How Long Should You Spend in Takayama

Helen Foster
Latest posts by Helen Foster (see all)

Located in Central Japan, Takayama is famous for its old town area, lined with pretty wooden buildings. But how long should you stay there to make the most of the town?

The short answer is that IMHO, you need at least one full day and an overnight in Takayama to make the most of it.

Article by Helen Foster. Disclosure: Some links in this post are affiliate links. See our Affiliate Disclosure.

This might surprise you as, if you look at the map, the town looks quite compact; the main part of the pretty wooden streetscape of the Old Town is just three blocks wide and about three long so you might be asking, how can it take up that much time.

And it’s true, you can easily wander the Old Town in a few hours, giving you time to take in some of the other shrines or museums on Takayama’s Must Do List before leaving.

However, because of its compact size, many visitors come here on day tours to do exactly that, which means the area is crowded between the hours of 10 am and 4 pm.

After this, the buses leave town, and the place becomes truly peaceful – and at its prettiest. As evening falls, the lamps outside the houses come on, and the place is bathed in the light of golden hour, and you’ll really see how magical it is. Spending the night here allows you to see the place without hoards of people

And, you might even want to stay longer. I spent two nights here, which was enough to see all the sights, eat a lot of delicious food, soak in my hotel onsen, and take a day trip to one of Japan’s hidden gems.

When You Might Want to Stay Longer in Takayama

1. If You Want to See More Than the Old Town

As I said, most tourists who come to Takayama for the day will spend their time wandering around the old town area, checking out the shops and sake breweries hidden in those pretty wooden houses and trying the famous Hida beef skewers and croquettes the town is famous for.

If they get there early enough, they might also take in the stalls that line the street by the river, visit the fun Showa-Kan Museum with its displays of days gone by or take in one of the town’s many shrines.

But that’s only part of what Takayama has to offer – and, if you spend two days here, you can also take in all of those sights – and fully explore the area around the Sakurayama Hachiman shrine, which includes the shrine itself, the matsuri float exhibition and the amazing Sakurayama Nikko, where you’ll find carved models of the temples of Nikko by a local craftsman (it quickly became my favourite thing here).

Jumping on the local bus a little way out of town can also take you to the Hida No Sato open-air museum, where you’ll find crafts workshops and replicas of Japanese buildings to explore, and, a little further down the hill, you could make a stop at the Teddy Bear Museum.

2. If You’re Interested in the Higashiyama Shrine Walk

This 3.5 km walk around the edges of town takes in 12 shrines – you can also extend it to add a 2km loop around the castle’s ruins.

The temple part of the course takes about two hours to cover, but it won’t be easy to cover all of it and enjoy the rest of town in a day.

I fit as many of the shrines on the walk into my two days as I could but still missed out on a couple—and didn’t even attempt the loop around the castle.

To see more about the walk, check out our longer post on the Higashiyama Walking Course.

3. If You Want to Visit Hida Furukawa

This small town, about 15 minutes away from Takayama by train, is a delight and makes a perfect half or full-day excursion from Takayama.

It’s best known for the koi carp that swim alongside one of the town’s streets, but, it’s also a fantastic place to pick up handmade souvenirs, try Hida beef without the queues or pay homage to the sights of the film Your Name.

Check out our longer Hida Furukawa guide for more details on how to spend your time.

4. If You Want to Take a Day Trip to Shirakawago

Located a 50-minute bus ride from Takayama, Shirakawago is famous for its pointy-roofed thatched houses. It’s very pretty, especially in autumn and winter when nature blesses it with colourful leaves or snowfall that looks like Christmas Card.

It’s easy to take a day trip to Shirakawago from Takayama, but you’ll need to add at least another half a day to your visit. Make sure you check out our guide to things to know about visiting Shirakawa-go before you do.

Note: if you’re traveling to Kanazawa before or after your time in Takayama, you can easily visit Shirakawa-go on the way. Again, check out the above guide beforehand, particularly if you were thinking about taking your luggage.

5. If You’re Here During the Matsuri

Spring and Autumn are times for the Takayama Matsuri, where huge floats parade the streets.

This is ranked as one of the top festivals in Japan, so it’s incredibly popular and not to be missed if you’re here at the time it’s on. However, the extra crowds, plus time spent taking in the matsuri means you’ll be unlikely to cover the usual sights in a day if the festival is on.

The Spring Festival takes place on the 14th and 15th of April. The Autumn one is on the 9th and 10th of October. Allow at least two days if you’re here at this time, and book your accommodation well in advance.

If you’re not lucky enough to be in town on those dates, you can see the floats at the Takayama Matsuri Yatai Kaikan in the Sakuraya Hachiman shrine area. It’s a fascinating museum – make sure you listen to the audio guide as you go around to learn about all the details on the floats.

So, that’s my guide to how long to spend in Takayama, and when you might want to spend a little more time here. If you’re not thinking about where you might want to stay, have a look at our next Takayama article – where to stay in Takayama.

Need Extra Planning Help?

Our Japan trip planners can help. You might like our First-Timers Japan Planner, which will help you plan your trip to Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka step-by-step, including tips on everything from picking hotels to sightseeing and dining. Or our super-duper Tokyo Disney Planner makes arranging your park trip MUCH easier. Find them in our Planners store – printable and digital versions are available.

Sharing is caring!