Gokayama and Shirakawa-go: World Heritage Bus Tour

Embark on a guided bus tour to explore the enchanting World Heritage sites of Gokayama Ainokura and Shirakawa-go Gassho Villages. Indulge in local Hida cuisine and immerse yourself in the rich culture and history of the Hida region.

Duration: 7 hours, 20 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Ainokura Gassho Community - We will guide you to the Gassho Village of Gokayama Ainokura, a World Heritage site.
    In the Ainokura Gassho-zukuri Village in Nanto City, Toyama Prefecture, there are 20 Gassho-zukuri houses still in existence, and you can see a variety of Gassho-zukuri houses.
    People still live in these gassho-zukuri houses.
  • **The…
What's Included
  • Comfortable air-conditioned transportation
What's Not Included
  • Lunch
Additional Information

This is a standard sightseeing bus tour that explores the World Heritage sites of Gassho Village in Gokayama Aikura and Shirakawago, with a knowledgeable bus guide leading the way.
The tour provides a safe and comfortable journey on a chartered bus to the Gokayama and Shirakawago Gassho settlements, which are typically challenging for individuals to…

Location
6-chōme-125 Hanasatomachi
1 minute walk from JR Takayama Station East Exit (Norikura Exit)
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.6
(71 Ratings)
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Ellen_s
Nov 6, 2024
Great Bus Option - Great choice! Everything was on time and easy. Our guide was knowledgeable and helpful. We got to visit two sites via a comfy coach bus.
Review provided by Viator
Anthony_o
Oct 28, 2024
Lovely guide and perfect timings - Fantastic tour, lovely tour guide, great getting to see both villages for a bit of relaxation and the perfect amount of time to really see everything in both. Would highly recommend
Review provided by Viator
Robin_k
Oct 25, 2024
Great tour - Loved shirakawago! Great tour overall. Appreciated the English narration, though should have been simplified and less detailed with more about the history etc
Review provided by Viator
Arvydas_k
Oct 23, 2024
Great tour of historic villages - Tour took place in historic villages of Ainokura and Shinagawa-go that feature gassho-style houses. Guide spoke some English which was a pleasant surprise. The drive to the villages was also incredible with spectacular mountain valley and meandering river views. Great bargain for the price.
Review provided by Viator
Andrew_l
Oct 19, 2024
Best way to see these areas - Essentially sorts out your transport for these areas and gives you ample time to explore them on your own. Our host was great, provided lots of detail and helpful tips on the bus ride with annotated maps that you could choose to follow or otherwise tune out of (I found it very helpful).
Review provided by Viator
Bruce_a
Oct 7, 2024
Good tour. - Good views and good tour guide. I’d recommend this tour to others. Good value for money. Unlike the other Viatar tour we took, this one was reasonably priced.
Review provided by Viator
Olivia_l
Oct 3, 2024
Pleasant day trip - Our guide was hilarious and patient. She says her English isn't great, but I understood her just fine. I appreciate she could switch back and forth in Japanese and English. She was helpful in her explanations. I loved that we got to go to these two sites. Each place was just the right amount of time. Ainokura was the smaller but more quiet location. Happy we went there first to explore without major groups. Shirakawago is as busy as they say it is, but nevertheless stunning. Happy to have access to the heritage museum after going around the world heritage site to see more details.
Review provided by Viator
Alissa_v
Sep 27, 2024
A must see in the Japanese alps - The locations we visited were beautiful and not as overcrowded as we had expected. Our guide provided so much interesting information on the drive between the stops. It was the perfect way to see so much in one day.
Review provided by Viator
David_c
Sep 20, 2024
Excellent Tour with Great Guide - This was a great trip. It is on the regular sightseeing bus which departs from the station. You don't need to buy tickets through Viator because you could walk up and buy a ticket on the day (if there are tickets!) But the price through Viator is the same and you get a guaranteed place so I really recommend using Viator. The bus was good and the guide was excellent. She spoke superb English and gave detailed explanations and gave out maps of the two sites that she had annotated to make them more useful. She did not accompany us around the sites leaving us to take our own time. I note a previous comment that 3 hours in Shirakawa-go is too long but we found it just right. The important part of the visit is going to the historical buildings museum where they have many old houses and buildings that have been transfered there. We spent 1.5 hours there. Without it we would have found 3 hours in the village too long. It's important to note that Shirakawa-go is a big tourist destination and may be crowded. It also has many tourist shops etc. Ainokura is much less developed and more authentic but small so you don't need so long there.
Review provided by Viator
Virginiecz3035km
Oct 29, 2024
Shirakawago visit - Good tour to visit old Japan. Bus is a little bit long, around 3.5hours total for the day. The host is trying to give many information both in Japanese and English, so she speaks almost all the time while we would have appreciate more quiet times.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 6 guests
1 Adult
December 2024
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