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The train from Nagoya arrives at Takayama station with us on board.
Finally.
Not that trains in Japan would ever be late — they definitely aren’t — but certain Western travelers might be.
After spending nine nights in Nagoya, we are slowly heading to the mountains of Takayama to celebrate Christmas in the winter wonderland of Japanese Alps.
Emphasis on slowly: We miss the train we originally planned to take.
Christmas in the Japanese Alps – Takayama
A Slight delay from Nagoya to Takayama
Since Takayama isn’t exactly one of those big cities with frequent public transportation connections, the next train won’t be departing anytime soon.
We wonder how to spend the few hours of waiting.
With our backpacks on, we wander around the nearby blocks for a while, but the biting wind drives us back to the station.
We decide to sit down for lunch at one of the station’s restaurants.
When the time comes, we ask for the bill and make a quick stop at the restroom before heading back to the platform — only to see the train’s tail lights disappearing.
Back to square one at Nagoya Station
When we insert our travel cards into the gate, they trigger an alert. Since we hadn’t even traveled a single kilometer, the cards naturally didn’t have any data on the trip distance or the amount to be charged.
Thankfully, the attendant who comes to help understands our situation, and we’re allowed back into the station without any trouble.
So, back to the station restaurant it is. Now it’s time for some wine (for me) and a beer (for Ismo).
We finally make it onto the next train.
Perhaps now we can relax and start settling into the holiday spirit.
Christmas 2013 – our first Christmas in Japan
We flew from Helsinki to Nagoya and then took a bus to Takayama to spend Christmas there before continuing on to Taiwan on Boxing Day.
The snowy mountains along the way, contrasted by the stark beauty of the leafless trees, were breathtaking.
In my opinion, Japan’s forests and mountains are some of the most beautiful landscapes possible.
We had flown to Japan from a snowless southern Finland, and the white mountains brought a festive, Christmas-like atmosphere.
Located in the Japanese Alps, Takayama is a fairly reliable spot for a white Christmas; snowfalls can easily reach a couple of meters.
It was Christmas of 2013 — our first Christmas in the japanese Alps.
It wasn’t my first time in Japan, but we had never spent Christmas there before.
We had booked accommodations at the *Takayama Ouan Hotel, located near the station.
In the Japanese Alps an onsen replaces the Christmas sauna
Our top priority in choosing both our destination and hotel was access to onsens.
This year, a Christmas onsen would replace the traditional Christmas sauna.
Takayama is known for its hot mineral springs, and the pools at Ouan offer exactly that.
Our hotel had not only the typical gender-separated bathing areas but also a few small private onsens available on a first-come, first-served basis.
The large spa area on the hotel’s rooftop, with both indoor and outdoor pools, was excellent.
Soaking in the outdoor pool while looking out at the mountain views was an unforgettable experience.
Even though it wasn’t a natural pool, the water was from natural hot springs, and the snowflakes drifting around added to the festive atmosphere.
The downside was that we couldn’t enjoy it together. So, we mostly waited in line for the private pools, which could be used for thirty minutes at a time — a perfectly adequate length for soaking in 40-degree water.
The private onsen pools are small, but they’re also partially open to the outdoors, with an end wall exposed to the open air. The experience feels similar to being in a natural onsen.
The wait time wasn’t usually too long, and even just watching the mountains through the windows of the top-floor lounge in our yukatas was relaxing.
During our first Christmas in Takayama, we created our own Finnish-Japanese celebration by eating chocolate while lounging on our hotel room bed.
I had secretly bought a box of Geisha chocolates on the Finnair flight while Ismo was asleep.
Takayama, the merchants’ town
From time to time, we strolled around the town. The old town is small but charming.
Takayama is known not only for its hot baths but also for its sake distilleries.
As is often the case in popular tourist spots in Japan, the pedestrian areas of Takayama’s old center are geared toward shoppers. In addition to sake, you can buy things like deerskin wallets or incense crafted using traditional methods.
On the other hand, Takayama was historically a prosperous merchant town, so these trade houses are part of its heritage.
While we rarely buy souvenirs or go shopping in general, Japan is one of the few places where we tend to make purchases.
As a result, we, too, have deerskin eyeglass cases that have held up well through our travels.
And as I write this, I can smell the incense we bought in Takayama.
Visit Takayama’s old merchant houses
One of the must-visit spots is the old merchant house of Yoshijima, which now operates as a museum. The house, which once served as both a residence and a sake distillery, gives insight into how wealthy Japanese families once lived.
At the end of our visit, we were offered traditional shiitake soup cooked in an iron pot.
It was especially delicious after a tour in socks, with cold toes.
The museum’s modern heated toilet seat was so tempting that I almost wanted to stay there longer.
Thankfully, a hot bath was waiting for us at the hotel.
The culture of dressing indoors
In the mornings, we descended from our room to breakfast dressed in yukatas, as is customary.
On Christmas morning, we were greeted at the breakfast room door by a real-life Santa Claus, with whom, of course, we had to take a photo for memories.
So, we were captured in a stylish Finnish-Japanese way, in our “morning robes,” alongside Santa in the hotel lobby.
I’m not a morning person, so the opportunity to hang out in the breakfast room in pajama-party style is one of the things that continues to charm me in Japan, year after year.
However, for Christmas dinner, I think we actually managed to dress properly.
If Japanese customs are unfamiliar to you, wearing a yukata is part of the experience.
During my first trip to Japan, I was too shy to wander into a Kyoto hotel’s breakfast room feeling what I thought was half-dressed.
So, I ended up feeling underdressed as I sat among the Japanese, all dressed in beige yukatas, with my jeans on.
Shoes are often left in the hotel lobby, and you tiptoe around indoors in slippers.
At Ouen, there was a separate wooden closet for shoes, where guests would leave their own shoes and change into the hotel’s slippers.
Christmas 2017 – Our second Christmas in the Japanese Alps
As we left Takayama behind, we promised ourselves we would return.
Four years later, that promise came true.
So, for our second Christmas in Takayama, we arrived by train.
This time, we stayed for a couple of nights in the city center, but we were now continuing our journey to a mountain hotel.
*K’s House, located in downtown Takayama, served as our base camp.
K’s House is a hostel chain we’ve used in other parts of Japan as well. The chain is known for its cleanliness and hotel-like quality.
For long-term travelers or nomads like us, the biggest bonus is their clean, well-equipped kitchens.
In the mountains, we knew there would be no services — no stores or restaurants, except for the hotel’s dining option.
So, we had to buy everything we needed in advance from downtown Takayama.
On the third day, we disembarked from the bus in the middle of a quiet mountain village, carrying far more than minimalists would typically have: our two small backpacks plus shopping bags filled with wine and chocolate — lots of chocolate — and origami made for us by the children at a local daycare in Nara.
We couldn’t bear to part with the origami made with small hands for quite a while.
During Christmas, we arranged them to decorate our hotel room.
Those origamis traveled with us for a longer time across Japan, but when we continued our journey to Bali, we had to part with those beautiful works of art.
Hot baths and Hot pots
The *Nakao Kogen Hotel Kazaguruma offered full board, but having a little bit of our own Christmas tradition was also nice. Especially on longer trips.
That said, new traditions can be embraced as well: the onsen has become more beloved to me than the Finnish sauna, even though our own home sauna in Helsinki was once dearly loved.
This Christmas was crowned by the things most important to me — soaking in hot mineral water while enjoying the views of the Japanese mountains.
Before anyone gets alarmed, let me clarify for those who don’t know us: yes, my travel partner also willingly swaps the traditional Finnish Christmas sauna for the Christmas onsen and thoroughly enjoys bathing.
As for me, I might not love the sauna as much as he does, though if the opportunity arises, I do have to try the heat.
Private onsen
So, we relaxed in our wooden hot tub, soaking in the mountain views of Japan.
We actually had our own onsen in the room: a wooden tub, constantly flowing with fresh, hot mineral water. The bathroom had a window not only to our large hotel room but also toward the mountain scenery.
The window could be opened.
What luxury!
Honestly, no sarcasm here at all.
If you’ve never tried bathing in hot water in freezing weather, I highly recommend it!
Zen.
Full board, full stomacs
At times, we climbed up to the next floor to enjoy the appetizers provided by the hotel, eating all the chocolate we had brought along in between.
To be honest, there wasn’t actually that much chocolate — Japanese packaging sizes are small.
And we wouldn’t have been able to eat much more anyway, as the hotel’s buffet offerings were so plentiful.
On the first evening, we made a small mistake regarding the choice of our main dish.
We gathered a bit of everything from the buffet, and then, after eating that all, the waiter came to ask us which of the main courses we would choose.
Excuse me, what?
Well, a massive bowl of shabu-shabu, a type of meat soup, was brought to our table.
So there we were, eating or crying and eating, after having unknowingly had pasta, potatoes, salmon, bread, salad, and meat sauce as appetizers…
The work stress is creeping in
The relaxation would have been perfect if our Japanese contact hadn’t bombarded us with messages.
Between baths and sighs, I reluctantly accepted that the interview questions for the next work assignment had to be sent right then, rather than after our amazing three-day break.
When vacation was an impossible thought for our contact, I pleaded (honestly) with the weak wifi and that I had already taken care of communications directly with the factory, which we would be heading to next.
Then, I sank back into the tub to gaze at the mountains.
Beware of the snow (and phone)
We had also planned to go hiking and take the cable car up to a scenic spot. But the snowstorm changed our plans.
The cable car was closed, and in the Japanese Alps, you definitely don’t go trekking in the snow.
Here, it’s not about centimeters, it’s about meters.
One reason we came to the mountains was to continue my book project.
I was hoping to capture more of the minimalist landscape shots I needed.
When it became clear that the project I had started on the previous trip wasn’t going anywhere here either, I got stubborn and climbed up to the hotel roof.
The snowstorm was howling, but with cold fingers, I continued shooting and exclaimed to Ismo how amazing the view was up there!
And then back to the plunge in our own room’s onsen.
The emails and messages kept coming: respond immediately, send the interview questions right away, the interviewee needs them right now. Once again, I politely ask if I could respond in a couple of days because this is an important holiday for us.
It was, after all, the only break we had in who-knows-how-long. The same delusion applies everywhere in the world when it comes to the nomadic life.
My Facebook memories just reminded me of how a young European man enthusiastically asked us in Kyoto if we, the nomads, worked for maybe an hour a day. You wish.
And so it goes. We descend from our part-time three-day relaxing holiday toward the center of Takayama.
Return to Takayama’s center amidst the storm
The storm is really starting to pick up. And we begin to worry if we’ll make it to the scheduled work assignment on time.
We leave early just to be sure. The hotel owner doesn’t want us walking the kilometer-long distance in the storm and offers us a ride to the bus stop.
We stand at the stop, but the ride never comes.
Finally, we see the bus approaching through the heavy snowfall. We wave, and the bus slows down.
The driver explains that he’s only going to loop around the main stop first and apologizes for not having space to take us. The bus is packed because one previous trip had been missed.
He apologizes again, closes the door, and continues on his way.
We take shelter from the storm under a bus stop shelter, which is reminiscent of a small milk stall.
The wind whistles around our feet.
My ankles are stinging.
I climb up on the bench.
Sorry for my bad manners, but my shoes are pretty clean. These hiking boots have passed Australia’s strict entry regulations, and I’ve tried to keep them just as clean since.
A Japanese bus etiquette
A storm, and not just any storm, but a Japanese snowstorm, begins to attack us. Snow is coming in horizontal sheets, but thankfully, a bus also arrives through the thick rain.
It’s full when it arrives, but there’s always room for compromise. Passengers already on board gesture that there are indeed seats available. Ismo backs down the aisle and sits on a bench spread across the aisle. Japanese buses really have this type of extra seating.
When someone leaves, others stand up and raise their seats, naturally making room for the person exiting. The same applies when someone boards.
The first seat designated for passengers is covered by a dark blue tarp, indicating that the space is reserved for luggage. This situation isn’t typical, but the storm-induced cancellations of buses force these exceptions. It’s not that unusual in the mountains, which is why even the tarps are prepared for such cases.
For a Finn, a.k.a. me, however, there’s still something to learn.
When no other seat is available, I sit on the dark blue tarp in the front seat. Why not, since I fit next to the luggage. A little while later, I feel the cold moisture soaking through my pants. Apparently, that’s why. I’ve sat in a puddle.
The snow is so thick that we occasionally have to stop. The wipers can barely clear the windshield. When visibility improves, I, as usual, amuse myself by taking pictures through the frosty window.
I could sit here, admiring the natural spectacle, endlessly — especially from the warmth of the bus. Who cares about the wet pants.
Hida-Takayama carpentry traditions
Upon arrival, we are warmly welcomed by Akiko, who greets us with a friendly smile. There’s no mention of preliminary questions — Akiko is open to all inquiries.
Even the delay caused by the snowstorm hasn’t thrown off the marketing manager’s schedule.
She’s come to pick us up from Takayama’s transport center and has set aside the whole day for us. We’re relieved — there’s absolutely no way we could afford to be late for the work assignment in any country, even less in Japan. Months of preparation could have been wasted in an instant.
Now, we get to explore a local tradition: the carpentry skills of Hida-Takayama.
While Takayama is famous for its hot springs and sake brewing, it’s best known for its woodworking heritage.
Akiko works at HIDA Sangyo, a family-owned business founded in 1920, led by her father. HIDA Sangyo has crafted furniture for the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, continuing a long tradition: the Hida-Takayama craftsmanship dates back over a thousand years, and the city’s carpenters were already carving for the palaces of Nara as far back as the 600s.
After a tour of the factory, we visit the company’s own carpentry school, and eventually, Akiko drives us to a vast showroom, where the company’s current products are on display alongside furniture from past decades.
If I had a permanent home, I’d buy a handmade Japanese wooden chair!
Christmas 2024 – not in Japan after all
Japan is one of those places that you need to visit regularly. When you’ve spent a few months there at a time, you can manage without it for about half a year.
Now, years have passed since my last trip. Winter of 2020’s journey was canceled, so was the last winter’s. In the spring, I was certain that we’d be in Takayama again this Christmas.
It didn’t turn out that way, but fortunately, there are still a few Takayama incense sticks left.
Maybe I’ll already be on my way to Japan when the last one burns out.
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