Shirakawa-go Ogimachi, Shirakawa, Gifu, Japan: how to visit

Shirakawa-go is in Gifu Prefecture, and its Ogimachi village is known as a village of gassho-style houses². Wikivoyage says it’s famous for farmhouses built in a unique architectural style⁵: the steep thatched gassho-zukuri houses you’ve seen in every photo.

Shirakawa-go was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995². The listing covers Ogimachi in Shirakawa-go, and Ainokura and Suganuma in Gokayama⁶.

• Wada House: the tourism association calls it the largest gassho-zukuri house in Shirakawa-go¹³. It opens 9:00 to 17:00 and closes on irregular days, about a 3-minute walk¹³ from the bus terminal. Read more on this thatched roof house in Shirakawa-go.
• Gassho-zukuri Minkaen: an open-air museum keeping 25 buildings, about a 15-minute walk¹⁴ from the bus terminal. It opens 8:40 to 17:00 from March to November and 9:00 to 16:00 from December to February, and is closed on Thursdays from December to March¹⁴.
• Ogimachi Castle Ruins Observatory: a viewpoint on a 60-metre hill¹⁵ where only earthworks of the old castle remain. It’s free to enter and open on foot at any time¹⁵.
• Deai Bridge: Deai Bridge is about 490 m from Wada House¹⁶, an easy add-on to your walk.

The observatory shuttle leaves from in front of the Wada House, every 20 minutes from 10:00 to 14:40, with a break from 12:00 to 13:00¹². Fares are paid in cash on the bus¹², and from the last stop you walk a short way¹⁵ to the viewpoint.

If you want a soak after all that walking, read up on the hot spring bath in Shirakawa-go.

Rules and access in the village

Ogimachi is a lived-in village, and the tourist association sets a few rules you need to follow.

• There are no trash cans in the village¹², so carry your rubbish out.
• Drones are prohibited¹¹ in the World Heritage gassho village.
• The village doesn’t accept tourists at night, apart from guests staying overnight¹¹.

For access, free wheelchairs are available¹². Wada House sells cheaper tickets for primary-school¹³ children, and the Minkaen for elementary-school¹⁴ children (prices in the table above).

What it means for you:

• The first round of car parking reservations is sold out²⁰.
• Parking is booked online only, through the Shirakawa-go Tourist Association website, by credit card²⁰. A second-round space costs ¥7,000 (about US$45) per vehicle for 1–5 people, or ¥10,000 (about US$64) for 6–10 people¹⁸.
• Only successful lottery applicants are notified, and applying for more than one date or inn makes all your applications invalid¹⁹.
• An admission ticket doesn’t give access to the observation deck¹⁸.
• There are no regular buses for the return trip¹⁸ after the light-up, so arrange a car or a tour.

• Ainokura: 23⁶ gassho-style farmhouses, a 5-minute walk uphill²¹ from the Ainokuraguchi bus stop. Day visitors are asked to come between 8:30 and 17:00²². Plan a gassho-zukuri village day trip there.
• Suganuma: nine⁶ gassho-style houses left, and buses connect it with Shirakawa-go in about 30 minutes²³.
• Gokayama Washi no Sato: a washi paper centre²⁴ where postcard papermaking costs ¥1,000²⁵ (about US$6) per person. Papermaking runs 10:00 to 15:00 and must be booked²⁶.
• Hida Furukawa: a nearby sibling town to Takayama¹; see our guide to getting to Hida Furukawa from Takayama.

For the sights in and around town, there’s more on things to do on our Takayama attractions page.