What’s better than a snow-covered town? A snow covered UNESCO world heritage village that looked like it came out of a fairy tale, of course! And that was exactly what Shirakawa-go looked like on the day that we visited.
Only about an hour away from Takayama by bus, Shirakawa-go is a beautiful little village famous for its traditional gassho-zukuri farmhouses, some of which are more than 250 years old.
Gassho-zukuri means “constructed like hands in prayer”, as the farmhouses’ steep thatched roofs resemble the hands of Buddhist monks pressed together in prayer. The architectural style developed over many generations and is designed to withstand the large amounts of heavy snow that falls in the region during winter. The roofs, made without nails, provided a large attic space used for cultivating silkworms.
Source: Japan-Guide.com
We went with a tour bus (with a bilingual tour guide who kept us entertained throughout the journey). The tour guide introduced herself as Ayumi and jokingly said that the best way to pronounce her name is to ask: “Are you me?”
Takayama wasn’t snowing heavily that morning, however, as we drove closer to Ogimachi, Shirakawa-go’s largest and most popular village, we could see more and more snow falling. We (I) got really excited, naturally.
Once we reached the area, the tour bus took us to the Shiroyama lookout point first, to get a good look at the village from the top. Yay!
Don’t you think these looked like they came out of a story book or something?!
We were then dropped off at the parking lot, allowing us to venture into the village at our own convenience for the next 2 hours. The bridge to the village looked so pretty in the snow. Actually, everything looked so pretty in the snow. Yes, I was trigger-happy and took too many photos!
Once we reached the village, we could see many gassho-zukuri among the field of white. They looked so cute, don’t you think?
But before we checked out more of the cute houses, let’s go through some of the souvenir and local shops selling various omiyage.
We didn’t buy any local produce or even omiyage, but we did stop by at a gift shop to have a look (and to warm ourselves up before we continued our journey… because, cold!!!).
They have the cutest collection of sarubobo (a Japanese amulet famous in the Gifu area).
But anyways, we’re here for the gassho-zukkuri, so I took a few more photos of these cuties!
The tour guide explained in the bus that maintaining these thatched-roof houses costs quite a fair bit, as they needed to be rebuilt every so often. How amazing!
I love capturing little details and colourful things, in contrast to the white snow. Ah, seriously, this place would be so awesome for an engagement photoshoot (yep, I’m thinking about work, but really, it’s such an ideal location).
We walked past a temple and other houses. We had a map, but to be honest, in the snow, everything kind of looked the same, so after a while we were just wandering around the village. It was a pretty tiny village, so that wasn’t a problem!
I found this amusing. There were koi fish in a little pond… The water must be freezing (almost literally), I don’t know how they could survive!
So part of the tourist “attraction”, if you want to call it, is to visit one of these farm houses that are open to the public.
We visited Kanda House, a folklore museum. The entrance fee was ¥300, pretty cheap especially since it includes matcha (green tea)!
“Please drink this tea freely”! I love freebies. Especially a warm cup of matcha when we were feeling super cold.
So after taking some time sitting down and resting, we decided to walk around the house. Up we go!
It was basically a museum filled with handiwork and tools from the era when they used to make silkworms and what-nots in these farm houses.
But there were some really cute things that made our little personal tour interesting…
You could even get a glimpse of the entrance area from the second floor!
So, we walked up to find this gorgeous empty space with large windows…
And of course, as we peeked through the windows, we had an unforgettable view of Shirakawa-go.
Definitely worth the visit! There weren’t many other visitors there too, so we pretty much had all the time in the world to take photographs and check out the museum…
I love that little playground covered in snow! And the view of the farmhouses…
Totally in love! So yep, more photos coming…
We left Kanda house after our short but memorable visit, feeling slightly warmer thanks to the free matcha and the time spent indoors.
As we walked out, the sky has changed a little (mind you, it was not even noon).
But still pretty! :) We walked back via a different route to check out the village a bit more…
Before we knew it, it was almost time to return to the tour bus.
I managed to take this cute photo of the manhole cover with the design of the gassho-zukuri. Their attention to details never fail to amaze me.
We returned to the bus and waited for a few other people. So I took this photo of the map and the Kanda house entrance tickets to show you…
It was definitely a memorable trip. And worth a visit, for sure! Especially when it’s snowing…
I’ve also seen photos of Shirakawa-go in the summer, when everything is green and serene. Maybe we’ll return one day.
Shirakawa-go will be a nice half-day trip from Takayama. Or, you stay overnight in one of the gassho-zukuri farm houses to enjoy the full experience.
Hi, your pictures are breathtaking! When were they taken? I am planning a visit this year. I would love to see this place myself but I hope the snow is not too thick yet. Thanks
Hello JV, I was there in mid-December, however I think the weather can be quite unpredictable. I have a group of friends who visited Shirakawa-go recently (end of Dec) and they didn’t get as much snow as us. So maybe check weather websites prior to visiting! :) Hope this helps. There is also a special illumination event in January, I believe.. Might be worth staying there overnight in one of the houses. Enjoy!
Hi Julie, been following your Japan blog and am loving all your adventures. We are heading to Japan in January and hoping to make a trip to Shirakawago for the light festival but I have also heard it may be cancelled indefinitely. Despite the news we are still wanting to go but would like to know how easily accessible it is to get there from Tokyo and then onto Miyajima after from Takayama. We will be going with a group of friends with kids and will have a bub in tow ourselves so lugging our stuff around and doing lots of transit is the most concerning! Any advice would be greatly appreciated =)
Hi Natalie! :) Glad you enjoy my blog. I’d say it’s quite accessible.
We took a shinkansen from Tokyo to Nagoya and then a train to Takayama. From Takayama, it’s an hour bus ride to Shirakawago, but Takayama itself is a very pretty place so I’ll suggest staying overnight there in a traditional guesthouse (ryokan), and then going to Shirakawago early the next morning by bus. This way, it’d be more relaxing.
From there to Miyajima would mean going back to Nagoya and taking the shinkansen to Hiroshima, and a ferry to Miyaijma.
Yes, there are a couple of transits, but when it snows in Shirakawago, it is totally worth it to visit! :) Do let me know if you have more questions. You can also follow me & message me on Instagram: http://instagram.com/juliegozali :)
Thanks for responding, I just added you on IG also!
Lucky I was stalking your blog again otherwise I wouldn’t have seen your reply. It seems like most sites only allow to book 3 months prior would you know where I can lock in accommodation prior as we would love to secure a spot, would hate to miss out!
Also the shinkansen from Negano to Hiroshima – is that direct? I have read that I may have to transit in either kyoto or Osaka?
Lastly – what camera are you using your shots are fabulous =)
Hi Natalie! I usually check Hotels.com or if looking at ryokan, through Japanican.com or Booking.com, they seem to have quite a lot of options and I remember booking ours probably about 3-5 months before the trip? So hopefully you’ll find something, I know the feeling of wanting to secure a good one early! :)
The Shinkansen from Nagoya to Hiroshima is direct if you use Nozomi (fastest train, but can’t be taken if you use the JR Pass). So if you have a JR Pass, which is recommended if you’re going from Tokyo all the way to Hiroshima, you might have to stop by at Shin-Osaka or Himeji. Please check Hyperdia.com to find out your route and cost! Besttt website ever, helped us heaps in going around Japan hehe.
Oh and I think I used Olympus PEN EP3 for these shots, with the kit lens. Nowadays I use Olympus OMD EM10 with some pretty good lenses. But with a view like that, seriously, you’ll have plenty of good shots no matter which camera you use! ;)
Hi Julie, is it ok for public toilet of traditional guesthouse (ryokan) in Shirakawago :-)
Hello, I’m not sure sorry, I’ve never tried staying in a guesthouse in Shirakawago before… Do let me know though!
Planning to go early of december to Shirakawa, snowing now?
Hello, to check if it snows, you’ll have to check weather report. It’s sometimes a little bit of luck!