Hida Beef is the local brand of wagyu (和牛, Wagyū, Japanese cattle) that is popular for its fatty melt-in-your-mouth texture. Produced in the Hida Region (飛騨, Hida), you can find various Hida Beef products across Takayama, including skewers, stews, and yakiniku (焼肉, Japanese barbecue).
Shirakawa-go Travel Guide
UNESCO World-Heritage Site with Traditional Gassho-zukuri Buildings
Shirakawa-go is well-known for its iconic imagery of a village with thatched-roofed houses against a snowy white backdrop in winter, or amongst lush green rice paddies in spring. These thatched-roofed houses are a type of minka (民家), and used to house the farmer, merchant and artisan classes of the Feudal Era (1185-1867, 封建時代, Hōken-jidai).
The specific type of minka in Shirakawa-go is called the Gassho-zukuri (合掌造り, Gasshō-zukuri), referring to how the thatched roofs come together forming a shape that resembles the hands of monks that come together during prayer. These roofs are made to withstand heavy snowfall that the area sees over winter, and is made without the use of any nails, and need to be replaced after a number of years due to the natural degradation of the materials.
The largest village in Shirakawa-go is Ogimachi, and it is the most well-connected with buses to both Takayama (高山) and Kanazawa (金沢). In addition to Ogimachi, the villages of Ainokura and Suganuma were also declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites (世界遺産, Sekai Isan), and while they are less accessible they also offer unique workshops and experiences like staying overnight in one of the gassho-zukuri houses.
Nature
Culture
Gourmet
Volume
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Local Specialties
飛騨牛
Hida Beef
Popular Destinations
Often times, when people say "Shirakawa-go", they actually refer to the largest village of Ogimachi. There are also other villages within Shirakawa-go area, but Ogimachi is the main one that people visit.
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Almost every bird's eye view picture of Ogimachi village is taken from this observatory. Located on the ruins of Ogimachi Castle (城, Shiro), the observation deck (展望台, Tenbōdai) is named after the tenshu (天守, Main Keep) that was located at the same spot.
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One of the Japanese designated cultural properties within the village is Wada House, at over 300 years old, it is the largest remaining Gassho-zukuri (合掌造り, Gasshō-zukuri) house in the village with its surrounding waterways, hedges, and fields all remaining intact.
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Getting Around
The primary method of getting around Shirakawa-go is on foot. Most people would enter via the Shirakawa-go Bus Terminal, where the village of Ogimachi (荻町) can be entirely explored on foot. If you are looking to go up to the Shiroyama Tenshukaku Observation Deck (城山天守閣 展望台, Shiroyama Tenshukaku Tenbōdai), you can either wait to take a paid shuttle bus, or climb up a slope for around 15 minutes on foot.
Getting There
金沢
Kanazawa
The fastest and cheapest way to travel between Shirakawa-go and Kanazawa is by highway bus operated by Nohi Bus. There are no train stations in Shirakawa-go, so it can only be accessed via car or bus.
A bus route traverses Kanazawa <-> Shirakawa-go <-> Takayama, and that route is the most convenient way to get between these three places.
A one-way fare is ¥2,000, while a round-trip fare costs ¥3,600. Most buses require a reservation, which can be done online. Round-trip online reservations have to be made via the Japanese reservation site.
English
Japanese
50 mins
¥2,000
Kanazawa Station
to
Shirakawa-go Bus Terminal
高山
Takayama
The fastest and cheapest way to travel between Shirakawa-go and Takayama is by highway bus operated by Nohi Bus. There are no train stations in Shirakawa-go, so it can only be accessed via car or bus.
A bus route traverses Takayama <-> Shirakawa-go <-> Kanazawa, and that route is the most convenient way to get between these three places.
A one-way fare is ¥2,600, while a round-trip fare costs ¥4,600. Most buses require a reservation, which can be done online. Round-trip online reservations have to be made via the Japanese reservation site.
English
Japanese
1h 7m
¥2,600
Takayama Station
to
Shirakawa-go Bus Terminal
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