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Shirakawa-go

Thatched Farmhouses in a Snowbound Valley

Plan this trip
1 dayIdeal stay₹15,730From / night₹1,510Food / day₹240Entry

The village of Ogimachi keeps over a hundred gassho-zukuri farmhouses, steep thatched roofs built to shed the deep mountain snow, a UNESCO site with Gokayama since 1995. There is no railway: highway buses come from Takayama (50 minutes) and Kanazawa (about 1.25 hours), and seats must be booked. Most visitors come for a few hours; a night in a farmhouse inn shows the village empty. The winter light-up evenings (January-February) need a reservation.

Highlights

  • Gassho-zukuri farmhouses
  • Shiroyama viewpoint over the village
  • Inside the Wada House
  • Night in a thatched farmhouse inn
  • Winter light-up under snow
  • Gokayama's quieter villages
  • Rice terraces in early summer

Things to do

  • Ogimachi village walk & Wada HouseMorning · 2h 30m
  • Shiroyama viewpointAfternoon · 1h
  • Farmhouse inn dinner by the irori hearthEvening · 2h
  • Myozen-ji temple & folk museumAfternoon · 1h

Tours & tickets

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When to go

Best time: May – June, October – November, January – February (snow)

Heads up

Golden Week Crowds (29 April – 5 May)

Golden Week is a run of national holidays from 29 April to 5 May: shinkansen and domestic flights sell out, hotels raise prices, and sights are packed. Book transport and rooms early, or plan around those dates.

Heads up

Obon Holiday Rush (mid-August)

Around 13–16 August Japan travels home for Obon: trains and flights are full (Nozomi trains ran reserved seats only at Obon 2026), and resort hotels charge peak rates. Reserve seats for every long journey that week.

Heads up

Rainy Season (Tsuyu)

From early June to mid or late July it rains most days, often all day, on Honshu and Kyushu: carry an umbrella, keep outdoor plans flexible, and expect landslide warnings to close mountain roads and some railways after heavy downpours. Hydrangeas are in flower and the crowds are thinner.

Heads up

Deep Snow in the Alps and Hokuriku

Heavy snow from December to February makes Shirakawa-go and the Alps beautiful and slows everything: buses run but can be late or cancelled in storms, and mountain roads need winter tyres. Wear boots with grip.

  • Autumn leaves (koyo) — The maples turn red from late September in Hokkaido, through October in Nikko and the Alps, to mid-November to early December in Kyoto, Nara and Tokyo. Kyoto's temples open at night with lit-up gardens; trains, buses and hotels are as full as in cherry-blossom season.
  • Golden Week — Four public holidays in a week, when much of Japan travels: shinkansen and domestic flights sell out, hotel prices rise, and sights are packed. Avoid travelling between cities on the first and last days.
  • Obon — The festival of the ancestors, around 13-16 August: families travel home, shinkansen and flights sell out (Nozomi trains ran reserved seats only at Obon 2026), and there are Bon dances and lantern floats in towns across Japan.
  • New Year (Shogatsu) · 31 Dec — Japan's biggest holiday: temples ring their bells 108 times at midnight on 31 December and millions make the first shrine visit (hatsumode), Meiji Jingu and Fushimi Inari above all. Many museums, restaurants and offices close from about 29 December to 3 January; trains run, but are full around the start and end.
  • Shirakawa-go winter light-up — On a handful of evenings in January and February the snow-covered farmhouses are lit up. Entry to the village on those nights is only with a reserved bus, tour, parking slot or room, sold by lottery or months in advance.