I wanted to visit another area of Japan during my return trip, so I decided to book tickets to Nagoya, the gateway to Central Japan. I had no clear and definite itinerary in mind because I wanted to be flexible and just add or remove destinations while I'm there. I ended up traveling to Takayama, Shirakawago, Tsumago, Magome and Matsumoto, and exploring Nagoya.

The cities of Japan are fascinating; the bustling streets filled with pedestrians in Shibuya, the neon lights of the shopping centers and restaurants of Osaka and the trains that zip through each city like bullets are hallmarks of a developed country. However, that was not what I was looking for on this trip. I headed to the provinces to discover what Japan was like before.

Tsumago Old Town