On Sunday I went to old town Takayama with the Shibaharas.  It was a great time.  The historical section is Takayama is wonderful - and I certainly was not the only tourist.  No other Americans, but lots of Japanese who were obviously from somewhere else.

They have beautifully restored buildings and nice quaint shops in this section of town.  We went to the old president's house, ate rice cakes and skewered rice balls with soy sauce, and shopped in the little market.  We also visited the Shinto shrine where Yashushi and Yoshimi were married thirteen years ago.

This section of town is one I'll visit at least weekly, if not more often.  There's a morning market there with fresh veggies - which I haven't seen many of in stores.  It's also a great place to look for souvenirs for my family.