Three immaculately preserved merchant streets form the beating heart of old Takayama, lined with sake breweries, artisan shops, antique dealers, and cafes housed in dark-timbered Edo-period buildings. Look for the spheres of cedar fronds hanging above brewery doors, a traditional signal that sake is being made within. Day or night, the photographic opportunities are endless, and the smell of grilling Hida beef skewers mingles with the earthy aroma of cedar from the old shopfronts.