From Kanazawa: Shirakawa-go, Gokayama and Wood Carving Village
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 other historic towns such as the woodcarvers of Inami. Being far from the large cities of Tokyo and Osaka, enjoy walking through a town which continues its tradition of woodcarving to this day. On the shops, in the temples and on signs are beautiful examples of this living history. The entire region was once home to many different kinds of local crafts, such as Japanese style paper making, an activity that you can do on this tour. Enjoy a day long bus tour from Kanazawa where you can see expert wood carving, try your hand at paper making and see the UNESCO World Heritage sites Shirakawa-go and Gokayama traditional homes.
Options
End the tour at Takayama St
What's included in From Kanazawa: Shirakawa-go, Gokayama and Wood Carving Village
(Subject to Option Inclusions)Itinerary
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 time to walk around and get some good pictures of the village. Your guide can show you the way to nice photo spot overlooking the the area.
Gokayama Washi
Once at the Japanese Paper-Making Experience, you can choose paper inserts to put in your paper before actually giving it a try. After 10 to 15 minutes of drying you'll have a small souvenir of three postcard size pieces of paper to bring home.
Inclusions
- 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
- Lunch
- Accommodation
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Meet
Pickup and Dropoff
You will make your own way to the meeting points
Meeting / End Points
- 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.