1 Day Private Charter Tour to Takayama & Shirakawago

Embark on a private charter tour to explore the hidden beauty of the Hokuriku region in Japan. Visit the historic villages of Shirakawa-go, experience traditional Japanese culture in Takayama, and be guided by our knowledgeable English-speaking driver.

Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • The Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go Gassho Style Houses - The world heritage site, Shirakawago, is a free walk. Take a stroll at your own pace and enjoy the countryside at your leisure. with a delicious lunch full of mountain food.
  • Ogimachi Castle Old Site Observatory - Enjoy the unique view of Shirakawago village from the best angle and height.
  • Wada House - Visit Wada House to see inside the Gassho Zukuri House and be impressed by the architectural details of the unique house.

Admission fee:-
General individual Adults (junior high school students and above): 400 yen; children (elementary school students): 200 yen.
General group (20 people or more) Adult: 350 yen
Disabled individual Adult: 200 yen (disability certificate required, person only)

  • Hida-Takayama Miyagawa Morning Market - Miyagawa Morning Market is one of the main places to visit in the Hida Takayama area. Travelers can try delicious local food and visit local shops to interact with shop owners dealing in handicraft goods.
  • Hida Minzoka Mura Folk Village (Hida no Sato) - Hida Folk Village (Hida no Sato) is an open-air museum exhibiting over 30 traditional houses from the Hida region, the mountainous district of Gifu Prefecture around Takayama. The houses were built during the Edo Period (1603–1867) and were relocated from their original locations to create the museum in 1971. In a village-like atmosphere, the museum features buildings such as the former village head’s house, logging huts, storehouses, and a number of gassho-zukuri farmhouses. These massive farmhouses are named after their steep thatched roofs, which resemble a pair of hands joined in prayer (“gassho”). They were moved here from nearby Shirakawago, where gassho-zukuri houses are the reason for the region’s World Heritage status.
  • Takayama Betsuin Shorenji Temple - Takayama Betsuin Shorenji Temple, around a five-minute stroll from JR Takayama Station, is a notable Buddhist temple in Takayama. Its notorious, three-celebrated pagoda was developed in 1820. A Buddhist statue remembered to have been made in the Heian time frame is revered in the fundamental structure. Make certain to pay heed to the tremendous gingko tree on the grounds. It is more than 1,260 years old.
  • Takayama Jinya - Because of its valuable timber resources, the Hida Region around Takayama was put under direct control of the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1692. The Takayama Jinya served as the local government office, headed by officials dispatched from Edo (present-day Tokyo). The building complex was in official use until 1969 and is now open to the public as a museum. It includes various nicely maintained tatami mat rooms that once served as offices, conference rooms, guest rooms, and residential spaces. There is also an interesting interrogation room. Beside the main building stands a large storehouse, built in the 1600s. Known as the biggest traditional rice storehouse in Japan, it now functions as a museum, showcasing the belongings and official documents of past feudal lords, old maps of the Hida Region, and historic town plans.
What's Included
  • Private transportation
  • Customizable tour with option to add 2-3 personal site choices
  • Complimentary bottled water
  • English-speaking driver
  • Air-conditioned vehicles
  • Fuel surcharges included
What's Not Included
  • Lunch
  • Snacks
  • Entrance/Admission Fee
  • Admission fee Wada House:- Adults : 400 yen; children: 200 yen. Group (20 or more) Disables: 200 yen
  • Admission Fee to Takayama Jiniya
  • Admission Fee to Hida no Sato
Additional Information

We are based in the Hokuriku region and are well aware of the hidden beauty of this region. As we have been in this field for many years, our service will define itself.

Travelers to this region will be welcomed and will visualize the natural beauty, and traditional Japanese culture by visitIng The Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go, Ogimachi Castle Old Site Observatory, following Takayama towns’ must-see attractions and learn more about their culture and history along the way. We have a well-trained and organized English-speaking driver as guide.

Location
The Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go Gassho Style Houses
Ogimachi,
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.7
(106 Ratings)
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Tourist43579116346
Aug 26, 2024
Great family day out - Excellent tour to Shirakawa-go & Takayama, we as a family highly recommend it. Our driver Junaid picked us up on time he was very friendly, accommodating, and helpful. The sights were really nice especially Shirakawa-go and his lunch recommendation was great! We enjoyed our day with Smile tours.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Climber17449298494
Aug 24, 2024
Flexible and reliable - Amazing trip we had so far as reviews were super good so we decided to go without any doubts. We hired this service during holidays so Malik suggested to skip Shirakawa-go initially as it’s first on the itinerary on his suggestion we went to Takayama directly later on way back to Kanazawa we went to Shirakawa-go. His plan clicked as we covered everything we wanted because while heading towards Takayama we saw long queues of vehicle & was totally packed. Malik also gave us suggestions (i.e;knowledge about attractions, summarized history / best restaurant serving Hida beef) at the end of trip dropped us off at Kanazawa Station (not the pick up point) we recommend Shirakawa-go as hottest tourist spot. Private and flexible schedule also had a brief stop at Gokayama on our request because in description it was stated that we can customize & add spot of our own choice within the duration of trip. Thank you Malik for making our trip very special.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Roving24086153142
Aug 24, 2024
Great day-out from Kanazawa. - Fantastic day with Junaid. Very knowledgeable and professional. The car was great,comfortable,clean great air-conditioning. Saw everything we wanted and Junaid was always ready to help us also gave us the background and history at each attraction. Highly recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
502anniaa
Aug 23, 2024
Memorable, Efficient day trip - We family of 6 took a day trip to Shirakawa-go & Takayama. Our driver Ehsan, was incredibly friendly, accommodating also shared details about the areas and cities we drove through on our way to Shirakawa-go. Moreover, had amazing scenic view on the highway. Heritage Village was splendid especially the royal family house as from outside it looks small and once we entered and realized its huge also the way they are maintained even after 300 years is speechless. Overall we had safe and memorable trip. We highly recommend this tour to everyone.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Wander05664732385
Aug 23, 2024
Well organised trip - We had wonderful experience of this trip to Shirakawa-go & Takayama. Our driver Junaid was excellent! He got us to each of the attractions efficiently and safely. Had great English skills was always handy to translate when required. This tour is perfectly organized to see all the major sites around Shirakawa-go & Takayama town. We highly recommend this tour as plus point is that we can move on our own pace instead of rushing while joining group tours.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Inspire28392916889
Aug 20, 2024
Highly recommended trip from Kanazawa. - We had an amazing day with our driver Mr.Malik, despite of rainy day everything else was amazing selection of the places is wonderful to give authentic Japanese vibe. Mr. Malik took us from the hotel early morning and moved to the first attraction while cruising through highway to Shirakawa-go wonderful heritage site we ever been to.Later we went to Takayama town which was also good choice to spend few hours. We also had amazing lunch at famous restaurant near Takayama station serving delicious Hida beef recommended by Malik so credit goes to him for making our trip amazing and comfortable. At the end of the trip we were safely transported back to our Hotel in Kanazawa. Thank you Smile team.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dreamer14524022126
Aug 13, 2024
“Great trip to Shirakawa-go & Takayama” - This was a great outing while touring Shirakawa-go & Takayama town. Hamza our driver picked us punctually on very clean and spacious van, was extremely personable and professional driver. The attractions we toured were a groovy slicer of the Japanese countryside around Gifu Prefecture. I highly recommend this tour from Kanazawa.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Christien_h
Aug 13, 2024
Great day exploring Kanazawa surroundings - We had one day left in Kanazawa and wanted to do a day trip to a neighboring town. We luckily found Smile tours on Viator and made the most of our last day with this tour, visiting Takayama, Shirakawago and Gokayama. Malik was easy to coordinate with and made the day a breeze. Great way to end the Kanazawa leg of the trip.
Review provided by Viator
Adam_s
Aug 15, 2024
Day trip - Overall it was a nice trip. Ali was a good driver and provided some tips and information on each site. Biggest downside was that the tour promised a visit to the morning market but given how the itinerary is structured, the market was closed by the time we arrived at Takayama.
Review provided by Viator
Joseph_g
Aug 21, 2024
The most expensive taxi - I recently went on a tour to Shirakawago from Takayama, expecting an informative and enriching experience for the hefty price of over $500. Unfortunately, what we got was far from the description. Our "guide" turned out to be nothing more than an expensive cab driver who merely picked us up and dropped us off without providing any insights or information about the places we visited. The tour description promised a guide, not just a driver, which made the experience even more disappointing. If you’re considering this tour, I would highly recommend opting for a bus to Shirakawago instead. It’s significantly cheaper and offers the same basic service—transportation without any added guidance. Save your money and get a similar experience for a fraction of the cost!
Review provided by Viator
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