This post is long overdue. At the end of January, we traveled 2 hours by train to Takayama, a charming town known for wood carvings and sake. As such, most of our time there was spent browsing the handicrafts and touring a sake brewery. It was a short weekend trip, but we enjoyed exploring the town and had a chance to experience snow in Japan for the first time this winter.
Nearby is Shirakawa-go, a UNESCO World Heritage site. All of the A-frame houses in the village have incredible, traditional grass-thatched roofs that look like hands folded in prayer. In the winter, the village is illuminated and looks like a gingerbread wonderland.
sayonara, sara! 