This is a lovely area with some very nice souvenir shops and sake breweries. I enjoyed looking around some of the souvenir shops as the goods weren’t tacky plastic that you might get elsewhere, there were some genuine crafts on display. It wasn’t too busy when we visited but I can imagine at peak times it would be packed with people. If you’re in Takayama it’s definitely worth a look even if you just take in the lovely traditional buildings.

Love this neighbourhood and the old street. We walk explore the neighbourhood twice and it is easy to navigate around. Of course, it will be packed with tourist by 10am. If you want an empty streets, go there in early morning around 7am.

Lovely buildings combine with interesting local merchants/eateries to great effect for any visitors. It will take you an hour or two to walk the entire stretch on your own (without any guide). Put on the traditional yukata and you can take wonderful pictures of yourselves and the period-looking houses in the background.

OMG! Visiting Takayama felt like stepping into a samurai movie! Make sure to arrive early. We stayed near the main train station and took photos at Sanmachi Suji around 8 AM before heading to the morning markets. By 10 AM, the street gets crowded. The shops offer high-quality, traditional Japanese items, and prices were reasonable with a strong USD. We tried some delicious Takayama beef sushi. I'd love to return.

This area is popular with tourists because it looks old and historic with its narrow streets crammed with different businesses, but it can definitely get crowded. Really crowded. I think the area is also known for its street food which is more accurately shops selling food through a window to the street. Lots of stuff on skewers. We had beef, pork, chicken and a sticky rice all on a stick. We had takoyaki. We had ice cream. This is also a big area for souvenirs so we got some of those too. Overall: Good to experience but you need to have some patience. Hopefully you aren’t there when the tour buses are.