Little Kyoto

Takayama Jinya. This was the local governor's office during the Edo period. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Zhang Lei soaks in the onsen in Takayama in Central Japan and considers its unsophisticated sincerity and laid-back charm.

Like most small towns in Japan, Takayama, Gifu, in Central Japan has a serene look. Except for the Nohi bus terminal and the JR railway station, it has virtually no traffic, even though the town functions as a hub that connects some of Japan's most famous tourists sites like the historic UNESCO village Shirakawa-go, the Okuhida Onsen-go and the Japanese Alps.

It was my first visit to this region with my cousin. If anything else, Takayama made us fall in love with Japan.

Dubbed as the "Little Kyo-to", Takayama is well preserved with wooden buildings in the Sanmachi district on the right bank of the Miya River. Our first day in this antique town saw us behaving like toddlers - we were curious about every-thing.

It was early November, and the late autumn leaves were all over the ground, as the maple trees started to turn from dark red to yellow. The scenery here was charming. As I trod along the winding streets, I came across a narrow stream that flows slowly in front of every house that lines it. Each family has a slate that acts as a bridge paved across the stream. By the sides of the slate, each house-hold has invariably planted all kinds of trees and Japanese bonsai. There is a certain unsophisticated sincerity about it.

I also saw a lot of beautiful koi in the stream, and in the sections where the koi are concentrated, there are boxes like birdhouses that are set aside. Passers-by or visitors can reach inside the boxes to get the fish food to feed the koi.

We headed downtown. Along the way, we sawa beautiful shrine painted a simple white and black color. A small bell tower beside it added to its mystique and solemnity. It was nearly 4 pm, and the sky had already turned half dark. The streets suddenly became fairly empty.