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1-Day Takayama Tour: Discover Traditional Japan in Takayama and Shirakawago
4.8
18 Ratings
高山市
Embark on a 1-day tour of Takayama and Shirakawago, where you can explore their charming streets and get a glimpse into traditional Japanese village life. Led by a knowledgeable guide, this cultural experience is a must-visit in central Japan.
Duration:
9 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Takayama Jinya - Tour the inside of the Takayama Jinya, a beautiful centuries old government outpost built for the Shogun’s representatives, and learn about the history and industry of Takayama.
- Sanmachi Suji - Explore the traditional “Sanmachi” district in the heart of Takayama. Lead by your knowledgeable tour guide, you will have a chance to see some of the woodwork this region is famous for and take in its scenic streets.
- Hida-Takayama Miyagawa Morning Market - Try and sample the local delicacies of Takayama a great way to take a culinary tour of the city and get your day-off to a delicious start!
- Shirakawa-mura - Explore the World Heritage-listed ‘Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go with your tour guide, followed by free time for you to explore the area by yourselves
What's Included
- English speaking guide
- Entrance to the Takayama Jinya
- Transportation between all destinations
- Guided walks at both Takayama and Shirakawa-go
What's Not Included
- Lunch
Additional Information
Nestled deep within the heart of Japan’s central mountains, away from the constant activity of urban centers like Tokyo and Osaka, you’ll discover the charming and impeccably preserved towns of Takayama and Shirakawa-go. Takayama, a former land gifted to the Shogun, mesmerizes with its exquisite woodcrafts and traditional alleyways that ooze a tranquillity you won’t find in cities like Kyoto or Kanazawa. In contrast, Shirakawa-go provides a vivid glimpse into the pastoral life led by Japanese farmers in bygone times, a lifestyle that continues today for the fortunate few who inhabit this place. This journey, facilitated by an experienced, English-speaking local guide, will captivate you with extraordinary insights into a phase of Japan drastically different from our present day.
Location
Takayama Station
The meetup point is outside of the ticket gates at JR Takayama Station. Once you have left the gates, look to your left to see a walkway and a carving depicting an ornate wagon. You may wait nearby there until the tour begins at 9:00 A.M. Please look for the guide wearing a SNOW MONKEY RESORTS tag
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(18 Ratings)
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Analucia_g
Apr 14, 2024
Great tour in Takayama! - I 100% recommend the tour! Our guide was Hemi, who knows a lot about Japanese history, and the best part is that it was conducted in English. He was very kind to us and explained a lot about the places we visited. We loved everything! It was very comfortable because we were a small group of 7 people, and the transportation to Shirikawago was private in a van. Excellent tour! Highly recommended ☺️
Review provided by Viator
Alelie21
Apr 5, 2024
Great English Speaking tour guides - I took their Takayama to Shirakawa go tour for first day. And then for 2nd day is the Kanazawa Tour. The tours they offer are good value for money. I strongly recommend to join their tours to maximize your travel time. Their tour guides are very good also. What I like about them (so far) are their English speaking guides. You can actually understand them (their accent) because its really their first language. But I hope in the future they would accept more solo travelers.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jet822754
Apr 2, 2024
The overall experience of this tour was good - due to the helpful assistance of the guide. - Our tour was well planned with a guide who knew the significance of the cultural experience we had hoped for. The overall experience was good. We were fortunate to not only benefit from an English speaking guide, but one who understood the Japanese.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lucas_g
Mar 24, 2024
Good fun in Takayama - Our guide Himi was very knowledgeable and fun to tour with! Luckily the group of tourists we were with were also super down to earth and a fun group, so the whole experience was a blast. 10/10 would do again.
Review provided by Viator
Bethg717
Mar 12, 2024
Private walking and minibus tour of Takayama and Shirakawago. - We only had one day in Takayama, but we wanted to see both Takayama and Shirakawago. So this guided walk around the old town in the morning and another guided walk around Shirakawago in the afternoon was perfect for us. The tour included transport between both places. Devin, our guide was extremely knowledgeable and friendly. A thumbs up though to future trippers: if you’re going in cold weather, make sure you wear warm socks as part of the tour was inside with shoes off, and with snow on the ground outside, our feet got very cold! A great day though - thank you Devin and our friendly driver.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
U889zaanitah
Feb 20, 2024
Photos speak for this bucket list tour - Hemi was a wonderful tour guide very knowledgeable, patient and nothing was any trouble. This is must do tour. Magical 10 out of 10. Thanku Hemi
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jacqueline_r
Feb 3, 2024
Entertaining and knowledgeable guide for an amazing day tour - Best day tour we did in Japan. The guide was entertaining and knowledgeable, he gave us way more insight into the locations we visited than would have been possible just reading the plaques.
Review provided by Viator
Paonosuke
Jan 3, 2024
Lovely day in Takayama/Shirakawa-go spent with great guide. - It was the best tour I've ever experienced. I've met various tour guides around the world, but Hemi stood out as one of the finest—knowledgeable not only in guiding but also exceptionally attentive and pleasant in nature. Thank you so much. As a Japanese, I appreciated receiving comprehensive information from Hemi about the newly visited Takayama city and Shirakawa-go, ranging from historical contexts to the current status as popular tourist destinations, including tips on where to find delicious local food. Thanks to Hemi, I was able to enjoy and understand the local scene on a much deeper level. This tour is highly recommended even to Japanese visitors.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jennie_d
Dec 21, 2023
Awesome Tour Guide! - Our guide was a walking encyclopaedia which is exactly what you want in a tour guide! We learnt so much from Himmie including recommendations for other cities we our visiting during our family holiday to Japan. He was also a great help in finding us gluten free options, the Hida Beef skewers were delicious! He was very patient with our children and the tour itself was just the right length to tick the boxes for Takayama and Shirakawa-Go. Highly recommend this tour,
Review provided by Viator
614elsbethk
May 4, 2024
Thank you - It was an interesting tour with a good guide who showed me the most important sights of the two places. Takayama and also Shirakawago are both very nice places. Thank you.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
