Hello, it’s Mr. Wada back on duty. I will show you around Shirakawa-go in Gifu.
Traditional Gassho-Zukuri in Shirakawa-go
Ren and I sneaked out from the guest house early morning. It’s freezing… We walked down towards the central to pick the car we reserved for the day. This day we are going to Shirakawa-go.
Driving Down To Shirakawa-go
Shirakawa-go is a 60-minute ride from Takayama City, accessible by car and public bus. It snowed a little few days back so there was still some left in Shirakawa-go, which is good for this scenery.
Transportation Costs:
| Car rental | 6,500 yen |
| Highway Toll-fee | 2,000 yen |
| Gas | 800 yen |
| Parking in Shirakawa-go | 500 yen |
| Total | 9,800 yen |
Exploring Shirakawa-go
Gasshou-zukuri
Shirakawa-go is known for its traditional houses called Gasshou-zukuri. It is also a sister city of Alberobello in Italy which is an amazing town as well.
Onsen in Shirakawa-go
It was still very early, so none of the stores were open yet and more importantly…freezing! We decided to stop by at Shirakawa-go no Yu, the only onsen place in the area. Hey, morning bath isn’t bad on a cold day like this!
Lunch Time at Gasshou-zukuri House
Alrighty. We got warmed up very well and damn, I’m already hungry. We went into this place to grab something.
Ochuudo Cafe (落人) in Shirakawa-go
Zenzai is all-you-can eat. Have yourself from the pot as much as you like.
The staff will ask you to pick youself a cup from their collections. Look around you, there are plenty of them down, up and even hanging!
Mrs. Wada taking her second cup of Zanzai.
The restaurant was a bit busy though. We had to wait a little bit to get the seat at the irori. We had a nice meal and rested long enough, now we are ready to explore more!
Welcome to the Wadas!
There are several houses of Gasshou-zukuri that accept visitors and we saw this sign.
It says….what? The Wadas? I am not certain if this is possibly related to my family though, felt we should go in. A 300 yen of entrance fee is required.
As can you see, it is well-maintained. Hard to believe it is like…200 years old? Upstairs was quite cold without heater but we can see more of how this house is like. Residents raise silkworms here.
Beautiful Scenery of Shirakawa-go
We walked up to the top to see the scenery of Shirakawa-go. Not much snow was left…
It would’ve been better with more snow but it still looks good, don’t you think?
It’s a small village after all but beautiful.
Note:
Some houses are available for accommodation here in Shirakawa-go. If you wish to stay over at one of them, you should book as soon as you plan on visiting (During this time all places were full already before a month).
Let’s call it a day.
See you around!