Shirakawa-go, Gifu · Things to do
Things to Do in Shirakawa-go: 10 Places with Hours, Prices and Access
10 things to do · checked October 23, 2026
10 things to do in Shirakawa-go, from the bus terminal outward
Hours, prices and access checked against each place's own page on October 23, 2026. They change; check before you go.
1Shirakawa-go no Yu天然温泉 白川郷の湯
Hot spring (day bathing and inn) · Ogimachi
A natural hot spring inside the gassho village, with an open-air bath looking over the Sho River. It takes day bathers and overnight guests; guests of gassho minshuku get ¥100 off the adult fee.
- Access
- About 2 minutes on foot from Shirakawago Bus Terminal.
- Price
- Adults ¥900; children ¥500
2Wada House国指定重要文化財 和田家
Gassho house (National Important Cultural Property) · Ogimachi
One of the largest gassho houses in the World Heritage area and the only one designated a National Important Cultural Property; the Wada family served as village heads in the Edo period. The first and second floors are open, with an audio explanation in Japanese on the first floor and in English on the second.
- Access
- About 4 minutes on foot from Shirakawago Bus Terminal.
- Hours
- 9:00–17:00
- Closed on
- Irregular
- Price
- Junior high school age and over ¥400; elementary ¥200; cash only; no groups
3Ogimachi Castle Ruins Observation Deck (Shiroyama viewpoint)荻町城跡展望台
Viewpoint · Ogimachi
The village-run viewpoint on the hill above Ogimachi, looking down over the gassho settlement. On light-up evenings it is open only to holders of an Observation Deck Ticket, which comes with some village lodging plans and operator tours and is not sold on its own.
- Access
- Observation deck shuttle bus, regular schedule uphill 9:00–15:40 and downhill 9:10–16:10; or about 15–20 minutes on foot by the trail behind Wada House.
4Kanda House合掌造り民芸館 神田家
Gassho house museum · Ogimachi
A gassho house built in the late Edo period and open to visitors, including the space under the floor where gunpowder was once made.
- Access
- About 7 minutes on foot from Shirakawago Bus Terminal.
- Hours
- 10:00–16:00 (last entry 15:50)
- Closed on
- Wednesdays (open when Wednesday is a national holiday); also 29 December 2026 and 7–8 January 2027
- Price
- Adults ¥400; elementary ¥200
5Nagase House長瀬家
Gassho house museum · Ogimachi
A five-storey gassho house. The first floor holds a Buddhist altar said to be about 500 years old, with art and furnishings; the third and fourth floors show the family's old everyday tools.
- Access
- About 8 minutes on foot from Shirakawago Bus Terminal.
- Hours
- 9:00–16:00 for the time being; year-end hours may change
- Closed on
- Irregular
- Price
- Adults ¥400; children ¥200; cash only
6Myozenji Temple Museum明善寺郷土館
Temple and folk museum · Ogimachi
A Jodo Shinshu temple in the village whose main hall, priests' quarters and bell tower are all still in gassho style.
- Access
- About 10 minutes on foot from Shirakawago Bus Terminal.
- Hours
- April–November 8:30–17:00; December–March 9:00–16:00
- Closed on
- Irregular
- Price
- Adults ¥400; elementary and junior high ¥200; cash or WAON
7Shirakawa Hachiman Shrine and the Doburoku Festival白川八幡神社・どぶろく祭
Shrine and autumn festival · Ogimachi
The Ogimachi shrine at the centre of the Doburoku Festival, a series of harvest festivals held at the village's shrines from 14 to 19 October. Each shrine brews its own doburoku (cloudy sake) under a special licence, and Shirakawa Hachimangu draws the largest crowds.
The 2026 festival days have passed; the festival is held 14–19 October.
- Access
- In Ogimachi, opposite the Nodaniya inn, which the tourist association lists as about 10 minutes on foot from Shirakawago Bus Terminal.
8Shirakawa-go Gassho-zukuri Minkaen (open-air museum)野外博物館 合掌造り民家園
Open-air museum · Ogimachi
An open-air museum of 25 gassho houses, nine of them Gifu Prefecture Important Cultural Properties, with a watermill, a shrine and temple halls; some main buildings can be seen up to the attic. Admission went up on 1 October 2025.
- Access
- About 12 minutes on foot from Shirakawago Bus Terminal.
- Hours
- March–November 8:40–17:00; December–February 9:00–16:00; last entry 20 minutes before closing
- Closed on
- Open daily April–November; Thursdays December–March (the day before when Thursday is a holiday)
- Price
- Adults ¥800; elementary to high school ¥400; preschool free; ¥700 / ¥350 with the voucher given by lodgings in the village
9Deai Bridgeであい橋
Suspension footbridge · Ogimachi (Seseragi Park side)
The suspension footbridge between the village-run Seseragi Park car park and the World Heritage settlement; everyone who parks there crosses it to reach the village.
- Access
- About 2 minutes on foot from Seseragi Park Parking Lot (cars ¥2,000; 8:00–17:00, last entry 16:30).
10Shirakawa-go Winter Light-Up 2027白川郷ライトアップ
Winter evening event · Ogimachi
The 41st light-up of Ogimachi, 17:30–19:30 on 11, 17, 24 and 31 January 2027. Entry is by advance reservation only; visitors without one are not let in, even on the day.
January 2027 only, by advance reservation. No regular bus runs back after the event.
- Access
- No regular buses run back after the event, and daytime visitors by regular bus must arrive by 15:20 (an entrance gate goes up at 15:30). Ways in: a reserved car space at Midashima Parking Lot, a lodging plan in the village, or a tour with a participating bus operator.
- Hours
- 17:30–19:30 on the four event days
- Price
- Midashima parking, per car: first round ¥6,000 (1–5 people) / ¥9,000 (6–10), sold out; second round from 13:00 on 1 December 2026, ¥7,000 / ¥10,000
Good to know
Everything on this list is in Ogimachi, the gassho village where the buses from Takayama (about 50 minutes) and Kanazawa (about 1 hour 15 minutes) stop. Wada House is about 4 minutes on foot from Shirakawago Bus Terminal, the open-air museum about 12 minutes, and the Shiroyama viewpoint is a shuttle ride or a 15–20 minute walk up the hill.
Most places close at 16:00 or 17:00 and the last shuttle down from the viewpoint leaves at 16:10. Kanda House closes on Wednesdays; from December to March the open-air museum closes on Thursdays and shuts at 16:00.
Dates to plan around: the light-up is on 11, 17, 24 and 31 January 2027 and needs an advance reservation. The Doburoku Festival runs 14–19 October at the village shrines. Bus fares from Takayama and Kanazawa go from ¥2,800 to ¥2,900 on 1 December 2026, according to Hokutetsu.
Walking time, entry and closing time
From Shirakawago Bus Terminal, adult prices. Children's prices and closed days are on each card above.
| Place | From the bus terminal | Entry (adult) | Closes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wada House | About 4 min on foot | ¥400 | 17:00 |
| Kanda House | About 7 min on foot | ¥400 | 16:00 (last entry 15:50), closed Wednesdays |
| Nagase House | About 8 min on foot | ¥400 | 16:00 for the time being |
| Myozenji Temple Museum | About 10 min on foot | ¥400 | 17:00 (Apr–Nov), 16:00 (Dec–Mar) |
| Gassho-zukuri Minkaen | About 12 min on foot | ¥800 | 17:00 (Mar–Nov), 16:00 (Dec–Feb); last entry 20 min before |
| Shiroyama viewpoint | Shuttle bus, or 15–20 min on foot from behind Wada House | Not stated | Last shuttle up 15:40, last down 16:10 |
| Shirakawa-go no Yu | About 2 min on foot | ¥900 | See the onsen's own page |
By kind of trip
First visit, a few hours
Cross Deai Bridge if you come by car, see the village from the viewpoint (last shuttle up 15:40), then Wada House, about 4 minutes from the bus terminal.
Deai Bridge · Ogimachi Castle Ruins Observation Deck (Shiroyama viewpoint) · Wada House · Myozenji Temple Museum
Inside a gassho house
Four houses open their floors to visitors. Nagase House has five storeys; the open-air museum has 25 houses on one site.
Wada House · Kanda House · Nagase House · Shirakawa-go Gassho-zukuri Minkaen (open-air museum)
With children
Elementary-age entry is ¥200 at Wada House and Kanda House. At the open-air museum preschoolers are free and school-age children pay ¥400.
Shirakawa-go Gassho-zukuri Minkaen (open-air museum) · Wada House · Kanda House · Deai Bridge
Rain, snow or cold
These are indoors. Shirakawa-go no Yu is about 2 minutes from the bus terminal and gives gassho minshuku guests ¥100 off.
Shirakawa-go no Yu · Nagase House · Kanda House · Myozenji Temple Museum
Winter
The light-up is on four evenings in January 2027, reservation only. From December the open-air museum closes on Thursdays and at 16:00, and Myozenji closes at 16:00.
Shirakawa-go Winter Light-Up 2027 · Shirakawa-go Gassho-zukuri Minkaen (open-air museum) · Myozenji Temple Museum · Shirakawa-go no Yu
Questions
When is the Shirakawa-go light-up in 2027, and do I need a reservation?
The 41st light-up is 17:30–19:30 on 11, 17, 24 and 31 January 2027. Entry is by advance reservation only and visitors without one are not admitted, even on the day. The ways in are a reserved car space at Midashima Parking Lot, a lodging plan in the village, or a tour with a participating bus operator.
Can I see the light-up on a day trip by regular bus?
Not after dark. Regular buses must arrive by 15:20 on event days, an entrance gate goes up at 15:30, the last regular buses leave around 16:00–17:00, and none run back after the event.
How do I get up to the Shiroyama viewpoint?
By the observation deck shuttle bus, which on its regular schedule runs uphill 9:00–15:40 and downhill 9:10–16:10, or on foot by the trail behind Wada House, about 15–20 minutes. On light-up evenings the deck is only open to holders of an Observation Deck Ticket.
Which gassho houses can I go inside, and what do they cost?
Wada House, Kanda House, Nagase House and Myozenji are ¥400 each for adults, and the Gassho-zukuri Minkaen open-air museum is ¥800. Kanda House closes on Wednesdays.
How do I get to Shirakawa-go from Takayama or Kanazawa?
By bus to Shirakawago Bus Terminal: about 50 minutes from Takayama Nohi Bus Center and about 1 hour 15 minutes from Kanazawa Station West Exit, ¥2,800 one way each until 30 November 2026 and ¥2,900 from 1 December according to Hokutetsu. Seats on the Kanazawa line must be reserved; some Takayama departures are unreserved.