Hi, everyone! This week, I’ll take you to Takayama, an old town in Japan. This old town is different from big cities like Tokyo or Osaka, it feels so traditional. You’ll love it! β€οΈβ¨π
I stayed for one night at Temple Hotel Zenkoji in Takayama for sake tasting and sampling Hida beef.
I’ll keep it short and sweet for the Japan temple stay as I already had a long review about one in Koyasan. If you don’t go to Koyasan, you can experience it in Takayama π
But first, let’s start with the sake tasting! Visitting Japan isn’t complete without tasting their alcoholic drinks, especially sake.
There are three types of alcoholic drinks that you should try in Japan:
- Sake (warm, cold, or room temperature)
- Shochu (higher alcohol % than sake, made from various ingredients like rice, barley, buckwheat, or sweet potato)
- Umeshu aka plum wine (popular brand: Choya)
Although Takayama is a small town in Japan, many tourists come here because it’s famous for sake tasting. There’s even an alley full of sake-tasting places!
And it’s not your regular sake tasting, you can refill your cup as you wish. Wow…! Remember to have some manners, okay? Don’t get drunkπ
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Sake Tasting in Takayama, Old Town Japan
As a social drinker, what excites me about the sake tasting in Takayama is the experience. The place itself is unique, with a traditional Japanese interior design.
My group tour had three different sakes for tasting. Since the cup was so small, I drank mine like drinking shots. Oops…! But it shouldn’t be that way!
Sake is meant to be drunk slowly, in a few sips. Anyway, I’m not into alcoholic drinks, so I gave mine to my friend.
Luckily, I could keep the sake cup as a souvenir ππ―πΆ
In this place, you can also find sake-infused cakes, sake hand soaps, and even try your luck to win a pricey sake for just 400 yen!
If you’re a drinker, you can hop from one sake-tasting place to another. Remember to control yourself, you don’t want to get drunk and misbehave when travelling!
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Trying Hida Beef in Takayama, Old Town Japan
After the sake-tasting session, we had some free time until the next morning. It was already sunset when my sister and I walked around the town, we started to feel hungry.
Our tour guide, Ruby, said that Hida beef was famous and could only be found in Takayama. As it was dinner time, we looked for a restaurant that served Hida beef.
Surprisingly, wherever we walked, we almost couldn’t find any restaurant open! We started to wonder if it was because Takayama was an old town = the restaurants closed early.
My sister: π€£π€£π€£
But then not only restaurants, many shops are also closed. Could it be the locals here have late dinner? It was so weird…
Finally, we found a Korean restaurant that serves Hida beef in yakiniku style. Although it wasn’t an authentic Japanese restaurant, the place looked nice and was full of locals.
I guess we found a “gem”, hehe!
Takumiya Yasugawa isn’t only a restaurant that serves Hida beef but also a meat shop. On the first floor, you can buy fresh, high-quality hida beef while the restaurant is on the second floor.
During dinner time, the restaurant looks like it’s always full house. My sister and I were lucky as there were two empty tables when we arrived.
Soon after, more people came and they had to write their names on the waiting list.
My sister who’s a meat lover ordered a big plate with varieties of Hida beef. As for me, I ordered a small plate with 6 pcs of good quality Hida beef + white rice.
Whenever I eat beef in Japan, I always think how good it would be if I had them after the gym… πͺβ€οΈπ€€
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Is Hida beef in Takayama expensive? It depends on which type and how big the portion is. The one that I ordered cost me around RM100.
I feel the price is OK, considering the beef’s quality and the restaurant’s atmosphere. Luckily, JPY was at its lowest (even lower now), so I didn’t feel the ‘pinch’.
According to my sister, Hida beef tastes like a combination of Wagyu and Kobe beef. Don’t ask me as I’ve never tried Kobe beef before, hehe…
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Takayama Temple Stay: Temple Hotel Zenkoji
If you’re looking for a real, traditional Japan temple stay on top of a hill, Daimyoo-in Koyasan would be the better choice.
However, if you want to stay in a temple which is located in the middle of the city, you can opt for Temple Hotel Zenkoji in Takayama.
Honestly, it’s difficult to choose between the two. What I like the most when staying at Temple Hotel Zenkoji is the futon (Japanese-style bedding).
Once you lie down, you won’t feel like getting up! It’s the complete opposite of the futon in Daimyoo-in… Plus, there was a bathroom, toilet, and washing machine in my triple-sharing room!
No wonder it’s called “temple hotel”! πππ
A monk named Kaiji who speaks fluent English manages this temple hotel. Before becoming a monk, Kaiji was a businessman.
I wonder if that’s the reason he could come up with the temple-hotel idea. I love my room, it feels like staying in a nice hotel!
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On the next day, I joined a morning prayer led by Kaiji and a woman. Since it started at 7 am and the prayer room was very near to my room, it didn’t occur to me to wear proper clothes.
I woke up, brushed my teeth, washed my face + combed my hair, then walked to the prayer room. When I entered, guess what?
I was the only one in pyjama. So much respect for a morning prayer in a temple… π€¦ββοΈπ€¦ββοΈπ€¦ββοΈ
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Extra: Miyagawa Morning Market, Takayama
After the morning prayer and taking bath, it’s time to visit the Miyagawa morning market to grab some food for brunch!
On that day, we would leave Takayama old town at around 11am to catch our Shinkansen (bullet train).
There was no breakfast at Zenkoji Temple Hotel, but who cares when you have many options at the morning market? π€© π€© π€©
Sorry I didn’t take a lot of photos to show you more food and shops at the morning market. My sister and I were rushing, we found difficulties finding proper food for brunch.
Most of the shops at Miyagawa morning market, Takayama, sell snacks and desserts. But we need something filling because it would be a long train ride.
Although we were rushing, I could recommend this coffee stall and a small cafe that sells yummy + affordable Hida beef bento.
The line at this coffee stall is very long, and full of locals and travellers. My sister said the coffee was a bit pricey but really nice… especially the cookie cup and the chocolate at the bottom of the cup!
At that time, a small coffee in a cookie cup cost around 700 yuan (around RM22).
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While my sister was queuing for the coffee, my mission was to find a proper brunch for both of us. I found this small, cozy cafe that sold some bentos.
For 950 yuan (around RM30), I got stir-fried Hida beef + rice + miso soup (no soup for takeaways). What a deal! Better than spending it on snacks, hehe π
Alright guys, I hope you enjoy reading this week’s blog post about sake tasting, Hida beef, and temple stay at Temple Hotel Zenkoji, Takayama old town.
πΈ πΈ πΈ Have a merry week ahead! πΈ πΈ πΈ
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