Day trip course from Kanazawa to Hida Takayama

KanazawaStation

Hida Kokubunji(Nara-Period State-Supported Temples)

Shirakawa-go

Old PrivateHouses

Takayama Jinya(Historical Government House)

Takayama Yatai Kaikan(Festival Floats Exhibition Hall)

Approximatetime required:

9 hours20 minutes

After enjoying sightseeing in Kanazawa, how about exploring the unique culture of Hida Takayama the next day? If you take the Expressway Bus from Kanazawa, it only takes two and a half hours to get there, or three if you make a stop at Shirakawa-go. You can visit the Historical Government House, the Festival Floats Exhibition Hall, take a stroll in the historical old town, or check out the furniture museum.

Takayama NohiBus Center

Hida-no-Kagukan(Hida Furniture Museum)

Festival Floats Exhibition Hall

Takayama Historical Government House

Hida Furniture Museum

The Hokutetsu or Nohi Bus goes from Kanazawa Station to Hida Takayama via Shirakawa-go. There are three buses a day, but the morning bus is the best choice for a day trip.

Once you've arrived at the Nohi Bus Center and finished lunch, head to Hida Kokubunji Temple (the three-storied pagoda is its landmark). From there, take the Machinami tour bus (if you get on at the bus center it makes a big detour), and with a loop around the Miyagawa river, you will arrive at the next stop: the Takayama Yatai Kaikan at Sakurayama Hachimangu, where the festival floats used at the Takayama Festival in autumn are displayed.

Kanazawa Station East Exit Bus Terminal Platform ② - Takayama Nohi Bus Center Departs at 8:45, 12:35, 16:00 (a reservation is required for all buses)Note: 8:45 bus transfers at Shirakawa-go (transfer time = 45min) total duration = 3 hours/ afternoon buses are non-stop = 2 hours 15 min.　Bus fare: round-trip ticket adult = 5900yen, child = 2900yen, one-way = 3300yen, 1650yen. Reservations: TEL076-234-0123

Kokubunji - Ojinmachi 1chome : Machinami Tour bus approx. 10 minute(buses are few so make sure to check the time schedule) Ojinmachi 1chome - Sakurayama Hachimangu : 3 minute walk.Bus fare: adult/child = 100 yen. (Machinami Bus & Sarubobo Bus Day Pass: adult = 600 yen, child 300 yen)

8:30 - 17:00(Dec - Feb: 9:00 - 16:30) Open 365 days a year. Admission fee: adult = 820yen, high school student = 510yen, elementary/middle school student = 410yen. (you can also visit the adjacent Sakurayama Nikkokan) TEL0577-32-5100

Takayama FestivalFloats Exhibition Hall

(30 minutes)

9:00 - 18:00 Open 365 days a year, free entrance.TEL0120-606-655

Hida FurnitureMuseum

(30 minutes)

The historical Old Town, which originated as a merchant's town, is the center of the castle town. The Old Private Houses of Kamimachi and Shimomachi are designated as an important traditional building preservation area. Even today it remains a lively area, with grocery and souvenir shops lining up the streets.

Stroll throughthe Old Town

(60 minutes)

8:45 - 17:00(Nov - Feb: open until 16:30; Aug: open until18:00) Closed for New Year (Dec 29-31/ Jan 1). Admission fee: adult = 420yen, high school student or younger = free. Free guides are available for those who want to know more about the history of Hida Takayama (50 - 60min.) TEL0577-32-0643

HistoricalGovernment

House(30 minutes)

If you are interested in Hida Shunkei lacquerware, a traditional Takayama craft, make a stop-over at Shunkei Kaikan-mae to visit the Hida Takayama Shunkei Hall and try your hand at making some lacquerware yourself. Walk back in direction of Hachimangu, and take a look at the Yoshijima Heritage House or the Kusakabe Folk Museum. Pass through Shimoninomachi and Kamininomachi, designated as an important traditional building preservation area, and cross the vermillion-lacquered Nakabashi bridge to arrive at the Takayama Historical Government House.

The Takayama Historical Government House is the only remaining one of its kind in the country. Since Hida came under direct control of the Tokugawa shogunate, the governors that were sent by the shogunate ruled from here. The daily Jinyamae morning market and Miyagawa morning market located along the Miyagawa river are always bustling in the morning.

When in Takayama you might want to see some Hida furniture too. In that case, we recommend the showroom at the Hida Furniture Museum. It has an outlet as well, so if you have time, it's well worth a visit.To continue on to the Matsumoto Heritage House and Tenman-gu Shrine from the Historical Government House, you can either walk or take a taxi.

After you've had a chance to have a taste of Hida Takayama's atmosphere and all it has to offer, enjoy the rest of your trip in Kanazawa!

Takayama Jinya - Hida-no-Kagukan 10 minute walk

Hida-no-Kagukan - Nohi Bus Center : Taxi 5 minutes (20 minute walk)Nohi Bus Center 15:50 - Shirakawa-go - Kanazawa Station 18:05 (Reservation required: 076-234-0123）

Hokutetsu Expressway Bus

Takayama Nohi Bus Center

Old Private Houses

Takayama Historical Government House

Nakabashi bridge

Hida Kokubunji Temple

Old Private Houses

Other places to see, if you still have time

Besides the Machinami tour bus covering the city center, there is also the Sarubobo Bus which connects to the more remote sites of Hida Takayama Museum of Art, Hida Folk Village, Hida Takayama Festival Forest, and others.

Sarubobo Bus

Bus fare: single ticket adult = 200yen, child = 100yen (Machinami Bus & Sarubobo Bus Day Pass: adult = 600 yen, child 300 yen)

An outdoor museum that shows typical Hida scenery with its sloped-and-thatched-roof houses. Inside the houses there are demonstrations of traditional crafts such as weaving, straw crafts and sashiko quilting.

Hida Folk Village8:30 - 17:00 (or later on days there is a light-up) Open all year round Entrance fee: adult (high school student or older) = 700 yen, elementary/middle school student = 200 yen.TEL0577-34-4711

A facility that specializes in traditional folk art workshops and hands-on experiences, located at the opposite side of Hida Folk Village. Making your own Sarubobo charms or personal chopsticks and chopstick holders is popular.

Hida Takayama ‘Memory Revival Hall' 10:00 - 16:00 Closed on Thursdays and during the New Year Holidays. Workshop fee: Sarubobo charms = 1400yen, personal chopsticks and holder = 1300yen, etc.Time required: 1 hour per workshop TEL0577-34-4711

The museum displays over 1,000 historical and contemporary pieces of Hida Shunkei lacquerware. You can also try to do it yourself at the lacquer workshop!

Hida Takayama Shunkei Hall 9:00 - 17:00 Open 365 days a yearAdmission fee: adult = 300 yen, middle/high school students = 200 yen. Workshop fee: votive picture, pen tray, etc. approx. 1800yen the finished objects can be sent to you afterwards (separate shipping charge) Time required: approx. 1 hour TEL0577-32-3373

Pottery workshop and kiln set up in 1841 at Shibukusa with potters from renowned ceramics centers (Kutani, Seto). Originally the pottery was named “Shibukusa" after the kiln's location, but in 1879 it was renamed “Hokokusha". The building that has been preserved in its original style has been designated as a cultural asset.

Shibukusa ceramics Hokokusha 10:00 - 16:00 Open all year round, Free entrance.TEL0577-32-1424The shop is on Kamininomachi.TEL0577-34-0504

ToyamaPrefecture

IshikawaPrefecture

Kanazawa

Takayama

Tonami Kosugi

Gokayama

Oyabe-Tonami JunctionToyamaKanazawa

West

小松

Shirakawa-go

Hida-Kiyomi

Namerikawa

Nanto

Hida

Hakusan

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Takaoka

Oyabe

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Route Map (Kanazawa - Shirakawa-go - Hida Takayama)

Route Map (Toyama City Center)

Kitayama Park

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Hiei Jinja Shrine●

Shiroyama Park●

Takayama Station HistoricalGovernment House

Hida Furniture Museum

Festival FloatsExhibition Hall

Hida KokubunjiTemple

Kami-okamotocho-minami

Shimo-okamotocho-minami

Kiryucho-nishi

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Kokubunji

Jinyamae

Memory Revival Hall

Shibukusaceramics

Hokokusha

Hida Folk Village

Miyagaw

a Morning M

arket

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Takayama City Hall ●

●Takayama Nohi Bus Center

Hida Takayama Shunkei Hall

Nohi Bus Center - Hida-no-sato : Sarubobo Bus approx. 10 minutes

Nohi Bus Center - Hida-no-sato : Sarubobo Bus approx. 10 minutes

Nohi Bus Center ー Shunkei Kaikan-mae : Machinami Bus approx. 13 minutes (3 minutes from Kokubunji)

JR Takayama Station (Nohi Bus Center) - Hokokusha : Taxi approx. 10 min.

Day trip course from Kanazawa to Gokayama / Shirakawa-go

Ainokura Gassho-Zukuri Village

TakaokaStation

Ainokura-kuchi

Kokiriko folkart

Shirakawa-go

Kaminashi

Gokayama TouristInformation Center

Gassho-ZukuriMinka-en

Approximatetime required:

11 hours30 minutes

The villages of Gokayama and Shirakawa-go lie a short distance away from Kanazawa. While the villages were both part of the historical Kaga Hyakumangoku territory, Gokayama which lies deep in the mountains has passed down a unique culture, and together with Shirakawa-go, their historic Gassho-Zukuri Villages have been listed as Unesco World Heritage Sites. On to a day-trip that will lead you from the castle town of Kanazawa to the mountainside where the traditional Japanese scenery has been preserved!

KanazawaStation

Ainokura Gassho-Zukuri Village

Murakami House

Try making sasara-ami

Historic Village of Shirakawa-go

De-aibashi Bridge

Take the JR Hokuriku Line from Kanazawa Station to Takaoka in the early morning. There you can change onto the Kaetsuno Bus bound for Gokayama. The bus takes national highway 156 from the Tonami Plain up into the mountains, and continues through a series of roads and tunnels until it reaches the Gokayama Ainokura-kuchi . Our �rst stop is the Unesco World Heritage Site of Ainokura Gassho-Zukuri Village.

Ainokura Gassho-Zukuri Village is one of the most authentic remaining villages with its surroundings of rice �elds in the valley adding to the scenery. It also has some view points up in the mountains from where you can oversee the entire village. At Ainokura Minzokukan building one at the entrance of the village, there are displays showing how people used to live here. At building two you can �nd documentation on how Gokayama washi paper is made.

Kanazawa Station 6:38 (Hokuetsu Limited Express 1) - Takaoka Station 7:03 Fare: adult = 1470 yen, child = 740 yenTakaoka Station (Kaetsuno Bus) 7:30 - Ainokura-kuchi 9:23 Bus Fare: adult = 1450 yen, child = 730 yenAinokura-kuchi - Ainokura Gassho-Zukuri Village approx. 5 min. walk

Ainokura Museum 9:00 – 17:00 Entrance fee: adult = 200 yen, high school student = 100 yen, elementary/middle school student = 50 yen TEL0763-66-2123 (Ainokura Gassho-Zukuri Village Foundation)

AinokuraGassho-ZukuriVillage Visit

(90 minutes)

Murakami House 8:30 - 17:00 (Dec-Mar: 9:00 - 16:00) Closed on Wednesdays (Kokiriko performance: learn to play the sasara instrument to the melody of the Kokiriko song) Entrance fee: High school student and up = 300 yen, elementary/middle school student = 150 yen TEL0763-66-2711

Murakami House & Kokiriko-no-sato

Visit & Walk around (40 minutes)

Performances at the Gokayama Tourist Information Center (10：00 - 16：00) available upon reservation Fee: 5000 yen per group TEL0763-66-2468

Kokiriko danceperformance(20 minutes)

9:00 - 16:00 (reservation required) Open all year roundTry-out fee: 1800 yen TEL0763-66-2312

Sasara-amitry-out experience

(30 minutes)

Workshop time schedules can be found on the Minka-en opening time schedule (Winter break from November until March, workshops on reservation-basis only) Workshop fee: taketonbo/wood weaving/straw sandals = 500 yen.

Folk craftsworkshop

(60 minutes)

Gassho-Zukuri Minka-en: Mar-Nov 8:40 – 17:00 Open every day during this period / Dec-Feb 9:00 – 16:00 Closed on Wednesdays Entrance fee: adult 500 yen, child = 300 yen TEL05769-6-1231

Ogimachi & Gassho-ZukuriMinka-en Visit

(60 minutes)

From Ainokura you can take the bus to Kaminashi in the center of Gokayama (Kokiriko-no-sato). Get off at Kaminashi bus stop, and cross the street to get all the information you need to explore the area at the Tourist Information Center. There is plenty to see: the four hundred year old Murakami House, the important cultural asset of Hakusangu, with its 600 year old shrine, the historic prison cells, and more. At the tourist center it is also possible to watch a Kokiriko dance performance.

The instrument used in the Kokuriko performance is called sasara, and is made out of 108 cypress plates joined together. At the Kokiriko Mingei across the Tourist Center you can try out the sasara yourself.

Once you have had your �ll of Gokayama at Kaminashi, it is on to the bus again to Shirakawa-go. Midway, you can see Suganuma Gassho-Zukuri Village, another World Heritage Site from the bus window. The Ogimachi district of Shirakawa-go, dotted with thatched-roof farm houses, has been selected as an important traditional building preservation area, and since 1995 it is also listed as a World Heritage Site.

Get off at Ogimachi Gassho-Shuraku bus stop and walk through the streets lined with souvenir shops. Across the De-aibashi bridge, on the other side of the Shogawa river, you can �nd the outdoor museum of Gassho-Zukuri Minka-en, where cultural asset houses are connected by a walking route.

When you have got your own hand-made souvenir to take home, it is time to leave Shirakawa-go, and return back to Kanazawa. The expressway bus leaves from the bus stop outside the Tourist Information Center. Tickets can be bought directly here, but reserving them beforehand is the safest option as seats are limited.

At Shinshoji Temple, right past the entrance gate of the Minka-en, you can try making all kinds of folk art crafts such as taketonbo bamboo toys, or straw and weaving.

This concludes our fun-�lled daytrip from Kanazawa to Gokayama and Shirakawa-go. Enjoy sight-seeing in Kanazawa again tomorrow!

Ainokura Gassho-Zukuri Village - Ainokura-kuchi (Kaetsuno Bus) 11:18 - Kaminashi 11:26Bus fare: adult = 320 yen, child = 160 yen.

Kaminashi 13:56(Kaetsuno Bus) - Ogimachi Gassho-Shuraku 14:33Bus fare: adult = 1000 yen, child = 500 yen.

Shirakawa-go 16:50 (Hokutetsu Expressway Bus) - Kanazawa Station 18:05Bus fare: adult = 1800 yen, child = 900 yen. Reservation: TEL076-234-0123

the Tonami Plain

Kokiriko dance

Gassho-Zukuri Minka-en Entrance

Bamboo toy called “taketonbo”

Shirakawa-go

Gokayama

Fukumitsu

TonamiOyabe

Oyabe-Tonami Junction

Kanazawa Morimoto

KanazawaEast

Hokuriku ExpresswayUchinada

KanazawaWest

Tsubata

Takaoka

Tonami

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Johana

AinokuraGassho-Zukuri Village

Kanazawa

Tokai-Hokuriku Expressway

156

GokayamaTourist

Information Center

Shirakawa-go

Shirakawa-goInterchange

360Ogimachi Gassho-Shuraku bus stop

Wada House

Shiroyama TenshukakuViewing Platform

Gassho-Zukuri Minka-en

Deai-no-YakataTourist Information Center

156

Ogimachi

Hatogaya

Gokayama Interchange

156

Ainokura Gassho-Zukuri Village

Kokiriko folk art

Kaminashi bus stop

Ainokura-kuchibus stop

Hida-Gassho Line

Gokayama Tourist Information Center

Shogawa

Gokayama

Other sights at Gokayama and Shirakawa-go

Right by the Shimonashi bus stop close to Ainokura Gassho-Zukuri Village, you can �nd Shimonashi Pocket Park, where Mugiyabushi folk dance performances are held on Sundays from April to November.

Shimonashi Pocket Park - Mugiyabushi performance

End of Apr – start of Nov: every Sunday, every 15 min. starting at 11:30 Free admission TEL0763-66-2580

When heading towards Shirakawa-go on national highway 156 from Kaminashi, you can spot Suganuma Gassho-zukuri Village by the Shogawa river bank at your right hand side. At present the village counts nine thatched-roof houses, and is also listed as a World Heritage Site.

Suganuma Gassho-Zukuri Village

Wada House is the largest thatched-roof building in Shirakawa-go, and is listed as national important cultural property. Back in the feudal era it used to be the house of an important family, and it still used as a residence even today. Besides this house, Toyama House, Nagase House, Kanda House and Myozenji Temple are also open to the public.

Shirakawa-go Wada House

9:00 - 17:00 Closed irregularly.Admission fee: adult = 300 yen, child = 150 yen. TEL05769-6-1058

A viewing platform from where you can oversee Shirakawa-go in its entirety, by the Tenshukaku eating establishment. The viewing platform and parking are free. Light-ups in January and February are especially magni�cent to see.

Shiroyama Tenshukaku Tenbodai (Viewing Platform)

Route map (Kanazawa - Shirakawa-go - Hida Takayama) Route map (Ainokura - Kaminashi)

Route map (Shirakawa-go)

From Ainokura-kuchi approx. 4 min. by bus

From Kaminashi approx.7 min. by bus, From Suganuma bus stop approx. 3 minute walk.

From Ogimachi Gassho-Shuraku bus stop approx. 7 min. walk

From Ogimachi Gassho-Shuraku bus stop approx. 15 min. walkDuring winter, the shuttle bus (fare chargeds) from Seseragi Park Parking is also convenient.

Suganuma Gassho-Zukuri Village

Suganuma Gassho-Zukuri Village

Shimonashi Pocket Park