Shirakawa-go is beautiful all year round, but it's the most stunning in the winter when it's completely covered in snow.
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/
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