Shirakawa-go and Gokayama: Traditional Japanese Villages

Explore Shirakawa-go, Gokayama, and Inami’s woodcarving on a day tour from Kanazawa. Experience traditional crafts, historic homes, and UNESCO sites.

Duration: 9 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Inami - Arrive at Inami to explore the main street full of wood carvers and their interesting creations throughout the townscape. This will be followed by a walk around Zuizenji Temple to see the place where all the wood carving starting.
  • Gokayama - Arrive at the first stop in Gokayama, the Ainokura Village, where you have a short amount of…
What's Included
  • Guided Tour at the Wood Craft Town Inami and Shirakawa-go UNESCO site
  • English speaking guide
  • Entry fee at Zuisenji Temple
  • Japanese Paper-Making Experience Fee
  • Transportation to and from Shirakawa-go and all other destinations
What's Not Included
  • Lunch
  • Accommodation
Additional Information

Deep in the mountains of Japan lies the quaint villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama, with their beautifully preserved gassho-style houses. These UNESCO World Heritage Sites, some of the buildings are over 250 years old, gives a glimpse into the ways of Japanese traditional farming communities. On the way from Kanazawa to those stunning sites, there are…

Location
Kanazawa Station
The meeting point is outside of the Shinkansen Ticket Gates, across the concourse and in front of the information center. Look for a four large sumo wrestlers under the information center sign. Be sure to look for our guide wearing the SNOW MONKEY RESORTS tag.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
5.0
(71 Ratings)
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Gail_b
Oct 28, 2025
A Must See - Absolutely loved the trip and our guide was fabulous…. Favorite spots were Inami (the temple was maybe my favorite in Japan…. Almost no tourists so you could really enjoy); the wood carvers are artists; paper making in Ainokura and the thatched roofs in Shirakawa were so interesting.
Review provided by Viator
Katherine
Oct 4, 2025
Highly recommend! - A fantastic day with Garrett exploring Inami, Gokayama and Shirakawa-go. We enjoyed learning about the history of the area and seeing the artisans at work. We loved the hands on washi paper making experience and ringing the temple bell! Highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rebecca
Oct 1, 2025
Highly recommend this tour! - Our tour with Mike and Ellie was such a pleasure! A great way to see Japan in a fun and relaxed atmosphere while meeting new friends.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
D2757yjnicolef
Oct 1, 2025
Shirakawago/ Gokayama - Mike was the best tour guide! He was very knowledgable and he had the best humor. He showed us all of Gokayama and Shirakawago and another town that specialized in wood carving. Mike gave us tad bits of knowledge to carry on while sight seeing! Very good conversation and company on this guided tour!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Corinne12_12
Oct 1, 2025
recommended tour - That was a very nice tour. I really liked Inami and Goyakama. Our guide Daniel was gracious, competent and knew many interesting things to tell. It was very entertaining and educational. In Goyakama I also liked seeing how paper is traditionally made. We could also try it ourselves. Both places were not crowded at all. Shirakawa-go, on the other hand, is a tourist hotspot. The place is beautiful, and visiting a thatched house was very interesting, but for me it just had too many tourists.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Alan
Sep 27, 2025
Wonderful, very interesting tour - Mike was an amazing guide, incredibly clear, engaging and informative. He had great in depth knowledge of the history and of the economic and cultural context of the sites that we visited and kept us entertained with stories and interesting facts throughout the trip. He was also very kind and helpful. The entire tour was very well organized and exactly as advertised.
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Catherine_c
Sep 23, 2025
UNESCO villages preserving history - A nice measured pace, not too much walking just enough throughout the day. Daniel our guide was very mindful of maki g sure we had enough time for comfort breaks , shopping opportunities and food. A small group made it easy to ask questions.
Review provided by Viator
V7730tzmartinf
Sep 20, 2025
Amazing Day Trip from Kanazawa to Shirakawago - Amazing Day Trip from Kanazawa to Shirakawago This day tour from Kanazawa to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Shirakawago was a fantastic experience. The village is absolutely beautiful, and seeing the original traditional Japanese houses up close was truly special. Our guides, Mike and Ellie, were excellent – very friendly, welcoming, and knowledgeable. They shared interesting insights and made the whole trip smooth and enjoyable. Overall, it was a well-organized and memorable day. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Kanazawa!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Y1016wiricardof
Sep 20, 2025
5 stars - We went with a small group and we had a great time. Mike was an awesome guide, providing knowledge and overall being very nice and helpful. We would recommend this trip to everyone.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Elena
Sep 20, 2025
Great tour - Beautiful tour to discover authentic Japanese places and definitely quieter than the big cities. Very well organized and attention to detail, both as time and place management. Thanks to our guide, nice guy and very prepared both in explaining the places and clarifying any doubts. Absolutely recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $199
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).