Experience Japan - Shirakawa-go Japan Guide
In this exploration guide to Shirakawa-go Japan, my itinerary guides you in scheduling your time accurately based on different Japan transportations and at the same time leverage the usage of JRPass.
Our journey began in Tokyo, from there we headed to the next destination - Shirakawa-go. We took our transition from Tokyo city to the Tokyo station. From there we took Shinkansen to Nagoya, followed by an interchange to another express train to Takayama.
To reach Shirakawa-go,
we had to make our overnight stay at J-Hoppers Hostel, Takayama and registered
the next morning with half day bus tour to Shirakawa-go. It costed about 4000 yen per person. (Tip: You will get a discount if you stay at J-Hoppers Hostel Takayama)
We caught ourselves lost in the dark and unable to find the hotel. It was creepy to walk in the dark Japan's street.We almost missed the check-in time as the registration counter had closed by the time we reached J-Hoppers. Luckily, the person in charged was still awake. We were exhausted after a long journey and managed to enjoy a good rest in our Tatami's Style bedroom.
Next morning, we waited at the bus stop near the hostel for the Shirakawago trip. One of the best things in Japan is their punctuality. Without any extra long waiting, the bus arrived at 8am sharp! Mr. Takashi introduced himself as the tour guide for this trip. We were surprised to learn that he spoke fluent English.
During the ride, we were introduced with Sarubobo. It's a faceless doll with monkey figure. Sarubobo represented the baby monkey and it blessed people with good luck! It's the amulet for Takayama and you can see it everywhere in Takayama!
After an hour ride, we reached Shirakawa-go village. We went up the hill to have a wide overview of the village. This is our first stop in this village - Takayama Observation Deck.
Shirakawa-go village is famous with the gassho-zukuri building style, it derived from the two hands prayer gesture. This village has existed since the 11th century.
During the ride, we were introduced with Sarubobo. It's a faceless doll with monkey figure. Sarubobo represented the baby monkey and it blessed people with good luck! It's the amulet for Takayama and you can see it everywhere in Takayama!
Lovely scenery along the way.
We were given 2 hours to walk around the village. It was intriguing to walk around this old and traditional village. You can see how the villagers maintain their sustainable lifestyle of living. They grow their own livestock, farms and flowers, you can feel the most down to earth life here. However, it was declared as UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995. It's controversial when this changes turned the traditional village into a tourist spot.
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