This is a long day trip to the mountains, but it’s worth it.  The main draw is Shirakawa-go, a preserved village of thatched-roof farmhouses.  You get there from Takayama, which itself has a nice old town.

The train and bus that is needed do not run that often, but at least they have a coordinated schedule.  The basic outline is:

• Train from Toyama to Takayama – you must catch the 8am train, gets to Takayama at 9:30
• Bus to Shirakawa-go
• Visit Shirakawa-go
• Bus back to Takayama
• Visit Takayama’s old town
• Train back to Toyama – last train is at 5:13, gets to Toyama at 6:52

Train to Takayama

The train from Toyama to Takayama is called the Wideview Hida, and it’s appropriately named for its extra wide windows.  The train heads south thru the farmland surrounding Toyama, then begins climbing up into the mountains.  It’s a really beautiful trip, and the 90 minutes will fly by.

If you want to do everything outlined in 1 day, you have to catch the 8am train.  The next one isn’t until 1pm.  The good news this is a JR train so it’s covered by the JR rail pass.

Bus to Shirakawa-go

Bus service to Shirakawa-go is provided by Nohi Bus.  The ticket office is just outside the train station (to the left as you exit).  We didn’t have any trouble getting a ticket on the spot, but if you want you can make a reservation (by phone only).  The bus departs 20 minutes after the train arrives and takes about an hour.  (Here’s the complete schedule).  The bus goes directly to the visitor center at Shirakawa-go non-stop.  (Other buses make more stops).

Shirakawa-go

There are a couple of villages in the Shirakawa-go area – the one the bus goes to is Ogi-machi and is the main one. It is a real functioning village.  There is no admission charge to just wander around.  However, most houses charge a few hundred yen admission to tour.  You can simply pick the ones most interesting to you.

We spent about 2 hours touring.  We watched some people repair a roof.  We toured the Kanda house and the Nagase house.  Both have multiple floors and you get great views from the upper levels.  They have a great collection of artifacts collected on the upper floors.

There are plenty of other shops to get souvenirs or something quick to eat.  It’s also possible to stay overnight at some places – obviously with some planning ahead.

We took the 1:00 bus back to Takayama.  They will be waiting in the visitor center.

Takayama

The old town is about 5 blocks away from the train station.  Take any of the streets at right angles to the tracks.  Here’s a typical scene:

One unusual store is a toy shop / museum – Tomenosuke.  It’s filled with sci-fi models, including some from movies Alien.  They charge 500 yen to visit, but it’s worth it.  My favorite was the terminator model: