30 May 2016
Shirakawa-go 白川郷, a UNESCO World Heritage village, is a quiet mountain village with rice fields and a river running through it. Many visited this place as a day trip from Kanazawa or Takayama by bus However, we planned to visit this site by bus from Kanazawa, then continue onwards to Takayama after that.
We took a 8.10 AM bus from the Kanazawa Station and travelled in light rain towards the mountains south of Kanazawa. We had made reservations for the bus ride before the trip and collected our tickets a day before at the Hokutetsu Bus Ticket Office located next to Kanazawa Station.
Note: the bus journey from Kanazawa to Shirakawa-go needs advance reservations. Via phone booking or do it the day before at the Bus Ticket Office in Kanazawa. The bus journey from Shirakawa-go to Takayama can be booked on the spot at Shirakawa-go. We could have made a reservation for the segment between Shirakawa-go and Takayama but we wanted to be flexible on our timings.
It is best to travel light to Shirakawa-go. We had forwarded our main luggage to our hotel in Takayama the day before using Takuhaibin services but we still have our day packs. We deposited our day packs at the lockers at bus station once we arrived at Shirakawa-go, leaving us hands-free to enjoy the day at this site.
The Ogimachi village, the focus of our visit, is located across the river from the bus terminal. In intermittent light rain, we crossed the suspension bridge and got a first glimpse of the gassho-zukuri houses in the Ogimachi village.
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 was developed over many generations and is designed to withstand the large amounts of heavy snow that falls in the region during winter.
First thing we did was to head towards the lookout point that offers a vantage point with scenic view of the entire village. The best time to take photos is in the morning and it is good to be there before the hordes of tourists descended upon the village from the tour buses.
We chanced upon a rice planting ceremony and thoroughly enjoyed it.
It was a short walk uphill to the observation point. Amazing views of the village could be seen from here and it was well worth the effort. We could see the traditional rice planting ceremony that was still ongoing.
There was a small cafe at the observation point and this was good place to get a matcha ice-cream or coffee while enjoying the views.
We saw a man operating a rice planting machine. He planted seedlings within a field in about 10 minutes, sat back to smoke a cigarette while the team of rice planters were still halfway through using the traditional way. Amazing productivity gain from the use of technology.
Tourists from tour buses soon came to the observation point, signalling to us that it was time to leave. We made our way down to the Ogimachi village. The village offered many photo opportunities.
The water following through the drains were so clear and clean that one villager used it to rear river trout.
Various houses design could be seen. Some feature extra thick roofing layer.
There were a couple of restaurants serving lunch at the village. We went to one at the far end of the village.
After lunch, we went back to the bus station to book our seats to Takayama. Although no advance reservations was needed, the seats on the Nohi bus to Takayama were sold on a first come first served basis. It made sense to book our tickets once we had an idea of how much more time we needed to finish exploring the village and could decide on our departure time.
After securing seats on the 3.15 PM bus to Takayama, we went back to the village with the intention of seeing the insides of one of the Gassho houses. A few of the gassho houses are maintained like a museum and opened to visitors for a small fee. By now, the sun was out and it was a little warm outside. We went to the Kanda House which was conveniently located.
There was a pot of tea on a stove and a faint smell of smoke filled the air inside. It was surprising cool inside, proving that the thick roof and wooden structure is a good insulator. Keeps the interior cool on a hot day and keeps it warm in winter.
We were offered tea from the pot and sat on the tatami mat floor to view a documentary video of Shirakawa-go and how the gassho houses were constructed to withstand earthquakes and also thick and heavy snow that falls on the roof each winter.
After the video, we were free to explore the multi-storeyed house. The second and third floors were workplaces for agriculture. Old tools and machinery for such purposes were displayed.
It was interesting to note that the beams of the house were naturally curved and taken from trees with trunks that grew up curved at the bases from the weight of snow. Like the Matsumoto Castle we visited a few days earlier, the height of each floor is not high. We could touch the beams with our stretched arms.
We ended the day at Takayama. Our hotel, the Best Western Takayama, was located within 5 minutes walk from the Nohi Bus Station/Takayama Train Station.
Just like Kobe is famous for their Kobe beef, Takayama is famous for their Hida beef. “Hida-gyu” (Hida Beef) is the specific name given to beef from a black-haired Japanese cattle breed, that has been raised in Gifu Prefecture for at least 14 months. One the best restaurant to enjoy Hida-gyu is the Ajikura Tengoku which serves it Yakiniku style. This restaurant is located next to the train station and hence very close to our hotel.
Don’t miss eating Hida beef when visiting Takayama.
Where to stay in Takayama?
We chose to stay within walking distance to Takayama Station for convenience. The bus station for buses to Hirayu Onsen, Shirakawago and Hida Furukawa are located just outside the station. There are also many eateries nearby too.