Takayama · Eastern Takayama
Higashiyama Walking Course
When Kanamori Nagachika built Takayama at the end of the 16th century, he gathered temples on the hills east of the town, according to the official tourism website inspired by the Higashiyama district of Kyoto. They were a religious center and also a line of defense against an attacker coming from the mountains to the east. The neighborhood is still called the Higashiyama Temple District, and it is a quiet residential area.
The trail links more than ten Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, graves of local figures and forest, and ends at Shiroyama Park. According to the tourism website it is about 4 km, and on the official walking map the full route is 5.5 km and two hours. Along the way there are remains of the dismantled castle: the bell gate of Unryu-ji temple is, according to a historical record, a castle building that Kanamori gave to the temple in 1601, and the main hall of Sogen-ji, the Kanamori family temple, was moved in 1635 from the castle's council hall. Tensho-ji is known for its autumn leaves, and two deposed provincial lords were held there in exile, among them Matsudaira Tadateru, son of Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Shiroyama Park is the hill on which Takayama Castle stood. Nagachika began building it in 1588 and finished it within about 16 years, and in 1695, after his family was moved to another region, the shogunate ordered it torn down. Today it is the largest park in the city according to the city government, 24.6 hectares of forest, and from the site of the main citadel there is a view over the town's rooftops.
Good to know
- There are bears in the area. Because of bears Shiroyama Park was closed from 16 January to 25 February 2026. The city recommends carrying a bell or something that makes noise and not entering the forest in the early morning or in the evening, so it is best to finish before sunset.
- A convenient order: start at Unryu-ji temple in the north, about 6 minutes from the float exhibition hall, and finish at Shiroyama Park, from which you walk down to the old town.
- If you want to shorten it: the Takumi bus (East-West line) has a stop at Sogen-ji temple, in the middle of the route. ¥100, it leaves from the bus center next to the train station about twice an hour, and the last one back from Sogen-ji leaves at 16:26.
What is nearby
Approximate walking minutes from the entrance of Higashiyama Walking Course.
- HereHigashiyama Walking Course
- ~3 min
Enako River Promenade Street
The river that served as the castle's outer moat, near the start of the trail. Autumn leaves from mid-October to mid-November, and from 1 October to 30 November 2026 it is lit up from 17:30 to 21:00, except on 9 October.
- ~6 min
Takayama Museum of History and Art More to see
14 white storehouses of a wealthy merchant turned into exhibition rooms on the town, the festival and the crafts, around a courtyard with a stream. Free.
- ~7 min
Kotoriya Shoten Shopping
A shop founded in the Edo period: sashiko embroidery thread in dozens of colors, cotton fabrics and tenugui cloths. They hand out a free map of the Hyouka locations in town here.
- ~8 min
Wakichaya Food
Soba and udon in a broth of kombu, shiitake mushrooms and dried fish, and a set with Hida beef and miso on a clay plate. There is tatami seating. About 8 minutes down from Shiroyama Park.
- ~8 min
Noguchiya Tofu Restaurant Food
The restaurant of a long-established tofu maker in town: simmered tofu, yuba, dengaku and local tofu dishes. The dishes are tofu-based, but this is not a declared vegetarian restaurant.
- ~8 min
Hida Takayama Saryo Mitsuha Cafe
A matcha and sweets cafe in a house from the Edo period, with semi-private rooms and a terrace where dogs are allowed.
Appears in: Takayama: the morning markets, the Sanmachi lanes, sake and Hida beef