Month: May 2024

Too Early for Sakura

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I was hoping to catch the Sakura in full bloom when I was in Nagoya or Tokyo. Alas, the unprecedented weather changes threw the blooming schedule far out of proportion, and I left before the blooming season properly started in the central and eastern regions. At least I did get to see patches of it blooming in certain spots, from Nagoya Castle to Ueno Park. Maybe next year…

Indoors 11 – Cherry Pie

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Watching Migi and Dali made me want to try cherry pies for the first time. Bought them from a specialized bakery and enjoyed each slice with some B&J’s.

Singapore Airlines Lobster Thermidor

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Always flying economy when on Singapore Airlines in the past, I’m very grateful for the opportunity to finally fly SQ’s Business Class for the first time. After reading about the ins-and-outs, I decided I have to order the signature Book-the-Cook (Singapore Airlines’ online food ordering for premium passenders) dish: Lobster Thermidor with fondant potatoes. I had my reservations when ordering, since I’ve never had anything above decent when it comes to seafood on an airplane, but with the light-tasting lobster and the rich, creamy sauce, this is possibly the best seafood dish I’ve had in the air so far!

Breakfast @ Bagpipe Cafe

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Tried “Viennese Coffee” for the first time along with a decent slice of cheese cake. Coffee with whipped cream is rich and smooth. The interior definitely sets it apart. Sadly, no pineapple sandwich unlike the anime-version of this in Hyouka, and I made it known in the guest book. Bagpipe is a cheap and quieter place to have breakfast, compared to the bustle of the morning market.

Anime vs. Reality (Kamiyama/Takayama)

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The lucky cat statue in the middle of the shopping street.
The shop in the background even has the same logo, just with the name changed.
Hyouka has been one of my favorite anime TV shows. It’s low-stakes slice-of-life but with the added charm of mysteries involved. When the opportunity arose to visit the city (Takayama) that the show is based on (Kamiyama), I set off with my camera to see how similar the city is with the anime depiction. In appearance, it certainly is.
It’s very hard to line the shots up from the actual anime scenes, due to various issues like not having the right field-of-view with the lucky cat above and the library below. This shot of the main shopping street intersecting with the road leading to Kajibashi Bridge lined up really well however.
Definitely did not get the right FOV with the Takayama City Library, though it was a pleasure actually going in. For a small town, the library appears to be quite vast, with even a kids’ and small English section (though mainly for learning English) to boot.
I stopped by the “Bagpipe” (the real-life one on the right) cafe to see if they also sell pineapple sandwiches like in “Pineapple Sand” (the anime one on the left). Sadly, they do not despite having a Hyouka memorabilia section inside. At least I got to try their cheesecake and Viennese coffee – will post that soon.
After trying to line these two photos up, I concluded that my camera wasn’t high enough to capture the right perspective. Additionally, in the 12 years since this show was released, the wooden bridge at the bottom has sadly disappeared. That, or it was simply added for the show and only existed there.
This one was quite difficult. The sun sets a lot later when I took this, not to mention the real-life “Cafe Katsute” (right) closes long before then, and it does seem that the anime-version, “Cafe 123” (left) did make a few difference in positioning certain elements. Nevertheless, I think the similarity is still very much visible.
Finally, there’s several small bridges crossing through Miyagawa River, some more ornate than others, but all very walkable and offer great views. With shorts like these, I think there’s so many different elements that there’s going to be a lot of little differences with perspective and elements that a side-by-side comparison such as this would be more appropriate.

There’s many more spots that I visited which were featured in the show, such as the real-life Hida High School that the anime Kamiyama High School is based on (not publishing pictures because of obvious reasons), and the Miyagawa Morning Market (most of the stone pillars Satoshi stood on in the intro were removed to make way for a bridge). For fellow fans of the show, I do encourage you to make your own pilgrimage to Takayama and see for yourself – in addition to the tasty Hida Steaks and fascinating blasts of Japanese nostalgia you can consume.

Matcha and Warabi Mochi @ Cafe Katsute

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Dessert for a refined palate. The mochi’s only mildly sweet, with a fragrant, herby but bitter cup of matcha. Lots of other mochi and green tea places around the country, but this is worth a visit if you’re in Takayama.

Tamsui Church

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Old Sanmachi Walk

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From souvenir keepsakes to local produce (sakes, beef) to snacks and cafes, there’s a lot to see, eat, drink and buy. As I’ve repeatedly stated, places do close early so get your shopping done in the late afternoon.

Dinner @ Kitchen Hida

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A cut of chateaubriand.
A plate of beef chateaubriand.
Beef stroganoff.
Salad, washed down with Hida apple chuhai.

Round 2 of my Hida Beef journey! This time, armed with the knowledge of restaurants closing early and not taking any chances, I booked a table in advance and was surprised when I turned up when I saw a sign that all tables were already fully booked. Having tasted the food, I can see why. Their stroganoff was warm and nourishing, and their chateaubriand is hands-down the best cut of steak I’ve ever had thus far. It perfectly fits the definition of “melt-in-your-mouth” with no gristle or imperfection. Had that with some salad and corn soup made with Hida beef broth (not pictured), it was definitely the best meal I had in Takayama.

While there’s a lot of good Hida beef places, Kitchen Hida is the best among the various beef places I tried. Bookings are highly recommended (visit them in-person the night before if you can, or try calling them), and their chateaubriand is definitely pricey (cheaper tenderloin and sirloin cuts are available), but I would say the experience is so worth it.

Mesmerizing Spout

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Taken at Takayama Jinya.