Guest House THANYAPORN

The owners were lovely, and the green curry was incredible. This was the best meal I had in Takayama, with fresh, authentic Thai food, the best I’ve had in Japan. Anything on the menu can be made vegetarian. I can’t wait to return and highly recommend it. They also have a guest house near the JR station.

It took some effort to find the guesthouse, since it sits behind a large parking area, but once there we found clean rooms in a traditional style and very friendly, helpful hosts. Its central Takayama location is convenient, and there’s an attached Thai restaurant serving quite tasty food. Sharing the bathroom with another couple wasn’t a problem for us. We did feel the place was a little pricey, especially since we had to make our own beds. Still, it’s a good choice if you’re staying in Takayama.

There were four couples in the restaurant, and one woman seemed to be cooking, reheating dishes, serving, and managing both the restaurant and attached hotel at the same time. All the food came out within about five minutes, which made us think it had already been prepared and was just warmed up and mixed together. We ordered Thai green curry for 1200 yen, pad Thai for 1200 yen, juice for 300 yen, and extra rice for our baby for 200 yen, which we had thought would be complimentary. The owner said the portions were large, but the pad Thai was small. The green curry was chicken soup with only a hint of green from the vegetables. The hosts may be kind, but that doesn’t make it okay to serve chicken soup and call it green curry. Worst Thai food ever.

I only tried the food, not the guesthouse, and it was excellent: freshly made, well seasoned, and served in good portions. The owner is happy to chat and has interesting stories and business ideas to share. A nice change if you want a break from traditional Japanese food.