheaper (if you don’t happen to use the JR Pass). 7260 yen 3h39m compared to 10100 yen (regular price) 3 6m if you used the Shinkansen from Nagoya.

10. I stayed a night at Shirakawa-go and I highly recommend doing so if you can. There are so many tourists milling about during the day but you practically have the whole village to yourself once the last scheduled bus leaves. It was the most memorable part of my second 14-day Japan trip.

11. >Question is, is it recommended to drive instead of taking public transport?

    Not really. Public transit will be likely be cheaper and faster (especially if you run into traffic), and the Hida Wide View on the Takayama Line is an absolutely gorgeous ride. Also keep in mind that if you’re not familiar with driving in Japan, it could take longer and add stress to your trip. On the other hand, a car could be useful if you plan to do some exploration in the area around Takayama, which has somewhat limited transit.

    Another option you could could consider is taking the train to Takyama and then renting a care when you get there for a day or two.

    >Quick question, will there be sakuras?

    Probably not. Early April is peak for the lowlands of central Japan (e.g., Kyoto, Osaka), but areas at higher elevation like Takayama and Shirakwa-go bloom later–even as late as May in some places.

    >Still in takayama, day unplanned. Any recommendations?

    Have you considered just continuing on to Kanazawa after Shirakwa-go? Another option would be a night at Gero Onsen. If you’re driving you could cut over to Gujo Hachiman, or check out various things around Takayama.

    >From what I checked, compact cars on times car rental is 7700¥ for the first day and 6600¥ for subsequent days. I’ll be going from 1 April to 4 April, that works out to about 4 days of car rental. The total cost will be split between my girlfriend and I. So that works out to around 13,750¥ per person not including parking and fuel.

    Also not including tolls, which can be significant. You could very easily spend over ¥10,000 in tolls. Parking and gas will likely add another ¥10,000. That brings the total closer to ¥25,000 per person.

12. I would take the train from Kyoto to Nagoya and the bus or train to Takayama. Bus takes a little bit longer but half the price. Instead of staying in Takayama why not staying in Kamikochi or Hirayu? The Ryokan are among the best I’ve experienced in 2 months travelling in Japan.

    Shinzanso has beautiful outdoor bath and delicious food. It’s near the ropeway.

    Okada Ryokan Warakutei has great onsen has well. Try the Izakaya in town. Beautiful waterfall to visit in the village.

    In Kamikochi I stay in Nidhi Ito ya. Great food, great place.

    Enjoy!!!

13. We took a train from odwara station (after spending a night in Hakone) to Takayama (3hrs).

    We also visited Hida Furukawa while up there, only 15min train ride, included with the JR pass with the most stunning views because the front of the train is one giant window (get a seat in the front row). Really cute town, we did a bike ride there with a tour guide but nice to just walk around too. If you go, pop into Mishima Candle Shop to see how traditional candles are made (1 of only 10 in japan to still make them).

    Re what to do in Takayama itself, here are some tips:

    Food:
    Sakurajaya/Sakurachaya (try to sit at the bar So you can chat with the owner and watch him prepare the food). It’s a guy that runs it and his mom helps him out, this was one of our favorite meals – definitely get the hida beef and the tempura
    Izakaya Kyouya – you cook the food yourself
    Food Market (breakfast) – Miyagawa Morning Market

    Sights:
    Hida No Sato Folk Village – you could probably spend 3 hours here
    Forest of 7 Lucky Gods Shrine – this is right next to the Hida No Sato village, entrance through a parking lot that looked closed when we were there. Most unique shrine we visited in Japan
    Hida Takayama Museum of Art – has 3 Michelin stars
    Sanmachi Suji – these are the 3 historic streets that everyone flocks to, if you get there first thing in the AM you can see them pretty empty and get some good pics, after 830 or so they start to fill up

14. I travelled from Takayama from Tokyo using JR trains on the way there (forgive me, I can’t remember exactly which trains) and a combo of JR trains and a bus on the way back. It was very easy, efficient, and a beautiful ride through the mountains! I stayed in Takayama for three days alone and absolutely loved it. It is a very peaceful place. I ended up just walking a lot during the day to different small temples within the town, and eating lots of delicious Hida beef for dinner. The folk village is very cool, and although I missed it, I’ve heard the morning market is great too. Enjoy your trip!

15. Enjoy all the hoba miso you can!

16. I am planning on staying in Takayama for a night when we visit Japan, except we are going from Tokyo. I am specifically going because I want to see Shirakawago.

    The drive is quite long, you can look at Google maps for timelines and even bus schedules, I found that driving usually takes the same amount of time as the bus or train. 3.5hrs to drive or 4hrs on a bus from Kyoto to Takayama. It’s about another hour from Takayama to Shirakawago. The busses or trains will be much cheaper and you don’t have to stress about driving and can actually enjoy the ride.

    We are traveling from Tokyo to Takayama and spending one night. The next morning we are going to Shirakawago and spending one night there as well. We will then go directly from Shirakawago to Kyoto for a few days, and then Osaka. While I am super excited to see Takayama and Shirakawago I think that one full day at both is plenty, as they are relatively small towns and there is a lot more to see in Kyoto or Osaka (unless you have been there before and don’t want to spend as much time there).

    You are only going to be there for 4 days, keep in mind how much travel time between destinations is required, my advice is don’t try to pack too much into one day especially with the long travel times or you will be too tired or busy to actually enjoy it. If you are able to go for more than 4 days that would be ideal. It will be really tough to drive or even travel for hours right after already traveling for hours on a flight (I’m assuming).

    Last thing is late March/early April the sakuras are usually blooming in places like Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, but Takayama and Shirakawago actually have a later blooming period that happens about mid April. We are going mid April to avoid the cherry blossom crowds in Tokyo but we should be there right in time to see the bloom in Shirakawago. Although depending on weather no matter when you plan it’s hard to guarantee you will be able to see them.

17. We had the JR Pass and took the shinkansen from Kyoto to Nagoya. Then changed trains to the wide-view train through the mountains to Takayama Station. On our way back we went from Takyama to Toyana station to Tokyo. We went that way just for a different view. It was very easy to change trains, we bought both tickets before boarding.

    Within Takayama, it could have been a little easier with a car. We found the bus unreliable but at worst we just walked the 20 minutes to our stay with our luggage.

18. Make sure you research the tolls! Was quite an unpleasant surprise for my boyfriend and I.

19. Thank you guys for all the replies! I think after considering the toll fees and parking, it would be cheaper to take public transport after all.

    I found this [takayama pass thing](https://www.nouhibus.co.jp/other/areafree-ticket_en/) from nouhi bus that gives unlimited travel to the attractions in Takayama. Has anyone used this before? Or is it just a one time thing in 2020 since the tourism industry is doing pretty badly?

20. Another fun route is to head north through Kanazawa and Toyama, then down through the mountains from Toyama to Hida-Takayama.

    This is only if you’re looking to experience Kanazawa and Toyama though — both cities have some great things to offer. Like Takayama, Kanazawa has a beautiful samurai district called Nagamachi (長町). Great area to explore by foot and experience an abundance of gold leaf art that Kanazawa is known for. There’s also the amazing Kenrokuen garden and the delicious Kanazawa curry.

    Then there’s Toyama; sporting some of the best seafood I’ve had in Japan. Nice relaxing area to unwind and take it easy for a day or two. The Toyama glass museum was incredible. Not to mention, I had the best ochazuke that’s even touched my tongue while in Toyama.

    This may be an unlikely route for most. I’m more of the “stay in Japan for 7 weeks and spend 3 to 7 days in each area” type of traveler

21. I would take the JR from Kyoto to Nagoya and stop for a quick eel lunch and then take the hida wide view bus to Takayama (nice views, very comfortable ride).