How to Spend One Day in Shirakawa-go

Traveled in October 2017

If the crowds in Tokyo or Kyoto are getting too crazy and you’re ready to see more of Japan, definitely make a trip to the fairy tale village of Shirakawa-go. Shirakawa-go is a charming mountain town famous for its beautifully preserved traditional thatched-roof houses. When you get your first glimpse of the village, it feels like you have been transported to another time. These houses are unlike any other architecture that I have seen. In fact, the whole village is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This village is so unique, and beautiful in any season. It’s the kind of place that makes you want to wander slowly to take it all in, and experience a side of Japan that feels truly magical. Read on to find out exactly how to get to Shirakawa-go and how to make the most of one day there!

How to Get There

Shirakawa-go is located in Gifu prefecture of central Japan. It is about 4.5-5 hours away from Tokyo and Kyoto, and not directly connected to either city by train. Because of this, it can be more efficient to base yourself in Kanazawa or Takayama (which are better connected to the big cities) and do a day trip to Shirakawa-go from there.

• You can also book a guided tour to Shirakawa-go from Kanazawa here for a more stress free experience. It’s not that much more expensive, and you would have a local guide introducing you to the local food specialties. Shirakawa-go was one of the places we had to bust out our Google translate to help with communicating with the locals. So if you don’t want to deal with the language barrier, go with the guided tour.

Things to Do in Shirakawa-go

Get a Panoramic View

For the best panoramic view of Shirakawa-go from above, walk up to the Ogimachi Castle Observation Point. There is a path from the village that leads up to this viewpoint. The 10-20 minute easy walk up and down to the viewpoint offers more stunning views of the village. But for those with mobility issues, there is a paid shuttle bus that goes between the viewpoint and Wada House in the center of the village. We liked going up to the viewpoint first to see a bird’s eye view of the whole village before exploring.

Explore the Thatched-Roof Houses

The Gassho-zukuri Outdoor Museum, Wada House, Kanda House, Nagase House, and Binen-Yumeromu Museum are all open to the public. There are separate admission fees to each of these houses, and the interiors are pretty similar, so we found it enough to visit just one or two. The entire village is completely picturesque and we had more fun taking photos of the outside of the houses every couple steps.

Visit the Shirakawa-go Open Air Museum

The Shirakawa-go Open-Air Museum is an outdoor collection of traditional thatched-roof farmhouses that have been relocated and preserved from the surrounding area. These homes and workshops exhibit tools, handicrafts, farming techniques, and lifestyle goods that people who lived in these houses would have used in everyday life. The homes in the main village are mostly unfurnished, so if you’re interested in seeing a more complete and furnished interior, the open-air museum is a great place to explore.

Enjoy Local Food Specialties

You can find unique regional specialty foods in just about every village in Japan, and Shirakawa-go is no exception. Finding these regional specialties is a must-do for me. Warm up after all that walking with a comforting bowl of soba. There are a couple small soba restaurants in the center of town. It’s amazing how something so simple could be so rich and flavorful – sipping that soba broth was like getting a hug from the inside. Another specialty in Shirakawa-go is miso and pork cooked over mulberry leaves. And for a sweet treat, look for some of the shops selling gohei-mochi (grilled mochi with miso glaze) or soft serve.

Looking to explore more off the beaten path in Japan? Check out our full Japan 2 week itinerary for more ideas!