Visitors are rushing to Japan at the moment as the weak yen is making the normally big-budget destination more affordable. Last year, the town of Fujikawaguchiko erected a screen to block its iconic view of Mount Fuji after selfie-snapping crowds blocked pavements and stopped traffic to get the perfect shot.
Ginzan Onsen, a hot spring town in the Yamagata region, is now limiting daytrippers in the winter season. It is also now easier to reach the province from Europe. The lavish lobby of the Miyako Hotel has a fountain with bronze cormorants perched on the edge. From my room, I can admire the silvery water of the Nagara river and the little tiered Gifu castle high on the mountain behind. The Nagara also flows through Seki city, where it nourishes another historic tradition.
With its water as well as local coal and red clay, swordsmiths in the area have forged some of the highest-quality blades in Japan for years. Very few swordsmiths still operate in Japan, but at Sanshu also spelt Sansyu , a third-generation-owned shop, you can see a forging demonstration where workers pound folded steel with hammers - and have a go yourself. While their swords are exquisite art objects, visitors can purchase more affordable gifts in the form of knives, scissors, nail clippers and garden shears.
A little further north near Mino city in a hamlet of wooden houses, vegetable plots and water channels is Warabee Land. Heading into the northern mountains, the town of Hida is renowned for its prime, fat-marbled beef and medicinal herbs. Residents still go foraging on the slopes and river banks and learn about the beneficial properties of plants.
At Mori no Megumi, I take a tea-making class where I create my personal herb combination to aid with ailments including hair loss, hangovers, sensitivity to cold, and joint pain. Near Hida is Takayama city, which ruled the area during the Edo era from to You can visit the sprawling Jinya - the last remaining administrative headquarters from the time left in Japan - and the historic streets of the merchant town lined with nostalgic dark wood shop fronts, restaurants with serving hatches and hand-painted menus.
