Hidden amid the mountains and forests of Nagano’s neighboring prefectures Gifu and Toyama, you will find a unique remnant of Japanese history: The Historical Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama. Designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, these villages should definitely be on your must-visit list when travelling through Japan!
Being the biggest of the three historical villages, Ogimachi has the most houses and a part of those are open for viewing to the public. Many of the houses you see are used as a residence by local people who thrive on rice cultivation and tourism. One of the houses that is (partly) open to public is the Wada Residence. Designated as an important cultural property, it is the largest house in Ogimachi and beautifully preserved.
It’s only a short walk from the Shirakawa-go Bus Terminal and is open from 9:00~17:00. Admission costs 300 JPY for adults and 150 JPY for children.
There’s also a museum made up of several houses called the Gasshozukuri Minkaen Outdoor Museum. It’s like a mini-village in itself and features shops, shrines, restaurants and more. It’s open from March through November from 8:40 until 17:00, and from December through February from 9:00 until 16:00, with the last admission being 20 minutes before closing time. During December through March, the museum is closed on Thursdays (or Wednesday if Thursday is a national holiday). Admission costs 6oo JPY for adults and 400 JPY for children.
As you’re walking through the village, there are plenty of small shops where you can buy a souvenir or maybe get a snack and a nice warm cup of sake. If you want to have the full experience of being in a historical village, you could also choose to spend the night at one of the gassho-style houses. There are several guesthouses in Shirakawa-go which all require reservations in advance. Check out this website to see a list of the guesthouses.
It’s actually very hard to say when the “best time” to visit is. Honestly, any time of the year is the “best time” to visit Shirakawa-go. There’s something special about the village’s scenery during each of the seasons. The blooming of cherry blossoms in spring, the fresh green of early summer, the golden colors of the trees in autumn, and of course, the magical snow-covered landscape during winter.
If you go in winter, there is a special light-up event held a handful of times in January and February. Due to the large number of tourists wanting to visit these events, reservations in advance are required to enter Shirakawa-go during this time (you can visit Shirakawa-go during the day before the event begins with no reservation, but will have to leave the village at 15:00 in that case). For more information about that, click here.
As you can probably tell by looking at the photos, Shirakawa-go is an absolutely stunning place that’s rich with history and culture. As a unique World Heritage Site, we highly recommend you visit it during your next trip to Japan.
Shirakawa-go is easily accessible via public bus, taxi or rental car. We’ve listed several routes below, so please check which one is the best for you.
Takayama is closest to Shirakawa-go and thus has buses running frequently. Keep in mind that some of the buses require a reservation. For non-reserved buses, it is recommended to be at the bus stop 20 minutes in advance.
Takayama – Shirakawa-go >
When travelling from Tokyo, you would need to take the train and then transfer to the bus. Where you transfer depends on your schedule, but you can choose to travel by train to Toyama or Kanazawa (or Matsumoto) and transfer to a Shirakawa-go-bound bus from there.
This passport allows you unlimited bus rides for 4 days, so you can fully experience all the wonderful places in Nagano and Gifu such as the castle town of Matsumoto and the beautiful mountain areas Kamikochi and Norikura, as well as the old town of Takayama and the nearby Shirakawa-go and Gero Hot Springs. In addition to unlimited rides in the designated areas, you also receive special discounts at various sightseeing facilities such as the Gasshozukuri Minkaen Outdoor Museum and Matsumoto Castle. You can get even more out of your trip by buying the passport that includes a return ticket for the Shinhotaka Ropeway.
Validity: Valid for 4 consecutive days from first use
Price: Adults 13,000 JPY (incl. the Shinhotaka Ropeway ticket, from April to November)
For more information, click here.
The Three-Star Route (Kanazawa / Toyama type) is a sightseeing route that takes you through exceptional parts of Japan to breathtaking sceneries, authentic places filled with history and culture and renowned World Heritage sites, which have been awarded three stars by the Michelin Green Guide to Japan. Of course, the historical village of Shirakawa-go is one of those places!
Validity: Valid for 4 consecutive days from first use, for one-way travel on selected bus lines between Matsumoto and Kanazawa or Toyama, or vice versa
Price: Adults 6,000 JPY (13 y/o and above), children 3,000 JPY (6~12 years old)
For more information, click here.