Shirakawago is a World Heritage Site, a day trip from Nagoya!

JOYJAPAN

2024.03.29

Shirakawago is a World Heritage Site, a day trip from Nagoya!

Table of Contents

1 Shirakawago is a World Heritage Site, a day trip from Nagoya!
- 1.1 Nagoya: A metropolis within easy reach of Tokyo, Osaka and Shirakawago.
- 1.2 A one-day tour of Shirakawago from Nagoya!
2 Conveniently located and full of charm, Nagoya is an ideal base for a trip to Japan!

Shirakawa-go is a popular tourist spot that has been selected as a World Heritage Site and attracts many domestic and foreign tourists.If you are traveling from Tokyo or Osaka, it will take you more than 4 hours to get here, which is very inconvenient for some tourists.
However, if you travel from Nagoya City, which is located between Tokyo and Osaka, you can get there in less than three hours and enjoy the beauty of Shirakawago even on a day trip!
Today we recommend a classic one-day alpine tour from Nagoya.

Nagoya: A metropolis within easy reach of Tokyo, Osaka and Shirakawago.

Nagoya is the third largest city in Japan after Tokyo and Osaka, and is easily accessible by public transportation.Nagoya Station is only about 30 minutes from Central Japan International Airport (CENTRAIR), where domestic and international flights can be taken to various destinations. In addition, it is only about 30 minutes to Kyoto and about 1 hour and 30 minutes to Tokyo by Shinkansen from Nagoya Station.
World Heritage Shirakawago is less than a three-hour drive from Nagoya, making it possible to make a same-day round trip from Nagoya, ideal for those who want to see Shirakawago and other attractions efficiently!
Nagoya is a large city with many accommodations, so it is easy to make hotel reservations.Compared to Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, Nagoya has a relatively small number of foreign tourists, allowing you to spend your time in a relaxing atmosphere.
In addition, Nagoya has many local specialties, known as “Nagoya rice,” which is one of the main attractions of Nagoya.Here you can taste many unique dishes that are slightly different from ordinary Japanese cuisine.

A one-day tour of Shirakawago from Nagoya!

I would like to introduce a day trip to Shirakawago from Nagoya.Enjoy the beauty of Shirakawago in just one day!
First, arrive at Central Japan International Airport (CENTRAIR)!Take a limited express train to Nagoya Station from the station directly connected to the airport.

Arrive at Nagoya Station!

Nagoya Station is a large-scale hub station where many railway lines, including JR, Kinki Railway, Meitetsu, Metro and Aonami Line, intersect.Nagoya Station also has a bus terminal, which is the starting and ending point for buses and highway buses in Nagoya.Therefore, Nagoya Station has a high volume of passengers, including local residents and foreign tourists, and the underground shopping arcades connecting the stations of the various railroad companies are very well developed and take up a lot of space, so be careful not to get lost.

In addition, there are many attractive sightseeing spots in and around Nagoya, including the following:
Nagoya Castle
Nagoya Aquarium
Dasu Kannon
Atami Jingu
Toyoda Museum
Inuyama Castle
Nameko no Hana no Sato.

I would like to recommend some of the classic lines around Nagoya.
It is recommended that large luggage such as suitcases be stored in the coin-operated lockers near Nagoya Station.

From Nagoya to Shirakawago

Shirakawago is easily accessible by highway bus from Nagoya.

There are many bus terminals at Nagoya Station, and visitors heading for Shirakawago will need to go to the Meitetsu Bus Center.The Meitetsu Bus Center is located in the Meitetsu Nagoya Station building and is on the same platform as the train from the airport to Nagoya Station.
First, you need to take a highway bus from the Meitetsu Bus Center for "Shirakawago" or "Kanazawa Station".Once in the car, you can relax in the car.Along the way, the highway bus will stop at the parking area (PA) and service area (SA) of the highway, so you can take the opportunity to go to the restroom or browse for souvenirs and snacks.

Visit Shirakawago

The destination can be reached in 2 hours and 40 minutes by bus!Let's go on a trip to Shirakawa-go♪

What is Shirakawago like?

Shirakawa-go is located in Gifu Prefecture and is rich in natural beauty, where you can deeply experience Japan's ancient rural culture and traditional way of life."Shirakawa-go is one of the few areas where this type of architecture is preserved, and it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995, as it is a unique architectural style in Japan.
I remember the first time I visited Shirakawa-go, I was deeply impressed by the magnificent and quiet environment, where you can see the beautiful scenery of nature and human beings living in harmony.One of the attractions of Shirakawago is that the landscape changes dramatically with the seasons.There are cherry blossoms in spring, new greenery in summer, red leaves in fall, and snow glistening in winter. No matter how many times I come here, I can feel a different mood every time.
Another special feature of Shirakawago is that there are more than a hundred houses of Hapjo-zukuri architecture, both large and small, in the Hapjo-zukuri village, and there are still people living in these houses.There are also stores selling folk crafts and souvenirs, as well as restaurants where you can sample local cuisine, and visitors can enter the village for a tour.
Shirakawago's specialties include Hida Beef Cuisine, Mountain Vegetable Cuisine, River Fish, Stewed Egg with Pickled Vegetables on a Teppan Board, Soba Noodles, Gohei Cakes, and Hida Tiger Fugu (Fugu), to name a few."Suttate-nabe" is a famous local dish made by grinding boiled soybeans and adding miso and soy sauce.If you are interested, you must go to taste it.

Next, I will introduce you to some of the attractions in Shirakawago that are worth checking out.

Wada Family Residence

The Wada family house is one of the most representative old folk houses of Shirakawa-go.Built in the middle of the Edo period, more than 300 years ago, it is still used as a residence and some of the rooms are open to the public as exhibition rooms.Visitors can get a glimpse of the real life of the Wada family in those days through the facilities such as the fireplace, the corridor and the silkworm room.The Wada Family Residence has been designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan as a valuable building.

Kanda family (Japanese surname and place name)

This is an ancient residence with a history of more than 160 years.The owners of this house were originally in the winemaking business.With its advanced layout and the extensive handwriting of the carpentry workers of the time on the skeleton of the house, the entire building can be said to have a high degree of finish amongst the Hapu-built houses.

The Nagase Family, which reminds me of my hometown

This is a magnificent five-storey palatial residence.On the first floor, there is a solemn Buddha altar, works of art and various artifacts that are said to have been made more than 500 years ago.On the third and fourth floors, there are some household utensils used in the old days that remind us of our homesickness.The Nagase family is an old family with a history of 250 years. The first three generations of the Nagase family practiced medicine, so they have preserved valuable medical equipment from the Edo period.

Shirakawa Hachiman Shrine

There were 43 villages in Shirakawa-go, and Shirakawa Hachiman Shrine was honored as the head shrine. Shirakawa-go is also the prototype of the story stage of the Japanese animation "The Time of the Cicada", and the shrine is featured many times in the movie. It has become a popular destination for fans of the movie, and some of them have drawn the characters from the movie on the shrine's painted horses. Every October, Shirakawa-go holds a "Nigori Festival". This is a unique folkloric event that attracts a large number of visitors from both inside and outside the prefecture.

Ogimachi Castle Observatory

The Ogimachi Castle Ruins Observatory is the best place to see all of Shirakawago, a World Heritage Site! When you look up from the observatory, you will see a beautiful picture of the houses built in the shape of a traditional Japanese-style palm tree, the beautiful landscape of the fields, and the mountains behind you, and you will want to take a picture of it.

There are two ways to get to the observatory, one is by climbing the gently sloping trail (takes about 20 minutes) and the other is by taking the regional bus from the village center (takes about 10 minutes).

Meeting Bridge

The Encounter Bridge is also a highly recommended attraction. This suspension bridge is 107 meters long and connects the village with the parking lot of Seseragi Park.
The Shokawa River below the bridge is wide, so you can enjoy the wide natural scenery from the bridge. Since the bridge is close to the river, it is very cool in summer, and visitors who are afraid of heights can easily go up to the bridge to enjoy the beautiful scenery.

Shirakawago no yu

Located near the Shirakawago Bus Terminal, this onsen ryokan is also open to day-trippers. As the only natural hot spring in the World Heritage Site, the water will leave your skin smooth and silky. From the open-air bath, you can enjoy a breathtaking view of the Shirazan mountain range, the village of Gosho, and the Shogawa River! The view is breathtaking! Before you take the bus back to the city, why not come here to warm up your body and mind?

Returning to Nagoya Station from Shirakawago

You can take a highway bus back to the Meitetsu Bus Center just as you did on your way here.

Arrive at Nagoya Station. Check in to the hotel!

After returning to Nagoya Station, you will need to take out your luggage and belongings from the coin locker and check in at the hotel. After checking in and settling in, you will have a short rest before going to dinner. There are many hotels in Nagoya, but we recommend Hotel Nikko Style Nagoya. It is a lifestyle hotel with exquisite spaces full of design and is the first hotel in Japan under the new brand "Nikko Style" launched by Okura Hotels & Resorts.

The hotel is decorated with regional specialties, such as Nagoya art, Seto-yaki art, and Arimatsu-dyed tapestries. Two of the main features of the hotel are the background music that changes according to the time of day and the season, and the DJ booth, which is not common in other hotels. You can enjoy not only a cup of specialty coffee from Nagoya's popular cafe, "TRUNK COFFEE", but also delicious dishes from the hotel's collaboration with famous restaurants in Nagoya.

If you use Nagoya as a base for your travels, you can travel to Ise Jingu Shrine in Mie Prefecture, Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka in one day, in addition to Shirakawa-go. Staying at a hotel with the charm of Nagoya will surely leave you with many wonderful memories of your trip to Japan.

Conveniently located and full of charm, Nagoya is an ideal base for a trip to Japan!

If you travel to Shirakawago in Gifu Prefecture from Tokyo or Osaka, the entire trip will take a full day, including transportation from the airport. However, from Nagoya, it takes only 30 minutes from Chubu International Airport to Nagoya Station, and less than 3 hours from Nagoya Station to Shirakawago, so you can enjoy the beauty of Shirakawago even on a day trip. Nagoya has an airport, Shinkansen and highway buses, so you can easily travel to other cities. If you're traveling to Japan, Nagoya is a very convenient place to stay.