日本中部地區 8天7夜自由行 / 白川鄉合掌村、飛驒高山、下呂溫泉、名古屋城！繞一圈全程搭大眾交通

日本中部地區 8天7夜自由行 / 白川鄉合掌村、飛驒高山、下呂溫泉、名古屋城！繞一圈全程搭大眾交通

We squeezed in a trip right before the New Year. This time, we’re heading to the Chubu region of Japan. The most famous city there is Nagoya. The little bow in front of the groom! 😆 The waiting lounge is full of Japanese high school girls! My husband says he’s in a great mood just watching them. This year, the snow conditions in Japan are amazing. So, we decided last minute to add a snow-chasing trip to Japan. Let’s go! We’re heading to Shirakawa-go to see the snow. And we’ll be eating Hida beef in Takayama. Then, we’ll visit Gero Onsen, one of Japan’s top three hot springs. And take a stroll around Nagoya Castle, which my husband loves. The best part of any flight—airplane food! I’ve had this Three-Cup Chicken dish several times. A pretty standard meal. It works as both a fork and a spoon. Gotta keep up the ritual! Time to assemble my own little in-flight burger. So many beans! Big bite! 😆 This time, we’re taking an evening flight. By the time we arrive in Nagoya, it’ll be dark. You can take the train straight from the airport to the city. Oh, and there’s a commemorative stamp here! Don’t miss it. Chubu Centrair International Airport. Our hotel is near Hisaya-Odori Station. We need to transfer at Kanayama Station. Oh! So cold! The air is freezing! I love traveling in cold weather! A short walk from the subway station, and we’ve arrived at our hotel. Nagoya Hisaya-Odori Kuretakeso Hotel. The best things about this hotel: it’s affordable, conveniently located, modern, and includes breakfast. Let’s take a look at the room. Oof—so small! 😆 A tiny room. But overall, it’s very clean. The hallway is just barely spacious enough. Better than disposable slippers! They provide reusable slippers—nice touch! As expected, the bathroom is a pre-fabricated unit. There’s a small bathtub. And a bidet toilet. The TV even shows how crowded the public bath is. An electric kettle and complimentary tea bags. And finally, a mini fridge—that’s all! Today, we’re heading from Nagoya to Shirakawa-go in Gifu Prefecture. Let’s go experience Japan’s most famous gassho-style village. I’ve always heard my friends share their travel experiences in Shirakawa-go. This time, I’ll take the chance during the Snow Festival in Japan to enjoy the snowy landscapes. You can take a direct bus from Nagoya Station to Shirakawa-go. After taking the train to Nagoya Station, follow the signs to Meitetsu Bus Center. We took the 9:50 AM bus to Shirakawa-go and Kanazawa. The direct bus has a large luggage storage space, very convenient. Let’s head out! Off to see the snow! The journey to Shirakawa-go mainly takes place on expressways. There are no winding mountain roads, so there’s no motion sickness. Those who are prone to motion sickness can rest easy. Gradually, we start seeing snowy landscapes along the way. It’s starting to feel like a snow country. Since the ride takes 2 hours and 40 minutes, we’ll stop for a 10-minute break at a rest area for a restroom stop. Let’s take a look around while we’re here. They have spicy chicken wings! 😆 Chicken wings and fried rice! Oh! This is so cute! Taiyaki (fish-shaped pastry). I’ll buy a can of this, coffee milk. Only 10 minutes, so I’m in a rush! It’s snowing! Let’s get back on the road. Coffee milk, a must-have for hot spring towns. I’m opening it now~ it’s just covered like this. It’s just covered like this! Hey! It doesn’t spill out like this, it’s amazing! I’ll drink it all. Ah~ coffee milk. Hmm~ it’s snowing heavily outside. But I’m in here with the heater on full blast! (The heater in the car is really strong.) It’s really good. I could finish this all in one go. It’s finished. I’m done. We’re almost there, I can see the hotel we’ll be staying at today. We’ve arrived~ You can leave your luggage at the Shirakawa-go bus station. Next to the ticket counter, it’s 500 yen per large luggage. After dropping off our luggage, let’s go explore the gassho village. We’ll also look for a restaurant to have lunch. We’ve decided on this local restaurant, “Hakusuien.” Since it’s fully booked, after making a reservation, we wait outside while playing a bit. The snow duck plushie I bought last year is finally coming in handy. It didn’t take long, and we were seated. I’ve heard that Hida beef is really delicious. So for the first meal, I’m going to try it out. Also going to try the famous Ikezumi pig from recent years. The Ikezumi pig’s tenderloin looks really beautiful. Here comes the Hida beef set. The Wagyu beef came in different cuts. While waiting for the yakiniku, I’m going to try the soba noodles. The aroma is starting to waft out. Let’s try the Ikezumi pig. ~It’s seasoned with salt. The Ikezumi pig’s meat has a fragrant taste, no porky smell. This is really good. It’s so enjoyable when paired with local highland rice. It’s time to eat Hida beef! It’s so hot! Wow! It’s so tender! So oily~~~ The flavor of meat and oil fills my mouth There’s also a noticeably leaner cut of the Hida beef The texture is different The first meal of grilled beef is very satisfying Finally, I use the remaining fat to grill some vegetables This restaurant is quite good, and the atmosphere is nice too Next, let’s head to the famous observation deck here Turn left at the fork before entering the Gassho Village There’s a large sign pointing the way During the snow season, the whole route is filled with beautiful views I’ve walked quite a distance uphill, super out of breath Finally, I’m almost at the observation deck. I can already see the whole village! The observation deck is on a platform nearby This is the Ogimachi Castle Ruins Viewing Platform The photos of Shirakawa-go Gassho Village you often see online are taken from here There’s another observation platform next to the same spot This one is the Jiyama Castle Tower Viewing Platform Just walk a short way to the side, and you’ll get there It’s a little higher, but there are just too many people Let’s have fun and walk back down~ I found a tree full of dried persimmons! The whole tree is covered in them. It’s so interesting! Back at the bus station to pick up our stored luggage before heading to today’s hotel We’re staying at “Onyado Yunosho” tonight The hotel is a bit far from Gassho Village, but there’s a shuttle bus at the bus station No reservation needed, the shuttle runs at fixed times every day This hotel is considered more luxurious in the Gassho Village area The facilities are new, and each room has its own bathroom and toilet Our room is on the second floor Many modern Japanese hot spring hotels still keep the tradition of using keys to open the rooms Actually, we really like it. It has a sense of ceremony Wow! It’s huge! Wow~ this bed can fit three people! The room is unexpectedly big It has a vanity! Look These two beds can be pushed together by the hotel to make one big bed A vanity! A dedicated vanity (I love it) The blankets are here! Hehe 😆 The yukata is here~ Shower tools (for the big bath) Are these all for men? Or are there women’s ones too? (They’re unisex, right?) There are three options, you can pick one Those are jackets, the clothes are below For both men and women Let’s switch clothes, you wear the red one, I’ll wear the blue one 😆 The welcome snacks are sesame crackers and chestnut yokan What do you want to drink? What’s this for? To put the tea leaves? That’s for the tea bags, I think It’s tea bags~ so fancy Cute Hey~ the teacup is so big! They even have this for making coffee Let’s pour hot water Wow! So many options Cold water cup There are all kinds. This one is… a refrigerator~ There are two bottles of water inside~ you can drink them. Separate for wet and dry. This is only for showering. For a bath, you need to go to the hotel’s large bath. The toilet is a separate space. The room has an exterior window, you can see the outside view. Let’s check out other parts of the hotel. The map is made of wood, very elegant. There is a beverage bar from afternoon to evening. Peach tea and grapefruit juice. There are also free popsicles. There are four flavors. I picked soda and melon flavors. Mmm~ this tastes so melon-y~ It’s so nice to rest here, drinking tea and eating popsicles. Dinner is served in the restaurant. The menu is full of options, very fancy. The appetizer part looks already quite abundant. Mine is rolling. Cheers~ Wow~ so sour. He said to drink this first. Rinse your mouth. It’s an appetizer! This tofu tastes QQ, smooth and slippery. Snail meat! Sweet peas. Hida beef sushi. This dish is iron-skillet cooked meat jelly. Inside is meat, mushrooms, shrimp, and vegetables, very fresh. Wow! This is so delicious! This is good. After the appetizer, they bring out a sashimi platter. Let’s try some konjac first. So interesting. This texture is similar to shrimp (raw shrimp). But it’s not as slippery as shrimp (raw shrimp). It’s QQ, very unique. Not bad. The other sashimi is also very high-quality, fresh and delicious. The wild pot is ready. It has Hida beef, pork, chicken, and vegetables. The dipping sauces are soba miso, orange vinegar, and wasabi vinegar. Let’s try all three sauces. This one is soba miso. The soba miso is delicious. The pork is very tender. I like this miso. The soba miso is quite sweet, which suits Taiwanese tastes. This pot of meat is really good. Next is “A little gesture,” a small dish from the chef. Salted crispy shrimp 😆 So delicious! A very unique fried shrimp. This section is five small dishes, and we choose one. The dish I chose is the rice bowl. Steamed rice. Choose one from three. I chose the fried white shrimp rice bowl. I’m not sure what this is on top, it’s crispy fried. Hey, this shrimp is different from the other shrimp you had. This is delicious! The other option is tea rice. Does this rice have a crispy bottom? It’s a bit hard. Along with the rice comes the local dish here. It’s grilled miso on a persimmon leaf. They heat up the vegetables and local miso on a persimmon leaf. It’s very salty, fragrant, and sweet. Because the flavor is strong, it goes well with rice. The final dessert is walnut cake with fruit and jelly. It’s a little salty. I think it’s okay, but you probably wouldn’t like it. Because it has walnuts. Here, besides the large public bath, there are two private rooms. No reservations needed, you can use them when the lights are off. It’s a semi-outdoor hot spring house. After the bath, enjoy an ice pop! (They took a shot of me without makeup! How rude.) They also serve late-night snacks! Let’s go check it out. It’s soy sauce ramen. Their ramen always comes with dried bamboo shoots. Let me try it. Soy sauce~😆 A light soy sauce flavor. Japanese ramen is chewy. The seasoning is standard, and the noodles are quite good. You can also browse the hotel’s gift shop. There are many souvenirs available for purchase. That’s it for today~ Good night~ Opened the window this morning and saw a stunning view. Headed to the restaurant in a great mood for breakfast. The menu is still very extensive. Super abundant! It turned into miso rice! Ah~ it’s so hot. It’s sweet potato. Their miso is sweet. Clams. Clams. Shredded radish. It seems like I should pour it all in at once. Grilled salted salmon. Marinated sashimi. Finished my meal and ready to leave, heading to the Gassho Village for sightseeing. The hotel also offers a shuttle bus to the Shirakawa-go bus station at a fixed time in the morning. To make sure I have enough time to explore the Gassho Village today. I specially chose a hotel located inside the village. First, I’ll drop off my large luggage. Then I can enjoy the beautiful view of the Gassho Village. Shirakawa-go Gassho Village is also called Ogimachi Gassho Village. The Wada House here is the largest gassho-style building in the village. It’s now designated as an Important Cultural Property by the government. You can go inside and visit, for 400 yen. During the Edo period, the Wada family served as the village head and was responsible for village security. The first floor of the Wada house mainly displays their daily life and utensils. They were big landowners, right? The second floor displays the tools used by the family for farming. The view from the second floor is amazing! Explaining how the roofs of the gassho-style houses are secured. Everything is tied with straw ropes. They have to be tied again after a while. Walking on the snow doesn’t make it slippery. The second floor is super cold. Am I in a freezer? The Wada family also shows the process and tools of silkworm farming from back in the day. Almost slipped. Continuing towards the village. Walk over and feel the experience of eating ice cream in the icy snow. The milk flavor is really strong! The ice cream doesn’t melt. It’s delicious~ This shop, “Meiran Dream Lomo Dream Pavilion,” has many beautiful and unique products. They have beautifully patterned tableware. It’s really pretty! It’s really pretty! This is a hand-made ball ornament by a 98-year-old grandmother. The first time I’ve seen Tochigi fruits. There are also very special and beautiful shoelaces. This raccoon is so cute~ Bought it, bought it! My husband says it’s two raccoons. Here you can also try the local snack, “Gohei-mochi.” It’s rice fixed onto a stick and coated with miso. Then it’s grilled over charcoal to create this special snack. Oh~ it’s hot. It has a sweet and salty taste, but it’s more on the sweet side. Is it mochi? It’s rice! Miso rice! Did you see? Oh~ I see now. Miso rice! It has a little crispy rice at the bottom, and it’s sweet. Sweet and salty. After the miso is grilled, it also has a slightly charred fragrance. It’s a very simple flavor. It’s like an old-fashioned taste from rural Japan. There’s a Hachiman Shrine in the village. Let’s go in and pray. The entire shrine is covered in white snow, very beautiful. I got attacked by falling snow from the trees. Leaving Hachiman Shrine, heading towards the three famous houses in Gassho Village. The three houses are located farther away. From the bus station, you have to walk through the entire Gassho village. It’s at the other end of the village. This is a very popular photo spot here. You can take a photo of all three Gassho houses in a row. On the way back, instead of using the main road, I took the side road with higher ground. There are fewer shops here, and fewer tourists as well. You can enjoy the snow-covered landscape properly. Plus, walking here brings you closer to the Gassho houses. I found a lot of fish in the river~ Rainbow trout from Takayama. And koi fish. After getting back to the main road, I’m going to buy some souvenirs. This is a shop that sells bean cakes. They have a lot of unique flavors. I’ll buy some to take home. Peach-flavored! ～There’s a floral pattern. This Tochigi fruit rice cracker is the first time I’ve seen it. Buy a few packs to try at home. Happy with the shopping, time to check in to the hotel. Today’s accommodation is at Shirakawa-go no Yu. It’s the only hotel here with a large public bath. This hotel now uses electronic room doors. This is how big the room is. The amenities are stored in the cabinet. Yukata. And this… pants. Looks like there’s nothing special to mention, let’s have a welcome snack, drink some tea, and head downstairs. Everyone gets a cup of coffee, which you can exchange at the front desk on the first floor. Once exchanged, you can enjoy it at the nearby viewing platform. After afternoon tea, make sure to take advantage of the time and head out again for a walk. This is another direction of Shirakawa-go, the external connecting road. The view here is also very beautiful. There are almost no tourists around here. Everyone’s walking around the village, overlooking this area. It’s really a shame. Next, we’re going to the viewing platform to see the night view of Shirakawa-go. Actually, they light up Shirakawa-go the day after tomorrow. The night view will be even more beautiful then. But there is an advantage to visiting today. The viewing platform has been completely empty so far~. We can leisurely, slowly enjoy the night view of Shirakawa-go. Until we’re happy~ 😆 It really feels like a scene straight out of a fairytale. A snow-covered village so beautiful it takes your breath away. The sky is gradually darkening, time to head back to the hotel for dinner. There are no streetlights on the viewing platform at night, and the ground is icy, so be careful going down. It’s almost impossible to see the road without a flashlight, it’s a bit scary. We’re back at the hotel in the dark~. It was truly an unforgettable experience 😆. Changed clothes, now let’s go for dinner~. The moment I look forward to every day~. It looks incredibly sumptuous! Let me light the fire for you. Ready to eat. Cheers~. The appetizers are quite varied. The sashimi is also very delicate. The main dish is Hida beef with leaf-wrapped miso. The grilled soup is also quite nice. The salad and handmade soba noodles are great. The rice is also clear and sparkling, very refined. The children’s meal is different from the adults’. Another round of cheers. It’s bonito broth! Squid~. So delicious! I wonder what this is? So good. Eggplant. This beef is really good with rice! Ah~ such big pieces. It’s truly been two days of enjoying Hida beef. For dessert, there’s ice cream. What is this? Hey! It bubbles! It has a very unique texture but it’s really refreshing~ 😆. I’m so full after this meal~. Full and ready to go soak in the hot springs. The hotel also sells public bath tickets for outside guests. The room doesn’t have a bathroom, so you need to go to the large public bath on the first floor. That’s it for today~ Good night! Today is another beautiful, happy day~ Continuing the Shirakawa-go pig farming tour. Let’s have breakfast right after getting up. The breakfast at Shirakawa-go no Yu looks much simpler. Cheers~! Turns out this is jelly 😆😆😆. Cheers again~! The grilled fish and the grilled tempura are really delicious. The skin is crispy and crunchy. Soft and chewy. Made from fish paste. It has a fish flavor~ Pork miso soup. It’s such a big piece! The restaurant here also has seats with a view. It’s great to enjoy the snow scenery while having a meal. Getting ready to leave~. Next, we’re heading to Hida Takayama. Goodbye~ beautiful Shirakawa-go and Gassho-zukuri village. We’ll meet again next time, in a different season! Taking a direct bus to Hida-Takayama. It’s about a 40-minute ride. The first thing we do in a new place is find the stamp! We found several stamps at the tourist information center next to the station. Three stamps of Hida-Takayama in different sizes: large, medium, and small. Hey, it’s the main character from Hyouka! Don’t forget to grab a multilingual tourist map here! Next, we dropped off our large luggage at today’s hotel. With the bags stored, we can explore the town more easily! On the way to Miyagawa Morning Market, we passed by the Hida-Takayama Exchange Center. There’s a beautiful stamp here! And another Hyouka stamp. The main character and the heroine. Here’s a map showing the locations of the other Hyouka character stamps. Up ahead is Miyagawa Morning Market, one of Takayama’s most famous attractions. This market has been open since the Edo period. It’s still open every day, even now. It’s known as one of Japan’s three great morning markets. Besides the regular storefronts, there are many stalls set up with tents along the riverside. The variety of goods here is impressive. You’ll find fresh produce, flowers, processed foods, and handmade crafts. It’s a fun place to browse around. Look how tiny this is! Here’s a place that sells Hida beef sushi. It’s a specialty snack in this area. Of course, we had to give it a try! We got a set with three different flavors. This one’s ginger vinegar. One bite and it’s gone! It’s cold. But delicious! Next, wasabi. Honestly… it tastes pretty similar. 😆 Hida-Takayama is famous for its sake breweries. They’ve been brewing sake here for over 300 years. There’s a wide selection of sake, and the promotion methods are quite unique. Many shops offer small, paid tasting sessions. This store, for example, has over 100 varieties to choose from. This one’s “Momo no Shizuku” (Peach Dew) from Kyoto. Mmm, there’s a nice peach aroma. Next, “Shusen Eiko” from Ehime Prefecture. This one’s quite different. It has fruity notes with a slight fizz. (Wakabotan from Oita Prefecture) Wow, this one’s rich—super intense! Of course, we also had to try some local Hida sake. Mmm, it has a pleasant sweetness. Sake lovers would really enjoy this area. This shop doesn’t just sell sake. They also have lots of snacks to pair with it, plus souvenirs and gifts. Hey, white peach syrup! This looks so unique—I want to try it! What a curious little product. There are two flavors: muscat grape and white peach. You can mix it with milk to make a fruity milk drink. Next, we’re off to Takayama’s most famous old street. The entire street is lined with traditional buildings converted into shops. Time to find a place for lunch! We picked a butcher shop that also sells sauces. They also run a restaurant here. The first floor is a café serving light meals. The second floor mainly serves Hida Wagyu steak dishes. I ordered the restaurant’s signature Hida Beef Steak Rice Bowl. Carrot sauce! It’s quite tasty. You can also purchase the seasoning sauces on the first floor. It tastes like instant noodle soup~ 😆 Beef soup. It even looks like instant noodle soup 😆 Wow! This tastes so good. So fatty and delicious~ I’ll take a big bite now. The other dish I ordered was the Hida Wagyu Cheese Hamburger Steak. Oh! It’s so hot! This hamburger steak is really good! The hamburger steak pairs perfectly with the local white rice! Delicious! After eating, I’ll take a stroll through the shops downstairs. I couldn’t bring any meat products back to Taiwan, so I had to give up on those. But the seasonings are fine to bring. The store sells Hida’s Takayama rice. I bought a bag. Let’s continue walking down the old street. I found a Snoopy specialty shop. Hida Snoopy~ So cute. Let’s go inside and take a look. Sake lees. It looks like toast. This can be brought back to Taiwan and used to make sweet sake, which is delicious. There are many souvenir shops on the old street. Old-fashioned cookies. They have special ginger sugar. I’ve never seen this before. Various snacks and souvenirs. Salt lemon orange vinegar. Pickled vegetables. Tengu fish, Iwana, and sweet fish simmered in soy sauce. Hida Takayama pumpkins are a local specialty. And they have a series of related snacks. Beautiful wind chimes. This is a handmade cookie and candy store. They still sell their homemade traditional snacks. Various senbei (rice crackers). Special chestnut senbei. Bought a pack. There aren’t many items, but they’re quite unique. This store sells rabbit figurines dressed in kimonos. The craftsmanship is very delicate and beautiful. The price is also quite fancy. Let me show you. This is a shop specializing in ornaments and hanging decorations. As soon as you enter, you see a super cute lion. This shop has a lot of products, and they’re all very beautiful. The prices are also very reasonable. The store’s decor is gorgeous as well. If you have time, be sure to browse around. I bought a frog figurine to take home. Next, let me show you the budget hotel we stayed at. The Hida Takayama WING Hotel. There’s a little chair here. Ahh~ I’m so tired. A standard size for a Japanese business hotel. Suitcases can be stored under the bed. A typical modular bathroom. With a bathtub and a bidet toilet. That’s it for today~ Let’s take a look at the hotel’s breakfast. The food labels are in Japanese, English, and Chinese. Bread and yogurt. Takayama-style miso soup. Rice porridge with side dishes. Curry and local countryside dishes. Omelet, sausage, and mackerel. Fried chicken and yakisoba noodles. Japanese side dishes. Salad bar. Pudding and almond tofu. Cheers! After leaving Hida-Takayama, we’ll take the train to Gero. Let’s check out Gero Onsen, one of Japan’s three famous hot springs! The heavy snow from the other day has left us with beautiful snowy views along the way. Gero Station is small but very modern. It has a very onsen town atmosphere. The promotional posters are illustrated by the manga artist, Eisei Kubonouchi. He’s one of my favorite manga artists! At the tourist information center outside the station, there’s a stamp, don’t miss it! The frog soaking in the hot spring, Gero Onsen. The pronunciation of Gero sounds similar to a frog’s croak. So, Gero Onsen has adopted the frog as its mascot. You can find frog decorations and souvenirs all around here. Gero Onsen is also famous as one of Japan’s top three hot springs. Let’s go! Onward to the onsen area! At the entrance of the onsen area, visitors are welcomed by a statue of Ryozan Hayashi. He was a famous philosopher during the Edo period. He played a major role in making Gero Onsen famous. On the roadside, we found grilled Hida beef skewers for sale. After eating Hida beef for a few days, I’ve started to get used to the flavor. It’s pretty good~ very fragrant. This one’s so cute. A frog with wings. Frog Hida baby. Next to the grilled meat shop is the Shirasagi Yokocho. You can take a little stroll here. I want this too. So many frogs! Hey~ this one is really cute. The souvenir shop is full of frog-themed products. The frog holding a Hida doll is so cute! Hehehe. So satisfied. Walking nearby, we find the Gero Onsen Shrine. Let’s go in and pray. Look at their faces~ so cute, their cheeks are all puffed out like this. Next, our goal is to take a walk around the onsen street. Compared to the popular tourist areas in Japan, there are almost no tourists here! At the end of the onsen street, if you walk further up the hill, you’ll come to the origin temple of Gero Onsen, Onsen-ji Temple. Climbing up 173 steps, we finally reached Onsen-ji Temple. It’s very peaceful here, as there are no tourists. Here, they enshrine Yakushi Nyorai, the Healing Buddha, according to the white heron legend. The white heron legend is the story behind the origin of Gero Onsen. It is said that long ago, a white heron came here. It caused the hot spring water, which had once dried up, to start flowing again. The white heron was actually the incarnation of Yakushi Nyorai. After that, people began to enshrine Yakushi Nyorai here. Souvenirs can be paid for online. 😆 So cute~ and wearing a red hat too! Behind the main hall of Onsen-ji Temple, there is a small Inari Shrine. When leaving Onsen-ji Temple, you can see the whole Gero Onsen area. On the way back, we passed by this shop, GEROGERO BUTTER STAND. This is a very popular dessert shop in Gero Onsen. Their most famous item is their homemade butter sandwich cookies and grilled rice balls. The butter sandwich looks so delicious! I bought the pistachio cheese flavor. Let’s taste it~ It’s frozen hard. Oh! It’s so hard! It’s not ice cream. It’s very hard butter. It’s more like a soft, chewy caramel (my thoughts). Very creamy! There are cheese chunks inside. And there’s cheese inside as well. It’s actually quite unique, you should try it. Aside from food, this shop also has many souvenirs for sale. A box? Yes! And inside are cookies. Cookies in a book-shaped package. Butter cookies. Oh! This looks so delicious! So many frogs! Such a cute package. Butter milk bath bombs. The jar can also be used as a piggy bank. Frog~ 😆 Cute frog hairbands. Continue exploring the hot spring street~ A trumpet~ A trumpet hidden on the street playing music. Here are two frogs playing drums and blowing trumpets. Everywhere you look, there are frogs in Gero Onsen. Not easy. Not giving up! Like this. My husband says I’m too silly, so he will show me how it’s done. Oh no~ I bumped into him. You’re A5 Hida beef, huh? Are you a miss or a mister? (It’s mister). After shopping the hot spring street, we arrived at today’s accommodation, Tora-ya. This is a modern-style small hot spring ryokan. There are several staff members who speak Chinese. They give detailed introductions to the hot spring area attractions. The overall design here is very modern. And the room rates are relatively inexpensive for the area. Overall, I highly recommend staying here. Let me show you the room. When we entered, the bed was already made. There are also two small sofas. There’s a window to the outside; our room is on the first floor. It’s made of wood! Every room has its own bath and toilet, which is really nice. The ryokan also provides yukata. Let me change clothes and we can go check out the Gero Onsen area at night. This is the appearance of our ryokan. Japanese monkeys don’t have tails. No long tails~ At the hot spring bathhouse next to the White Heron Bridge. This is also a very popular dessert shop in the area. The most famous items are their hot spring egg soft serve and hot spring pudding. The shop also has a foot bath, where you can enjoy snacks while soaking your feet. Since they’re closing soon, there aren’t many customers. We’ll go eat dinner soon, so we’ll leave the snacks for tomorrow. We’ll come back tomorrow and enjoy it properly. Today, we’ll just check out the shop’s souvenirs. Frog bath scrubbers. A small wallet? Yes. Now, let’s go for dinner. There are very few restaurant options in Gero Onsen at night. Most of the shops closed early. Luckily, the yakiniku (BBQ) shop we wanted to eat at was still open. This shop uses a tablet to order, which is very convenient. The marbling looks beautiful. First, we brush oil to start the grill. Grilling begins! I truly believe that grilled beef is the best. The aroma of Hida beef keeps wafting toward me. I added a hot spring egg on top of my rice. Once mixed, it creates an incredibly tempting bowl of rice. The taste of happiness~ I also ordered a Hida beef donburi (rice bowl). Rice with sauce added. Not bad~ It’s delicious. Wow! So tender! Super tender. This looks even more amazing with the wagyu beef. So oily~ It smells so good. Wagyu BBQ with rice is amazing! Cheers~ Full and satisfied, time to head back to the ryokan and rest. That’s it for today. Tomorrow, we’ll be going to Gero Onsen Gassho Village. The lodging, Tora-ya Inn, includes breakfast. Just a simple meal, then we’ll head to Gero Onsen Gassho Village. Bread and miso soup. To be honest, it’s not that tasty, probably not to our family’s taste. After eating, we took a walk towards Gassho Village. It’s a bit of a walk from the hot spring street. But it’s within walking distance. We passed by a morning market, but unfortunately, it was closed today. This Gassho Village in Gero consists of houses relocated from other places. It re-creates a traditional Japanese Gassho-style settlement. It’s open to the public as a museum park. In addition to the houses, the park also collects many early farming tools and household items. You can experience the life and culture of a Gassho settlement here. The admission ticket for each person is 800 yen. A frog is welcoming us. A mini version of Mount Rokuzan. There’s a toy with stilts. The old Iwasaki family house is a folk materials museum. The commemorative stamp is a set of six in one. You have to walk around the entire park to collect them. The main house of the “Old Iwasaki Family” is from the mid-Edo period. Its feature is a roof shaped like an open book on top. It was relocated from Gokayama in Nanto City, Toyama Prefecture in 1968. It’s slightly different in building style from the Gassho houses in Shirakawa-go. It is now used as a folk materials museum. The museum displays many tools and items from the early Gassho village life. Many of these items are valuable cultural properties. How do you read this character? Chōshi It’ll give you a stiff neck! You can only sleep on your side, right? Is this an old book? It’s really beautiful. A teapot. Look at that princess and her lord, several pairs of them. Big and small～ you can see their hierarchy. First level, second level, third level. Five go, one shō, and what’s that? Kado-dō An axe, I think. This one doesn’t cut yourself, it’s for protection. The bath tub is a bit small, people back then were much thinner. This is a water bucket. Look～ people back then had such strong arms. There’s a child worshipping the heavens. This is the Takehara Bunraku Memorial Hall. Inside, there are more delicate items on display. “Takehara Bunraku” was created by Ichirō Dōkō, an artist from Gero. The most special thing about it is that one person can control 100 puppets in this performance. After walking around, there’s an outdoor foot bath to rest and soak your feet. Let’s continue exploring~ Old Toyama Family Board Warehouse. This is a wooden warehouse built in 1810. The walls are made of two layers of wood planks, so it’s called a board warehouse. It was relocated here in 1963. Inside, there are farming tools. This is the old O-ya house residence. This Gassho house, according to the beam records, took 13 years to complete. Found another commemorative stamp here. Align it properly. Gero Onsen Gassho Village. Is this to scale? No way! How could the cows be this small?! Right! I was wondering why they’re so tiny. There are many statues here. They simulate the lifestyle of people back then. Was it always this dark in the past? So shiny and golden! Whoa! This cabinet is so cool! The cabinet is amazing! Let’s sit down and take a picture together. Chatting while tidying up, gossiping 😆 There are kids here! A heater! You can even roast things on it. The second floor simulates the silkworm farming of the past. Those are silkworms! Haven’t you raised them before? They’re extracting silk from the cocoon! A suitcase. Look, people were so small back then! The clothes are tiny. They sell fish feed here so you can feed the fish. Don’t put your hand too close. In the end, the ducks ate a bunch before the fish even got a chance. Oh, so cold! It’s really freezing! After passing through the Saisekiki no Mori Tunnel, you’ll cross the road and arrive at the other side of Gassho Village. There’s a Frog Shrine here. There are frogs everywhere around the shrine. Super cute! Found two commemorative stamps at once here. No roof. Missed two, let’s go back and find them. There’s a zip line slide here. One ride costs 100 yen. Slowly walking uphill. It’s quite a long slide. Remember to grab a board from below first. There might not be any boards left at the top. Be sure to read the instructions first. The entire slide is divided into two sections. Walk a short distance forward to reach the second section. Let’s head back to the other side of Gassho Village. There are several restaurants in the park. No worries if you get hungry while exploring. This place serves grilled river fish set meals. They offer three kinds of grilled fish: sweetfish, rockfish, and char. They also have ramen if you don’t eat fish. Let’s try the fish first. I ordered the more unique rockfish and char. The fish doesn’t have too many bones, so it’s not hard to eat. Also ordered the soy sauce ramen set. The noodles are pretty chewy. The noodles are really tasty. Wow! So much soy sauce 😆 The set comes with two bamboo leaf-wrapped sushi. It’s just two big clumps of rice! (So much rice 😆) It’s sushi with marinated fish. The rice is super sticky. Found another stamp at the Hida Workshop next to the restaurant. Just one more to complete the collection. Next to it is the Enkukan. Found the final stamp! Even though it’s not perfectly aligned… It’s fine as it is! This hall exhibits many Buddhist statues. They were carved by a monk named “Enku,” who was born in Gifu Prefecture. Enku was a Buddhist Tendai monk and sculptor from the Edo period. He traveled all over Japan spreading his teachings. It’s said that he carved 120,000 Buddha statues in his lifetime. Most of them feature smiling Buddhas. His early carvings were delicate, but in his later years, they became bold and unrefined, revealing a natural sense of Buddhist essence. These statues are known as “Enku Buddhas.” They embody a unique charm admired by many. Finished exploring the Gassho Village, now leaving Gero. Didn’t get to try the onsen egg soft serve at Tamayuya last night, so giving it a try before leaving. Wow, it’s a hot spring egg! Should we mix it? (Yeah!) Stir it up, right? (Yup~) You need to break it down more. I just got a big chunk of onsen egg! So when I ate it, the ice cream was ice cream, and the egg was egg. It tastes much better when mixed well. The shop also has a foot bath — you can soak your feet while eating ice cream. Their pudding is also pretty famous. Reluctantly leaving Gero Onsen behind. Heading back to where this journey began — Nagoya. Going to visit my childhood favorite, Nagoya Castle. On this day, we visited the last destination of our Central Japan trip. It’s Nagoya Castle, which was my husband’s favorite when he was a child. (Now, his favorite is Himeji Castle 😆) Our hotel was next to Odori Park. So, it was just a short walk to Nagoya Castle. Let’s take a stroll and walk over. On the way, we passed by the city hall, a beautiful historic building. Heading east on the map, there are many historical landmarks. Continuing towards Nagoya Castle. Before entering from the east gate, you pass through this food street. Even the drinking fountain is designed like a golden shachihoko. The path is lined with maple trees. It must be stunning in autumn. The colors on this signboard are so beautiful! The entrance ticket costs 500 yen per person. A golden-colored ticket. After entering, you can find multilingual guidebooks along the path. There is also a commemorative stamp for Japan’s Top 100 Castles. Don’t miss it! I found another date stamp. Apparently, if you want to re-enter multiple times, you just need to stamp your ticket with the date. Might as well stamp it as a keepsake. Let’s go inside and take a look around. This is the design and construction of Nagoya Castle’s stone base. It was built by Kato Kiyomasa, a famous castle builder from the Edo period. He played a significant role in the construction of Nagoya Castle. First, we passed through the East Garden—let’s go inside and explore. A Japanese garden in winter feels so desolate. It’s all maple leaves! Look! They look like tiny hands. Nagoya Castle has a turbulent history. Originally, it was the castle of the Imagawa clan. After the Imagawa clan was defeated, the Oda clan took over and gave the castle to Nobunaga. Later, when Oda Nobunaga moved his base to Kiyosu Castle, this castle was dismantled. During the Edo period, Tokugawa Ieyasu ordered its reconstruction. Then, it was destroyed in World War II. The one we see today is a modern reconstruction. Nagoya Castle is also known as “Kinjo” or “Shachihoko Castle.” You’ll soon see why it got these nicknames when we reach the main castle. Another highlight here is the Honmaru Palace. It served as the residence and administrative office of the feudal lord. The interior is incredibly extravagant and luxurious. Photography and filming are allowed inside, but no flash is permitted. The original Honmaru Palace was also destroyed during the war. What we see today is a faithful reconstruction that took Nagoya City ten years and a huge budget to complete. It was rebuilt using traditional methods. Gold leaf was used extensively inside. Everything shines with golden brilliance. Let’s go in and experience its ultimate luxury together! At the end of the exhibit, there’s information about the modern restoration work. It includes details on fundraising efforts and the people who spearheaded the project. There are also exhibits about the materials used in the restoration. Japan puts a lot of effort into the preservation and restoration of historical sites. Now, let’s head toward the main keep. Currently, the main keep is not open to the public. So, we can only view it from below and take photos. Nagoya Castle is most famous for its enormous golden shachihoko. Back then, large amounts of gold were used to display authority. The current ones no longer contain real gold. Right next to it is the gift shop. There are many Nagoya Castle-related souvenirs here. There are also family crest-themed goods featuring Tokugawa Ieyasu and Oda Nobunaga. I really like this small offering box. A Nagoya Castle keychain. A 10,000-yen poker card set. Of course, there are also many golden shachihoko souvenirs. A shachihoko magnet. There are also Snoopy collaboration souvenirs. A Nagoya-exclusive handkerchief. A Nagoya-exclusive handkerchief. He twisted it off! Oda Nobunaga twisted it off (so cute! 😆). Shachihoko socks! A perfect left and right pair! This is such a fun idea. A Nobunaga eye mask. So many shiny golden items! Since we’re here at the Golden Shachihoko Castle, I should pick a shachihoko souvenir to remember this trip. This paperweight has a nice weight to it. I bought two—one for the left, one for the right—just perfect! It’s so heavy! Really solid! That’s about it for Nagoya Castle. It’s a shame we couldn’t go inside the main keep. Hopefully, we can visit again when it reopens in the future! For now, we’ll just walk around and take some pictures. This was our last activity in Nagoya. Tomorrow, we’re heading back to Taiwan. It was our first time visiting the Chubu region of Japan. Luckily, we had good weather every single day. This trip was filled with great experiences and wonderful memories. On the last day, we head back to Taiwan early in the morning. Getting from downtown Nagoya to the airport is super easy. Just like when we arrived, we transfer at Kanayama Station. Sunrise. Taking the subway straight to the airport is so convenient. Heading home! My adorable little niece. For the return flight, we specifically chose a special meal from China Airlines. The Indian meal’s bread is nice and chewy. It tastes pretty good! This bread is delicious. The salad is a chilled shrimp dish. There’s shrimp! So happy! So hot! Super hot! The main dish is chicken curry. This rice is really unique! So powdery! It has a very soft texture. Super powdery! Mmm! So spicy! This is the spiciest dish I’ve ever had on a flight. But the flavor is actually pretty good! The other dish is shrimp risotto. It looks just okay… I wanna eat this (quail egg 😆). Actually, it tastes pretty good! It’s like a soy sauce-flavored rice dish. Not bad! Back in Taiwan! This trip has come to a perfect end. Already looking forward to the next journey!

[ 25年1月 ]
第一次前往日本的名古屋，這次的目標是知名的白川鄉合掌村，我們到那裡住了兩天，好好的享受了一下溫泉旅館獨有的氛圍與美食，到了飛驒高山逛老街以及日本三大名泉之一的下呂溫泉，最後以有金鯱城之名的名古屋城為終點完成了這次的旅行！

走！跟著我們一起去逛逛～

章節
0:00 intro
0:20 出發！前往名古屋、名古屋中部機場交通方式、名古屋久屋大通吳竹酒店開箱
04:46 白川鄉合掌村、鄉土料理 白水園、荻町城跡展望台、
22:26 白川郷 御宿 結の庄 飯店開箱餐食
41:16 國家文化財 和田家、荻町八幡神社、白川鄉三小屋
59:36 合掌村夜景
01:02:45 天然温泉 白川郷の湯 飯店開箱餐食
01:09:55 飛驒高山 宮川朝市 古い町並
01:30:45 飛驒高山WING國際飯店 飯店開箱餐食
01:33:36 下呂溫泉、 下呂溫泉寺、GEROGERO BUTTER STAND、寅家 旅館開箱 飯店開箱餐食、下呂温泉 足湯の里 湯浴屋、飛騨牛・焼肉 ジュージュ
02:00:03 下呂溫泉合掌村
02:21:01名古屋城