Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [199]
Even locals recognise that the community is becoming overrun with tour buses, traffic and souvenir-seekers, and there’s passionate debate as to what to do about it. For you, the best advice is to avoid weekends, holidays, and cherry-blossom and autumn-foliage seasons.
Better, stay overnight in a gasshō-zukuri house that’s been turned into an inn. Advance reservations are highly recommended; the Shirakawa-gō tourist information office by the parking area in Ogimachi can help with bookings (in Japanese), or via email in English at info@shirakawa-go.go.jp. Don’t expect rooms with private facilities, though some inns have irori for guests to eat around.
Shirakawa-gō
05769
The region’s central settlement, Ogimachi, has some 600 residents and over 110 gasshō-zukuri buildings, and is the most convenient place to orient yourself for tourist information and transport.
Ogimachi’s main tourist office (Deai no Yakata; 6-1013; www.shirakawa-go.org; 9am-5pm) is near the Shirakawa-gō bus stop. There’s a free English map of Ogimachi. Limited English is spoken. There’s a smaller tourist information office near the Ogimachi car park.
SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES
On the site of the former castle, Shiroyama Tenbōdai (observation point) provides a lovely overview of the valley. It’s a 15-minute walk via the road behind the east side of town. You can climb the path (five minutes) from near the intersection of Rtes 156 and 360, or there’s a shuttle bus (¥200 one way) from the Shirakawa-gō bus stop.
Gasshō-zukuri Minka-en (6-1231; adult/child ¥500/300; 8.40am-5pm Apr-Jul & Sep-Nov, 8am-5.30pm Aug, 9am-4pm Fri-Wed Dec-Mar) features over two dozen relocated gasshō-zukuri buildings, reconstructed in this open-air museum amid seasonal flowers. Several houses are used for demonstrating regional crafts such as woodwork, straw handicrafts and ceramics; many items are for sale.
You can wander away from the houses for a pleasant stroll through the trees further up the mountain. Feel free to take a picnic, but obey Shirakawa-gō custom and carry your rubbish out of town.
Opening hours listed here are subject to change, as some of the old houses close irregularly. Check ahead to avoid disappointment.
Shirakawa-gō’s largest gasshō house, Wada-ke (6-1058; adult/child ¥300/150; 9am-5pm) is a designated National Treasure. It once belonged to a wealthy silk-trading family and dates back to the mid-Edo period. Upstairs are silk-harvesting equipment and a valuable lacquerware collection.
Of the other gasshō houses, Kanda-ke (6-1072; adult/child ¥300/150; 9am-5pm) is the least cluttered with exhibits, which leaves you to appreciate the architectural details – enjoy a cup of herb tea in the 36-mat living room on the ground floor. Nagase-ke (6-1047; adult/child ¥300/150; 9am-5pm) was the home of the doctors to the Maeda clan; look for displays of herbal medicine equipment. The butsudan (Buddhist altar) dates from the Muromachi period. In the attic, you can get an up-close look at the construction of the roof, which took 530 people to re-thatch.
Next door to Ogimachi’s small temple, Myōzen-ji Folk Museum (6-1009; adult/child ¥300/150; 8.30am-5pm Apr-Nov, 9am-4pm Dec-Mar) displays the traditional paraphernalia of daily rural life.
Shirakawa-gō’s big festival is held on 14 and 15 October at Shirakawa Hachiman-jinja (other festivals continue until the 19th), and features groups of dancing locals, taking part in the lion dance and niwaka (improvised buffoonery). The star is doburoku, a very potent unrefined sake. Doburoku Matsuri Exhibition Hall (6-1655; adult/child ¥300/150; 9am-4pm Apr-Nov) shows a video of the festival (in Japanese).
There are several onsen around Shirakawa-gō. In central Ogimachi, Shirakawa-gō no Yu (6-0026; adult/child ¥700/300; 10am-9.30pm) boasts a sauna, small rotemburo and large bath. Visitors staying at lodgings in town get a ¥200 discount. About 12km south of Ogimachi, off Rte 156 in Hirase Onsen, Shiramizu no Yu (; 5-4126; adult/child