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World Heritage Tour: Explore Gokayama Ainokura and Shirakawa-go Gassho Villages with Guided Bus Trip
4.6
46 Ratings
Takayama
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:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
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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 Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go Gassho Style Houses - Shirakawa-go, a World Heritage Site, is a village where 114 thatched gassho-zukuri houses still retain the nostalgic scenery of old Japan.
The steeply sloped triangular roof, which is unique to regions with heavy snowfall, resembles the shape of hands joined together, which is why it is called a gassho-zukuri house.
Feel free to stroll around the village for as long as you like.
- You can also enter “Shirakawa-go Gassho-zukuri Minkaen”.
- Shirakawago Gassho Zukuri Minkaen - During the walk, you can also enter the “Gassho-zukuri Minkaen”. (Entrance fee is included) *The park is closed on Thursdays from December to March. (If the park is closed, we will give you our original mascot.)
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Tenshukakau Observatory - Located on a hill in the northwest of Shirakawa-go, you can overlook the Shirakawa-go gassho village.
The view from here is the one you often see on posters.
The gassho-zukuri village of Ogimachi is colored by the nature of each season, making you feel as if you are in a fairy tale world.
What's Included
- Comfortable air-conditioned transportation
What's Not Included
- Lunch
Additional Information
It is a regular sightseeing bus that visits the world heritage, Gokayama Ainokura and the gassho village of Shirakawa-go with the guidance of a bus guide.
We will guide you through Gokayama Village and Shirakawago Gassho Village, which are difficult for individuals, with a safe and comfortable chartered bus.
For lunch, please enjoy local Hida cuisine at the castle tower observatory overlooking the Gassho Village of Shirakawa-go.
This tour is a regular sightseeing bus guided by the bus guide of Nohi Bus. We will offer you a higher-grade comfortable bus trip by sharing seasonal information that is not included in the guidebook, such as the attractions and ways of spending the World Heritage, food and dialects of the Hida region, etc. You can participate if you have a seat even on the day of departure. (However, it may be refused if it is full)
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
(46 Ratings)
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Cynthia_o
Jun 17, 2024
The best way to see the sights! - Fantastic tour. The destination is absolutely stunning and going on this tour made it so much easier than finding our own way. We visited Gokayama which I don’t believe you can get to on the public bus. Then we went to Shirakawago with the crowds. We visited on a Wednesday which is the day many shops are shut. There were limited (but enough) lunch options. We were not there for the lunch or shops so we loved that there were considerably less tourists. So we’d pick a Wednesday again. Our guide was amazing. She was very knowledgeable and made the day extra special. This is a small group tour, with our own bus. Perfect! I would highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Viator
Annemarie_k
May 30, 2024
A day to remember - Excellent prepared guide, shared great tips
Both places we visited were excellent, stunningly beautiful.
Great bus ride and driver
Highly recommend
Review provided by Viator
Happyliz2023
May 29, 2024
A World Heritage Site indeed! - What a wonderful excursion! A World Heritage site indeed! A very special place.
The bus ride was very comfortable. The tour guide gave us very helpful information during the bus ride, and good maps! She left us to explore on our own at our own pace. This is better than following a guide. An absolutely delightful excursion!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Naomi_a
May 29, 2024
Loved Gokayama & Shirakawago - We had an amazing day in Gokayama & Shirakawago. The villages are stunning & we had enough time to explore the different areas. Our tour guide (I can’t remember her name) was lovely & informative.
I highly recommend this tour
Review provided by Viator
Henrytanlv
May 26, 2024
Great bus tour of Shirakawa-go and Ainokura villages - This bus tour of the World Heritage Site of Shirakawa-go and Ainokura villages exceeded our expectations. Our bus guide Yamashita gave us very good information during the bus ride that included the best walking routes, what to see and where to eat plus some historical and local information. I could not have visited these 2 places on my own without this bus tour. Definitely great value for the money and would highly recommend to anyone wanting to see these 2 places.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
47maryannek
May 12, 2024
Wonderful insight into the old villages - It was a wonderful tour and even the journey to get deep into the valley was scenic.
The order we visited the UNESCO villages was good. We arrived at the more remote village when there was only one other tourist group visiting.
The tour guide gave good advice.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mariaritap203
May 3, 2024
Shirakawago and Ainokura Tour - The views were amazing and our tour guide suggested which places to visit (given that we have limited time to explore the place). The tour guide also properly explained the history of the place.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Xy4qzx2b4b
Apr 21, 2024
Well worth it - This is exactly what I wanted. A simple tour that brings you to 2 beautiful sites. Goyama is stunning in my opinion. Enough time in Shikarawa go for me, as it is relatively crowded and I get tired. Despite what other people have experienced, we actually had a lot of commentary and explanations in English. Nami (she told us we could call her this way but I don’t remember her full name) was very good.
Review provided by Viator
Christine_z
May 30, 2024
Glad I took this trip. - I really enjoyed visiting Gokayama Ainokura. It was not as busy with tourists. We were there on a rice planting day which was really interesting. Of course Shirakawago is a beautiful town. The bus driver was a very safe driver.
Review provided by Viator
Geoffrey_f
Jun 6, 2024
Pleasant day out. - Comfortable bus, nice guide the drive there and back is probably the highlight. We could have done with longer at the first village you didn’t need three hours at the second village unless you were planning on having a long lunch. Plenty of restaurants once you cross over the suspension bridge. I actually preferred Hida folk village just outside Takayama, it was quieter less tourists and the interpretation was far better. Definitely go and see it before you visit Shirawago as the guide does not come round with you and the explanations are not nearly as good. Pleasant day out and the countryside is wonderful.
Review provided by Viator
