Fall Colors in Shirakawa-go 白川郷/ Ogimachi Village 荻町

About Shirakawa-go/Ogimachi Village

The Shirakawa-go region is located in Gifu prefecture and is most famous for Ogimachi Village which is home to traditional Japanese buildings called "gasshō-zukuri" (English: constructed like hands in prayer) because of the shape of the roofs which resemble hands pressed together in prayer. The thatched roofing was refined over many years to withstand the large amount of snowfall that happens every winter. The owners of these buildings used to use the large crawl space-like area between the roof and the living space to cultivate silkworms as a source of income. Some of the buildings here are more than 250 years old, and in 1995 the town was declared a UNESCO world heritage site. Although it is beautiful all-year-round, it is most popular to visit during the fall and the winter.

How to get there

We went by car but you can get there by taking the Shiragawa-go bound bus from either Toyama Station, Kanazawa Station, or Shin-Takaoka Station.

Shirakawa-go has a website with more information here:

http://ml.shirakawa-go.org/en/access/

Day Trip or Overnight

You can come here as a day trip, or stay overnight in one of the gasshō-zukuri buildings in the village. We stayed at Hisamatsu, which is right in the main village and provides lunch and dinner (vegetarian options available).

Website: https://shirakawa-go.gr.jp/stay/3/

There are a few momiji (Japanese maple) trees sprinkled around the village that are great for photos!

The rolling hills of multicolored trees are a gorgeous backdrop to the traditional buildings. The village is very easy to walk around and you can see the buildings from all different angles.

You can spot a few strange handmade scarecrows throughout the village.

Try some traditional Japanese snacks such as Warabi mochi and Gohei mochi (pictured below) which is mochi on a stick with a sweet and salty miso sauce grilled over an open flame.

This was from the restaurant Shiraogi.

Address: 155 Ogimachi, Shirakawa, Ono District, Gifu 501-5627

You can get a breathtaking view of the entire village from the Ogimachi Castle Observation Deck which is accessible on foot or by car (there's a free parking spot called Ogimachijoato Parking Lot on Google Maps ).

Address: Ogimachi, Shirakawa, Ono District, Gifu 501-5627

Here's a map of the village that's available at the Shirakawa-go Tourist Association building.

Address: 1086 Ogimachi, Shirakawa, Ono District, Gifu 501-5627