Day 6 - Miso and Matsumoto Castle
We make a visit to a Miso factory today, discovering why this
thin soup is so important in Japanese cooking on a guided tour,
before tasting the distinctive flavours created by mixing fermented
soya beans with salt and other umami-based ingredients for
ourselves. We continue to Matsumoto Castle, an impressive
five-storey pagoda-style fortress known as 'Crow Castle' thanks to
its unusual black exterior. After time to look around, we begin our
journey to Takayama, visiting the Hida Folk Village, an open-air
museum depicting more than 30 rustic farm dwellings from the Edo
Period, on the way. Set deep in the mountains, Takayama is a
fascinating town of narrow streets and wooden houses, a beautiful
place to spend the night.