At the beginning of March, with spring just over the horizon, I was off to Takayama in Gifu prefecture. My itinerary was a 2-night, 3-day excursion, which included catching a bus to Oku-Hida hot spring town's Hirayu Onsen, taking in the dynamic scenery of the Northern Japanese Alps with the help of the Shinhotaka Ropeway, and then heading by bus to Matsumoto in Nagano prefecture before catching a Chuo line train back to Tokyo. Keep reading to find out how it all went down!

During my trip I stayed at two ryokan: Takayamaouan in Takayama and Miyamaouan in Hirayu Onsen. Read on below to find out more about them, and don't miss the special offer at the end of the article!

Behind me, I could hear the train departing. About four-and-a-half hours earlier, I had set out from bustling Tokyo Station. Now, I was virtually the only person at the ticket gate. This was fortunate as I struggled to coax my suitcase through the turnstile; the burgeoning bag bouncing off the barriers like a bowling ball down a bumper-clad lane.