Takayama, beautiful Takayama. My second, or perhaps my third home...
I discovered Takayama thanks to my wife, well over ten years ago. "Why?" you might ask. Because my better half is originally from Takayama, so destiny brought me straight here. It is both a big and a small town. It is the city of the proud Hida carpenters (Hida no Takumi), a land of rich mineral deposits, a haven for exceptional sake, and a hub for fine craftsmanship and woodwork.

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For a certain period, this "Little Kyoto" was actually the geographically largest city in Japan, even slightly surpassing the capital. Why is that, you wonder, if the population is only around 90,000 residents? It is because the actual urban core of Takayama is very compact, while the rest consists of breathtaking mountains—the Japanese Alps, to be precise. In fact, some argue that the northern-central Japanese Alps are the most beautiful in the entire country.

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Its surroundings offer two stunning contrasts: on one hand, it boasts the highest concentration of hot springs, and on the other, several ski resorts. It gets very cold here in the winter, despite sitting at an elevation of under 600 meters above sea level. In short, Takayama truly has it all: a thousand-year-old culture, incredible food, premium sake, and so much more.

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​What more could you ask for in life?
Well, given the freezing temperatures, occasionally I wouldn't mind a beautiful sunny beach... but joking aside, I simply cannot do without my beloved Takayama. What are you waiting for? Come and visit me!