Shirakawa-go from Takayama: Private Car & Driver, No Guide
Description
Explore the beautiful mountain settlement of Shirakawa-go via chartered vehicle exclusively for you and your travelmates. Your English-speaking driver will take you to the World Heritage Site of fairy-tale village Shirakawa-go. Shirakawa-go is a remote settlement designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the mountains of Gifu Prefecture. As the region receives considerable snowfall in the winter, the farmhouses are well-known for their distinctive architecture featuring steep roofs to easily shed snow. Learn more about this unique village on a full-day chartered vehicle tour with English-speaking driver. On this day trip departing from Takayama, leave the hustle and bustle of the city behind to wander around a unique village, stroll through historic streets, take in stunning mountain landscapes, and enjoy a lunch made of authentic local ingredients.
Tour Options
Itinerary
This tour starts at Takayama. Your driver pick you up at your hotel or Takayama station.
Ogimachi, Shirakawa-go's largest village and main attraction, makes a good day trip from Takayama, or a stop on the bus journey between Takayama and Kanazawa. The best way to experience the town, however, is to stay overnight at one of the farmhouses, many of which now serve as minshuku.
The Shirakawa-go (白川郷, Shirakawagō) and neighboring Gokayama (五箇山) regions line the Shogawa River Valley in the remote mountains that span from Gifu to Toyama Prefectures. Declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1995, they are famous for their traditional gassho-zukuri farmhouses, some of which are more than 250 years old. Gassho-zukuri means "constructed like hands in prayer", as the farmhouses' steep thatched roofs resemble the hands of Buddhist monks pressed together in prayer. The architectural style developed over many generations and is designed to withstand the large amounts of heavy snow that falls in the region during winter. The roofs, made without nails, provided a large attic space used for cultivating silkworms. Ogimachi, Shirakawa-go's largest village and main attraction, makes a good day trip from Takayama, or a stop on the bus journey between Takayama and Kanazawa. The best way to experience the town, however, is to stay overnight at one of the farmhouses, many of which now serve as minshuku. Gokayama is a little more difficult to access and requires a change of buses in Ogimachi. Less developed and less crowded than Shirakawa-go, its villages are smaller, more intimate and with less intrusion from modern buildings. Gokayama's nicest villages are Suganuma and Ainokura.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Your driver can pick you up in the Takayama area. This tour is not for those staying in the Shirakawago area. If you are staying in the Shirakawago area, please arrange for your transportation and tour via your accommodation. This is a tour with an English-speaking driver. It does not include a government-licensed guide. You will be able to reach your driver via phone during the tour only. Please use email for any communication before the tour.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- There are only a limited number of car seats and booster seats. Rear-facing car seats are not available. You must contact us directly if you need them.
Reviews(10)
This was such a great way to visit Shirakawago instead of trying to navigate the Nohi bus process which was hard to find times that worked with our schedule. This also allowed us to be picked up at our hotel and dropped off at a restaurant at the end of the tour. It was a great relief and saved us lots of time. Ryo-san was amazing! He was prompt and very friendly. The van was very clean and spacious. If we had needed to carry our luggage, there was lots of space in the van. I absolutely recommend using this private chauffeur service to visit Shirakawago.
Thank you very much for your kind review! We’re delighted to hear that you had a fantastic time in Shirakawago and that our driver Ryo made your experience even more special. We truly appreciate your feedback and hope to welcome you back to Japan in the future! Japan Guide Agency
It was a wonderful tour with a terrific driver Ryo. The scenery along the road was just as spectacular as Shirakawago. Ryo our driver was from Takayama and was very knowledgeable of the area.
Thank you very much for your kind review. We’re glad to hear that you enjoyed your cultural tour with your driver, Ryo ! We hope to welcome you again on another tour in the future!
Very smooth transfer and provided the needed details for a good time in Shirakawago. Recommended for family who wants flexible time in the area.
It was great to have a driver pick us up at our hotel and drop us at Shirakawa-go. Very relaxing way to visit.
We’re pickup promptly as soon as our train arrive. Our Driver, Mr Takayama Hato held a sign by the gate and greeted us. The car was parked at the curb side and no need waiting. The car was clean and very comfortable. Mr. Hato is a good driver. At the destination, he even offered to walk us to the shuttle station so we wouldn’t get lost. Very happy with the service!
We appreciate your kind feedback and our guides do too! We are so happy to hear that you enjoyed the tour with your guide. We look forward to your next visit to Japan. Japan Guide Agency
Thank you to Asako which helped organise our Shirakawago tour from Takayama. Asako was great communicating with us on WhatsApp to provide us with updates and confirmation of time pick up and driver contact details. Thank you Asako!
Shonakawago was the high light Once we drove 1 hour , driver then informed me it would take another 20000 yen to take us to Kanazawa!!!
Thank you for your review! It is indeed very expensive to hire a private vehicle in Japan. This tour also does not include the drive to Kanazawa as we informed you. The gas fees, parking fees, highway tolls, driver’s pay, and many other fees are included. Japan’s wages are higher than other countries so you can expect to pay high prices for many private services. JGA Customer Support
The tour guide No showed and didn’t call to let us know! We waited for 30 min and spent the next hour trying to re work our trip! Terrible timing!
Hello! We are very sorry to hear about your tour as well. We were not informed by viator that you had made a reservation so we had not arranged for a tour for you. We hope that you were able to have safe travels otherwise. Japan Guide Agency, JGA Inc.
Shirakawa go is the destination for those who needs peacefull, natural and tradisional taste, I really enjoyed and loves local vibe.
We appreciate your kind feedback and our drivers do too! We are so happy to hear that you loved Shirakawago. We look forward to your next visit to Japan. Japan Guide Agency
Excellent guide. He was friendly and professional. Was able to see a little bit of everything. VIsit to Takayama and Shirakawa go was worth going.
We appreciate for choosing our experience and taking your time to leave us such a kind review. We are so happy to hear that you enjoyed the tour with our guide. We are constantly striving to further improve our service and hope to see you again soon. Sincerely yours, Japan Guide Agency
