Miyagawa Morning Market Tour: A Walk along the Streets of Hida-Takayama
Rise up early to score fresh vegetables and fruits sold at the Miyagawa Morning Market!
Who says you can’t go shopping as early as 6 am? In Japan, the beautiful city of Takayama lets you explore its quiet traditional town in the form of morning markets.
Don’t know what to buy? Have a sample first!
Takayama, or Hida-Takayama, hosts two morning markets in their town. The first one is called the Jinya-mae Morning Market, located in front of the Takayama Jinya (Hida’s preserved government office in the Edo Period). The other one is the Miyagawa Morning Market Tour, found beside the Miyagawa River.
Morning market schedule depends on the season.
We woke up earlier than usual to pay a quick visit to Miyagawa Morning Market. It opens at 7 am from November to March and 6 am from April to October. Morning markets are actually popular in Takayama. It’s a place where you can buy local products such as food and souvenirs. Going here is also a way to support local businesses in Takayama.
Free taste, you say?
Get cute souvenirs in this shop that opens very early!
We were delighted to find out that most of the stores give out free samples of the delicacies they offer. Food samples are always a good idea to lure customers, but they’re there for another reason: so that one can try and taste the food before buying. I tried to eat food samples as much as I could so that I could taste Takayama’s best dishes. They say that farmers harvest their products very early in the morning so that they could sell them at the morning markets.
Once you try these mushrooms, you’ll definitely want to hoard more!
Tasty cucumbers for breakfast
While walking, I indulged myself into a hot and tasty miso soup from a stall we visited. I learned that they don’t only sell food items here. Some shops sell popular Hida souvenirs such as Sarubobo doll figures and Maneki-neko collectibles. If you love cooking, you’ll find lots of fresh and cheap Japanese ingredients here, from shiitake mushrooms to vegetables and fresh fruits.
Also read: Sarubobo Doll Making Experience: The Day We Hatched Baby Monkeys
Fruits are also available in the morning market!
What makes Miyagawa Morning Market ideal for everyone is that it’s not too crowded unlike the markets in other areas. Here, you can just stroll along the quiet street as you spend time going through each stall. Walking through the market is an experience that will make you feel like a true Takayama local — something you wouldn’t to miss.
Details:
Address: Shimosannomachi, Takayama, Gifu Prefecture, Japan
Contact: 080-8262-2185
Website: http://asaichi.net
Email: miyagawaasaichi@gmail.com
Operating Hours: 6 am to 12 noon (April to October) and 7 am to 12 noon (November to March)
How to get here: Get off at JR Takayama Station. From there, it’s only about a 10-minute walk towards the Miyagawa Morning Market.
Written by Jastine Valeriano
