Private Charter Tour: Explore Traditional Japan in Takayama & Shirakawago
4.9
79 Ratings
Shirakawa-mura
Embark on a private charter tour to explore the hidden beauty of the Hokuriku region in Japan. Visit the historic villages of Shirakawa-go, experience traditional Japanese culture in Takayama, and be guided by our knowledgeable English-speaking driver.
Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • The Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go Gassho Style Houses - The world heritage site, Shirakawago, is a free walk. Take a stroll at your own pace and enjoy the countryside at your leisure. with a delicious lunch full of mountain food.
  • Ogimachi Castle Old Site Observatory - Enjoy the unique view of Shirakawago village from the best angle and height.
  • Wada House - Visit Wada House to see inside the Gassho Zukuri House and be impressed by the architectural details of the unique house.

Admission fee:-
General individual Adults (junior high school students and above): 400 yen; children (elementary school students): 200 yen.
General group (20 people or more) Adult: 350 yen
Disabled individual Adult: 200 yen (disability certificate required, person only)

  • Hida-Takayama Miyagawa Morning Market - Miyagawa Morning Market is one of the main places to visit in the Hida Takayama area. Travelers can try delicious local food and visit local shops to interact with shop owners dealing in handicraft goods.
  • Hida Minzoka Mura Folk Village (Hida no Sato) - Hida Folk Village (Hida no Sato) is an open-air museum exhibiting over 30 traditional houses from the Hida region, the mountainous district of Gifu Prefecture around Takayama. The houses were built during the Edo Period (1603–1867) and were relocated from their original locations to create the museum in 1971. In a village-like atmosphere, the museum features buildings such as the former village head’s house, logging huts, storehouses, and a number of gassho-zukuri farmhouses. These massive farmhouses are named after their steep thatched roofs, which resemble a pair of hands joined in prayer (“gassho”). They were moved here from nearby Shirakawago, where gassho-zukuri houses are the reason for the region’s World Heritage status.
  • Takayama Betsuin Shorenji Temple - Takayama Betsuin Shorenji Temple, around a five-minute stroll from JR Takayama Station, is a notable Buddhist temple in Takayama. Its notorious, three-celebrated pagoda was developed in 1820. A Buddhist statue remembered to have been made in the Heian time frame is revered in the fundamental structure. Make certain to pay heed to the tremendous gingko tree on the grounds. It is more than 1,260 years old.
  • Takayama Jinya - Because of its valuable timber resources, the Hida Region around Takayama was put under direct control of the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1692. The Takayama Jinya served as the local government office, headed by officials dispatched from Edo (present-day Tokyo). The building complex was in official use until 1969 and is now open to the public as a museum. It includes various nicely maintained tatami mat rooms that once served as offices, conference rooms, guest rooms, and residential spaces. There is also an interesting interrogation room. Beside the main building stands a large storehouse, built in the 1600s. Known as the biggest traditional rice storehouse in Japan, it now functions as a museum, showcasing the belongings and official documents of past feudal lords, old maps of the Hida Region, and historic town plans.
What's Included
  • Private transportation
  • Customizable tour with option to add 2-3 personal site choices
  • Complimentary bottled water
  • English-speaking driver
  • Air-conditioned vehicles
  • Fuel surcharges included
What's Not Included
  • Lunch
  • Snacks
  • Entrance/Admission Fee
  • Admission fee Wada House:- Adults : 400 yen; children: 200 yen. Group (20 or more) Disables: 200 yen
  • Admission Fee to Takayama Jiniya
  • Admission Fee to Hida no Sato
Additional Information

We are based in the Hokuriku region and are well aware of the hidden beauty of this region. As we have been in this field for many years, our service will define itself.

Travelers to this region will be welcomed and will visualize the natural beauty, and traditional Japanese culture by visitIng The Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go, Ogimachi Castle Old Site Observatory, following Takayama towns’ must-see attractions and learn more about their culture and history along the way. We have a well-trained and organized English-speaking driver as guide.

Location
The Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go Gassho Style Houses
Ogimachi,
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(79 Ratings)
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P9454suandreww
Jun 23, 2024
Amazing village - Malik was our driver he was very accommodating and flexible to look after our needs despite a rainy day we still have a wonderful time to see all the major attractions at Shirakawa-go Village & Takayama town. Thank you for taking us around Malik.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Preeteshs2024
Jun 19, 2024
Great day trip to Shirakawago - One of the great tour we had in Japan during our visit. We were took honestly to almost every place listed in the itinerary expect morning market as it was closed. I would highly recommend this tour as our driver Ali was very knowledgeable of the subject, he knew the history of Shirakawa-go and the surrounding areas in Takayama town,he took some really great photos of us during the trip and also gave best ideas for the trip. Ali was very patient and understanding throughout the trip as well. Thank you entire Smile team.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rodrigo_c
May 23, 2024
Arfa was awesome. Super... - Arfa was awesome. Super nice and flexible when we wanted to slightly change plans. Keep in mind that this is not a guided tour though
Review provided by Viator
609jiam
May 13, 2024
Recommended & worthy - We had the most wonderful day with our driver, Ahmed. He was active for pickup all the time and had interesting conversations during the drive. He showed us great spots for pictures including Shirakawa-go and did recommended hida beef & sake tasting as street food at Takayama old town. The car was very spacious and he dropped off us according to our desired location.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
B660jqnatalial
May 12, 2024
Amazing experience - Amazing experience with Malik our driver he was right on time throughout the trip while making sure that we are comfortable. Shirakawa-go is really nice place to visualise authentic Japanese culture. Also we had a great recommendation of Hida beef for lunch at Takayama town. He ensured that we cover everything we desire to visit and also took us back to our hotel safely and punctually. Highly recommend this tour!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jeannie_m
May 7, 2024
Flexible and a good driver - It was very interesting watch the Takayama Festival for a couple of hours instead of following the complete itinerary. It is an excellent option specially if you cannot drive.
Review provided by Viator
Anitaph5294oy
May 1, 2024
Shirakawa-go Trip - A very comfortable & smooth trip with great weather. Our driver Malik is a very experienced driver and very patient. We are able to visit quite a number of places including the amazing village Shirakawa-go! Memorable & Excellent trip.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cmnm2615
Jun 7, 2024
Private car for family trip to Shirakawa, Hida and Takayama - We had booked our travel to Shirakawa-go and Takayama. On the appointed day Ali Humza came with a very clean sedan on time at our hotel to pick us up for the whole-day tour. It was a very comfortable drive first to Shirakawa-go to Hida and lastly to Takayama and back to Kanazawa at a relaxed pace. Please note that he parked the cars in the parking lots and stayed with the car and we had to explore the locations on our own. Ali has done this several times and he shared stories and anecdotes along the way and that made the trip very enjoyable. I recommend this trip.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
201francesca
Jun 2, 2024
Takayama - We moved from Tokyo to Takayama by bullet train, arrived in Nagoya and then continued towards Takayama. This city is known for the ancient architectural complex known as Takayama Jinya.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Keith_d
Apr 26, 2024
Beautiful village - Shirakawago is a Beautiful and interesting village in the mountains. Unfortunately, we were stuck in immigration and had to miss the first village of Takayama. Our driver did wait for us which was very accommodating. Malik was a very pleasant driver. We did arrive back at port about 2 hours ahead of schedule and it would have been nice if he was able to take us to one more stop. Nevertheless, we had a very nice day
Review provided by Viator
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