Nagoya

It starts with a good tour guide Ms Xiao YU and a safe driver. Great touring experience at Hida and Shirakawago. We learn a lot on the history of the area and leaves color in the northern part of Nagoya is breathtaking. Lunch offered considering the location of restaurant, which is quite remote , is good. Only complaint is the lunch time is too rush. All in all, I would recommend to my friends.

Convenient transportation, numerous attractions, suitable for independent travel, with easy access to many autumn foliage viewing spots, and plenty of shopping malls and restaurants near the station.

The tour guide meticulously organized the information, showed us the best tour route, and also tried his best to liven up the atmosphere on the bus. The whole trip was greatly enhanced because of the tour guide.

The itinerary was very fulfilling, with visits to three scenic spots, all of which were beautiful. It would have been even better if we could have spent more time in Takayama Old Town. The tour guide was very professional, providing explanations in three languages, which deepened my understanding and impression of these places.

Communication was smooth, the driver was very nice, drove very smoothly, and the car was very clean.

The bus will arrive at Takayama at 11am, so you can take a trip to the Miyagawa Morning Market (closes at 12am). The 2-hour stay in Takayama is only enough to visit the Miyagawa Morning Market and queue for lunch. In order to spend more time walking around the old street, I didn't go to the restaurant and only ate the Hida beef sushi and doughnuts from the morning market. A stay of 1.5 hours in Shirakawa-go is just right. I booked a trip directly up to the observation deck, so the bus would take us to the observation deck first and stay for about 20 minutes. Then load us down again and stay a little over 1 hour. Takayama is worth a careful visit for half a day or even a night stay. But hotels in Takayama are hard to book and hostels are expensive. So I eventually opted for a day trip from Nagoya.

Because I stayed in Nagoya, the train fare to Mie alone was worthwhile. I spent three days there, visiting Ise Grand Shrine, Toba Aquarium, the Kashima Spanish Cruise, and Gozaishoyama-dake, basically covering all the major tourist attractions. Plus, there was unlimited bus service, so it's highly recommended. If you're traveling to Mie, I suggest not staying in Nagoya like I did, because you have to take the train around 8 am every day, and the journey takes an average of more than two hours. So, consider staying in Matsusaka or Ise for 1-2 days to reduce the hardship of getting up early for the train.