Shirakawa-go and Gokayama: Traditional Japanese Villages

Explore Shirakawa-go, Gokayama, and Inami’s woodcarving on a day tour from Kanazawa. Experience traditional crafts, historic homes, and UNESCO sites.

Duration: 9 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Inami - Arrive at Inami to explore the main street full of wood carvers and their interesting creations throughout the townscape. This will be followed by a walk around Zuizenji Temple to see the place where all the wood carving starting.
  • Gokayama - Arrive at the first stop in Gokayama, the Ainokura Village, where you have a short amount of…
What's Included
  • Guided Tour at the Wood Craft Town Inami and Shirakawa-go UNESCO site
  • English speaking guide
  • Entry fee at Zuisenji Temple
  • Japanese Paper-Making Experience Fee
  • Transportation to and from Shirakawa-go and all other destinations
What's Not Included
  • Lunch
  • Accommodation
Additional Information

Deep in the mountains of Japan lies the quaint villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama, with their beautifully preserved gassho-style houses. These UNESCO World Heritage Sites, some of the buildings are over 250 years old, gives a glimpse into the ways of Japanese traditional farming communities. On the way from Kanazawa to those stunning sites, there are…

Location
Kanazawa Station
The meeting point is outside of the Shinkansen Ticket Gates, across the concourse and in front of the information center. Look for a four large sumo wrestlers under the information center sign. Be sure to look for our guide wearing the SNOW MONKEY RESORTS tag.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(18 Ratings)
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Josshyy
Dec 22, 2024
Worth it! - Everything's been great with Lee, our guide. I fully recommend this tour! It is worth visiting these small but charming towns. Naiara and Jose.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Roving32312952790
Dec 21, 2024
What a wonderful experience !!!! - On December 11, my mother and I participated in the "[Kanazawa] Departing from Kanazawa: One-day tour of Shirakawago, Gokayama, and Woodcarving Village". It was really a wonderful experience. Since my English is not very strong, I appreciated the tour guide Garrett explaining the background and historical stories of each attraction in simple English. I would also like to thank Teacher Luo for his translation help, which is a great help to us foreign tourists. The thoughtful care and guidance throughout the entire journey brought wonderful experiences and wonderful memories to my mother and me. I sincerely appreciate the effort and professionalism of everyone involved on the day and I would love to go on another trip with the Snow Monkeys in the future.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Junita_s
Nov 27, 2024
Amazing World Heritage Tour - This tour was the first and only tour I'd booked so far on my 2 weeks Japan holiday. I was very surprised to find out on the day that it would only be me, Mike and the driver on this tour. Instead of being a group tour, it became a very awesome private tour. Ai no Kura was very nice, the climb up to the view point was worth the view. Mike was very knowledgeable, so I ended up learning a lot about the places that we visited. Thank you for sharing all your expertise and knowledge. The paper making workshop was fun 😆. Loved it!! Please tell the master good luck on his 100000(?) snake figurines commission!
Review provided by Viator
Tomrp8651mc
Nov 25, 2024
Lots of fun! I would highly recommend - This trip was super scenic and fun, and it was a good cultural experience too. It’s hard to take a bad picture on this tour, especially when you go during the fall leaves like I did. This is my first time in Japan and that day trip was one of the highlights. The views are beyond worth it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Doreem292
Nov 22, 2024
Gorgeous scenery - This day trip from Kanazawa is absolutely worthwhile. The trip takes you to some stunning scenery in mountain villages, which would be difficult to visit on your own. I loved the stops we made in smaller villages, beautiful temples and the delicious lunch spot. One of my favorite stops was learning how to make beautiful Washi paper (which we were able to make our own to take home). Lee was a great guide: he has a solid knowledge of local history and culture, had a long list of Kanazawa dining recommendations, and also knew the best routes to take to get phenomenal photos and less crowds. I would highly recommend this tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Voyage30811806719
Nov 11, 2024
Authentic day - Pick this one. Brilliant Three artisan villages in one day. Small group numbers. Plenty of time to see and do. Made paper.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
John_r
Nov 4, 2024
Thanks to Mike and Snow Monkey Tours - Our tour leader, Mike, was fantastic. His enthusiasm for Japan and his local knowledge made our visit to Gokayama and Shirakawago very special. Mike also went the extra mile by helping us buy train tickets. Thanks to Mike and Snow Monkey tours for an unforgettable tour.
Review provided by Viator
Dream62332607310
Nov 1, 2024
A fabulous day! - Today has been one of the highlights of my visit to Japan. The wood carvers village is delightful. I loved searching for its hidden cats, who ever carved the cat above the sake shop has a sense of humour! The temple is fabulous. Such a privilege to have its huge sight to ourselves. Gokayama, is beautiful, and the paper making experience fun. The museum at Shirakawa-go is fascinating and an insightful window to the region’s history. The drive through the alps was breathtaking, deep valleys and mountains whose tree cover is just beginning to change colour. Our Guide, Mike balanced the tour perfectly, enough information to make sense of the sights we visited, together with time to browse at leisure. Nothing was too much trouble and he fielded a barrage of questions patience and good humour. Today has proved to be a fascinating and enjoyable insight to alpine Japan.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
E6815ykchristianv
Oct 28, 2024
Great trip - We had an amazing trip! Garret was both informative and engaging, going beyond just pointing out destinations. He shared in-depth details and historical insights about each place, making our experience truly memorable
Review provided by Tripadvisor
993maryl_neg
Nov 5, 2024
Good tour - Lee was a great guide who know a lot about the region. He also recommended us some food locations. The visits and especially the paper making was good. However, It's too bad that the lunch was not included (even if it's precise on the description of the tour). Our guide recommended us a place and the food was amazing.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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January 2025
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