Isite Takayama

Loved walking around here and going into the shops. Really fun atmosphere and beautiful buildings. I wish I had spent more time in Takayama to begin with. Even with several hours I felt like I could have spent more time in the old town.

Old Town Takayama is a wonderful area of preserved buildings that transport modern visitors back to the Edo period (1600-1868), when the city thrived as a wealthy town of merchants. There are a few different sections that are designated preservation zones but they are just east of the river, about a 10-minute walk from the train station. This is a good area to walk around in the early morning when there aren't any other tourists and then come back later in the day to shop or eat. There are a few sake breweries as well.