From Kanazawa: Shirakawa-go, Gokayama and Wood Carving Village
Description
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 other historic towns such as the woodcarvers of Inami. Being far from the large cities of Tokyo and Osaka, enjoy walking through a town which continues its tradition of woodcarving to this day. On the shops, in the temples and on signs are beautiful examples of this living history. The entire region was once home to many different kinds of local crafts, such as Japanese style paper making, an activity that you can do on this tour. Enjoy a day long bus tour from Kanazawa where you can see expert wood carving, try your hand at paper making and see the UNESCO World Heritage sites Shirakawa-go and Gokayama traditional homes.
Tour Options
Itinerary
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.
Arrive at the first stop in Gokayama, the Ainokura Village, where you have a short amount of time to walk around and get some good pictures of the village. Your guide can show you the way to nice photo spot overlooking the the area.
Once at the Japanese Paper-Making Experience, you can choose paper inserts to put in your paper before actually giving it a try. After 10 to 15 minutes of drying you'll have a small souvenir of three postcard size pieces of paper to bring home.
Arrive at the observation point in Shirakawa-go. We will head into the village to learn about the history and the homes themselves. During walk through the historic town, we will also enter one and discover more about the lives of the farmers and the construction itself. After the entering a farmhouse, you will have free time to walk around and see whatever else you want. There is time to shop, enter other houses or even eat some of the various food in the village.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- All listed events, activities, and experiences are subject to availability. Please note that while certain tour options may appear bookable through our platforms, this does not guarantee that every experience can be carried out as scheduled in the tour itinerary. Many activities require direct confirmation with our partner venues, and availability may vary based on the date and other factors. Should any part of your ordered itinerary require adjustment or deviation from the original schedule, or if a specific experience is unavailable, we will contact you promptly to discuss suitable alternatives or amendments.
- During the New Year's time period (12/28-1/5) many stores in Inami(wood carving) and Gokayama are closed. Shirakawago is mostly open. Therefore, the paper making is not available during that time. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Reviews(115)
The tour was amazing and well worth the cost. Daniel was the tour guide and had so much knowledge and information to share to make the experience even more meaningful. He was also very approachable and helpful with tips such as good photo spots and places to check out in your free time. Also, the driver was so kind and she was a great driver! Do not hesitate to do the tour!
We enjoyed being able to go to three spots. Liam was a terrific guide who catered to our group. He informed us without overwhelming. He interacted well with our teen - especially with finding the wooden cats in Inami! We felt like we got an array of historic and cultural information. Nice balance of guided time and free time. Loved the unique paper making experience and bought several unique souvenirs. Highly recommend!
The experience is truly worth it! All the stops we visited were truly amazing and left us very satisfied; creating the map was a nice activity. Daniel, our guide, was truly kind and knowledgeable, and he fully immersed us in the history of this wonderful region of Japan.
This tour was excellent, our favorite day of our trip thusfar. The ride was smooth and comfortable, with an excellent and very personable driver, and our guide, Daniel, was not only friendly, but full of information! He did an excellent job of not only explaining the places we visited, but of answering our questions and giving us a peek into the current culture of Japan as well. The first stop on the tour, Inami, was so beautiful and the temple was just breathtaking. We learned so much from Daniel, both about the wood carving and about Buddhism, and were so impressed by the craftsmanship throughout the town. The cats were a very fun plus, and the people were so nice. And we really appreciated his advice on where to find some fun keepsakes! We weren’t exactly sure what to expect here, but it was well worth seeing and we are so glad we didn’t miss it! The next stop, Gokayama, was such a tranquil town and this made for a great visit. While smaller than Shirakawa-go, it is no less beautiful and the view from the overlook was breathtaking. The paper making was fun and made so simple by the artist there, and we came away with a pretty memento of our day. Our lunch choice was based on the great descriptions by Daniel, and we were not disappointed - the cold Udon and Soba Ramen were both very tasty! The broth in particular had a great flavor. Finally, we made our way to Shirakawa-go, talking with Daniel along the way. He made the travel time fly by and made us feel very comfortable and relaxed. While Shirakawa-go was more busy, it had more to see and we enjoyed learning about town life and thatch repair at the house we toured. Daniel had some great photo tips, and again, lots of good information that helped us to get to know the country better. We are so glad that we booked this tour and would recommend it to everyone. The team was great with logistics, and Daniel was helpful in making sure we knew what to expect at each stop and recommending options of what we could do during the free time at each stop. Both of the tour team members were upbeat and friendly, and made a great impression! Would sign up for another tour without hesitation. Thanks so much!
Tour of interesting places , wonderful temple , Car ing Artus and , washi paper making Guide quite competent Ahinokura and Shirakawa villages siti old time root houses , unique experience
This was an excellent trip, well paced and full of interesting experiences and conversations. Andy, our guide, was super!
We had a delightful tour with Daniel. Daniel is a very knowledgeable guide and provided lots of interesting information and recommendations throughout the day. Pace of the tour was good and we had plenty of time to explore each location. Highly recommend this tour to anyone!
Had a wonderful day with a small group visited 3 great locations . Daniel the guide was excellent.
Daniel was great, the tour destinations were better than expected and Daniel brought good knowledge and humour to the town's.
The Shirakawa-go trio was brilliant. Mike was an informative, entertaining and knowledgeable tour guide and was a pleasure to spend the day with. Everywhere on the tour was beautiful but Inami with its wood carving traditional craft and Buddhist temple was a real highlight. Would highly recommend if you have a spare day in Kanazawa.
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