We changed trains in Nagoya. There we got out of the Bullet train and had to wait a little for our scenic train. This is the view once you get from the train station, very intricate skyscrapers… Especially the one in the very center and far away. 
The train to Takayama was a limited express, which meant that it stopped in only 2 or 3 stops-ￂﾠ it was so fast. much faster than the bullet train super express…Go and guess… it was so fast that I could not take better pictures form my window though the views were outstanding-ￂﾠ we were riding by or over a mountain river and the fall colors were surrounding us intensively – I had a hard time turning my head – looking this window, then the other then back…!
Takayama is a much smaller city, no skyscrapers, very traditional and a big old town protected by UNESCO. You get from the station and you are there – every inch is cozy and pretty. Every. It is like a souvenir town. You walk and admire non stop till you get tired of looking and admiring…
The sunset in November and December is close to 5 pm. Days are short. And so there were lots of people before the sunset. But after – everything usually closes and nobody in the streets. No nightlife in those quarters, maybe somewhere else… 
This maple was seen from our hotel corridor and our room: 
Our Jaz Hotel Takayama was super good-ￂﾠ with the only exception to its goodness – all the doors were very low, I had to bend down a lot not to hurt my head, but by that time I already was used to it.ￂﾠ In the hotel we were served fancy breakfasts, had a small “onsen” on the premises – in bathing rooms, not outside. The bedrooms were of good size and beds were very confy, too. We didn’t need to sleep on futons on the floor like in Hakone. I give it 5 stars! They even gave us nice kimonos to go to the “onsen” downstairs. 
So the first evening and the next day we walked and walked and looked!
Isn’t it a strange interpretation of Trump? And is it their version of Melania? Quite peculiar :-). That was the only mention during our trip of our Orange shame, other than that – they seemed to have no clue of who is ruling the world :-). 
This is the sky of our first evening there! Loved it. 
Takayama is a float town – they are famous for their “matsuri” when they take out their intricately built floats form their garages and museum and drive them through the streets, attracting lots of crowds and business.ￂﾠ We tried not to get into any ‘matsuri’, to be free of crowds. but we saw special garages built for a float, while there is so little space for houses…And I noticed this cat figure on our way to hotel – it seemed that it hides some little float or just to make their little yard orderly and fun. 
The red bushes were driving me crazy. I never got enough of them… 
A tea garden that we used to call here – a Japanese garden by city museum, which is in a traditional old house complex,ￂﾠ extensive and informative. And also beautiful, as everything there :-). 
Sorry, I have a lot of pics of trees. I could not help but admire them..
Takayama is tucked in among hills, one of them being the castle hill. The castle is long gone, only the foundations are left. But the trails and forests around it are very worth hiking to. You can see the city from above and you can enjoy feeding colorful little birdies from your palm: 
They even warn that bears live in those forests and people hike with little bells on their backpacks.ￂﾠ 
Everywhere there is a little piece of land – it is turned into a neat garden. radishes are big and cabbages are just starting- but it witnesses the fertility of their land and the diligence of people. 
Most of the temples are high up ￂﾠ -to reach God is not so easy… Consequently – we didn’t climb to all of them, our legs were tired.ￂﾠ 
Most of the little pools for hand and mouth washing have a dragon and water comes from his mouth. But I liked here dragon not as much as the maple leaves… 
Lots of cedar trees by the temples on the slopes of the hills.ￂﾠ One can walk there endlessly…
The way they shape their pine treesￂﾠ -could not take my eyes off…ￂﾠ 
Lots of big branches of the pines or other shaped trees are supported. And lower -those round reddish bushes by a road are azaleas in bloom! At this time of year…
This pine tree is like a coquette! 
Those were Lithuanian flag colors! 
When it is cloudy and gets dim – my camera is very sensitive to not being stable, and my hand is not that stable. This is the way how they dry their persimmons, also -ￂﾠ not just hanging, but hanging beautifully!
This must have been some occasion described on the board on the right.ￂﾠ never saw so many mums by anyone’s door, too tacky:
I don’t know a more beautiful entrance to a house… 
When the skies cleared up-we saw snowy mountains form our hotel steps: 
ￂﾠ 
Peculiar – there was a pagoda far in between roofs – and it had a cross: 
“Oyo Urban Stays” is a good hotel, we got a room on the 7th floor with all the amenities, even tooth brushes. With bathroom and shower en-suite. Of courseￂﾠ – the room was very small:
I guess it is not what we understand as “swastika” and usually have not a very pleasant reaction.
A ginkgo tree-ￂﾠ boy how it is pruned! But looks good and so yellow…
There is a big public park past the temple and a lot of museums are in that park. But having your head dizzy from jet lag and seeing the long lines toￂﾠ museums long before their opening time-ￂﾠ we decided to leave for the next trip. Yes, the feeling we got was that Japanese are very much into culture. 
So instead we admired trees. The oldￂﾠ ones seem like they are so appreciated, all taken care of. supported, just to have them there as long as it is possible. 
The whale by nature museum is of natural size.ￂﾠ 
This temple has a monument for Hiroshima’s victims and an eternal flame there.ￂﾠ 
Tori is the red or vermilion gate to a Shinto shrine. Why they like to put a lot of them – we don’t know. Maybe for pictures – Japanese like to have their pictures taken in beautiful places. Or maybe you read what is written on every Tori and get your soul cleansed…
And so we walked through the park, to big streets with skyscrapers towards the center. I remember reading long ago that Tokyo is so huge and the streets are soￂﾠ complicated that one can easily get lost. Somehow I didn’t get such a feeling. The streets are wide, too long, yes, but nothing complicated, everything on our map in the telephone or the paper one. So we walked until we saw the sets of foods in a restaurant window that seemed appealing. Sets till 11 am cost up to 460 yen and after 11 am – around 600 yen. You pay into a kiosk and get you food from the counter, good organization. And having in mind how cold it was – that hot miso soup was a saver!
Then we walked to the Imperial palace- which is also a huge garden and only small portion of it is available forￂﾠ us, being not of blue blood. The palace itself is also not seen from where we walked. 
The very center of Tokyo – some skyscrapers are quite elaborate, not that I am a fan of them.ￂﾠ 
Their infrastructure is amazing… 
Our street where we lived was facing Tokyo Tree. The next morning we took JR train and went to the other side of Tokyo – to their largest Shinto shrine Meiji-Jingu. You get out from the train in a busy city area and couple of steps up – and here you are on a wide and long path in a dense forest! Lots of locals are dressed in their Kimonos, festive. Some just come to visit the shrine, some have an anniversary or some other occasion. Even guys are dressed in their garb and look very good. And picture taking is their main occupation on such a trip. 
Japanese have a demographic crisis – ￂﾠ too few babies, too old the population. So every child is just cherished! They have a custom 3-5-7ￂﾠ -when a child is of that age-ￂﾠ they dress him in traditional kimono and take him to a park or shrine, mother will be dressed, too. But kids are kids- they do not pose in a proper way.
Chrysanthemums- They were on that wide path to the shrine. Lower are the ones which are turned into bonsais.ￂﾠ They are masters in bonsai art…ￂﾠ 
This is the only procession we saw in the big square. They came from the shrine so fast and disappeared in another even faster – so I could catch only the end of it… 
The procession was for newlyweds. Based on my expertise of faces-ￂﾠ a local guy married an American gal,ￂﾠ not the other way around, as is more frequent. 
One of the 3-year olds…He has the most famous pictures on his kimono, but has no clue about it.
Here is the Hungarian pepper in the day time. Loved it! Our hotel was behind it.
ￂﾠￂﾠￂﾠￂﾠￂﾠ After Meiji-ￂﾠ we walked and walked towards Ropongi district. It was very long walk but beautiful buildings on our way. Don’t think that we entered any of them, as enticing as they looked…Our legsￂﾠ were too tired. 
Passed through a cemetery: 
Towards are museum. But what a lovely combination of chaotic windows on that house! (pic. on top). And the National Art Center, bottom: 
Then we reached the river, not to simple, only with the help of a map and concentration and found the pier. We took a boat to Asakusa back – a good choice! The sun was setting and it was fun to see the city from some distance. 
We sailed under 6 or 7 bridges for some 35 min.ￂﾠ 
As it was not very late, the sun is setting there at 5 pm at this time of year,ￂﾠ we walked to Senso-ji temple one more time to see how it looks in the dark. And were not disappointed, the market on the way was in full swing!
Ye, pink chrysanthemums, never saw before…