Shirakawa-go: What to Do and Where to Stay

Shirakawa-go is reached by bus: about 50 minutes from Takayama and about 1 hour 15 minutes from Kanazawa, ¥2,800 one way until 30 November 2026 and ¥2,900 from 1 December according to Hokutetsu. Wada House is about 4 minutes on foot from Shirakawago Bus Terminal, the open-air museum about 12, and the last shuttle down from the Shiroyama viewpoint leaves at 16:10.

The two pages below cover what to do and where to stay. The light-up is on 11, 17, 24 and 31 January 2027 by advance reservation only, and lodging in the village for those nights goes by lottery, with applications by email until 31 October 2026. The ten gassho farmhouse inns listed are 3 to 15 minutes on foot from the bus terminal.