10 Mar 2023
Yoko was super helpful and knowledgeable. We went to the Hida Craft Village (we paid for a taxi because it would be faster) and there were a couple of the local artisans in their workshops. It was so wonderful to have her translate the explanations from the artisans to get more detail about the woodworking and lacquer work they were doing. I honestly could have spent a whole day wandering the village. I also went to the craft shop and made my own sarubobo doll - they have a bunch of small crafts you can try. We went back to the main town for lunch and she showed us a fabulous local ramen place. We headed to Takayama Jinya before exploring old town and shopping. On the way back to our hotel she showed us a 1200 year old gingko tree - it still had a few leaves, but is supposed to be spectacular if you get the timing right.