Shirakawa-go Illumination will start soon! Every year, the lighting of the Hapucho Village attracts a large number of tourists. The World Heritage human-shaped wooden houses covered in snow and reflected in the twinkling lights are warm and romantic, so you’ll have to wait another year if you miss it!
Contents
Shirakawa-go Light Up Group Introduction
How do I get to Gassho Village?合掌村
【Shenglong Road Express Bus】
- Departure: Central Japan Airport, Nagoya, Takayama
- Destinations: Nagoya, Takayama, Kanazawa, Shirakawa, Matsumoto, etc.
- Ticket types: Three-day pass, five-day pass
- How to use: The pass allows you to take any highway bus within a specified period.
Basically, the most common bus to Shirakawago is the Noh Fly Bus, and people often travel from Takayama and Kanazawa to Shirakawago.
For the above information about the route to Shirakawago by highway bus, please refer to the official website of each bus.
▶︎Nouhi Bus
https://www.nouhibus.co.jp/
▶︎ Kaetsunon Bus
http://www.kaetsunou.co.jp/
▶︎ Gifu Bus Official Website
http://www.gifubus.co.jp/
If you want to take a bus with a reservation system, you need to make a reservation on the bus website first. If the bus is fully booked, you can refer to the day trip itinerary!
3. How can I book a room if I don’t know Japanese?
Most of the B&Bs in Hapjamura are run by Japanese elders, so basically they only speak Japanese! If you don’t know Japanese and don’t have Japanese friends to help you, but want to stay in the village, what should you do?
The following two methods are available for your reference.
＃Credit Card Platinum Secretary
＃Shirakawa-go Tourist Association
If the above method is not available, you can also use the Shirakawa-go Tourist Association to make reservations for you.
You can book a room by following the steps below.
【Step 1】
Click on “Accommodations” and you will see the housing information of Hapo Village, and change it to Step 2.
【Step 2】
You can click on the place you want to stay and see more information about accommodation.
【Step 3】
After selecting the accommodation you want, go back to the left column and pull down to see “お問合せ”, click on it and it will switch to a table format.
【Step 4】
After filling out this form, the Shirakawa Tourism Association will ask you about accommodation and respond to you by e-mail in English. It is recommended that you fill in more than one accommodation in the inquiry section, so that when the reservation is full, the tourism association can help you ask for other accommodation, and if you can order, you need to write back again to confirm the reservation.
Also, pay special attention to the second column where you have to fill in the Japanese pinyin after converting from Chinese!
If you find it too much trouble to order a B&B through the Tourism Association, you can also choose “Ota House”, which offers housing services in English, so if you are good at English, you can give it a try!
4. Note
＃Shuttle buses for the observation deck must be reserved in advance
Last year, it was required to take a shuttle bus to the observatory during the lighting period, but this year, it is required to make reservations for the shuttle bus in advance, and you will need a ticket to enter the village, and priority will be given to those staying at a B&B in Shirakawago on the same day.
Ticket sales location: JA parking lot
Hours of sale: 16:00~until sold out
Amount: 500 yen
Information about shuttle buses
http://lightup.asia/transportation/
＃Only vehicles with parking permits are allowed to park in the parking lot.
In order to control the number of people, only vehicles with parking permits (parking permits) are allowed to park in the parking lot during the lighting period in Hap Jang Village.
＃ Some bus schedules will be by reservation
The Shirakawago night lighting day may coincide with the bus “Takayama-Shirakawago line” operation day, due to possible traffic congestion, some trips will be changed, and the usual non-reservation trips will be changed to a reservation system, detailed information is based on the official website, we recommend checking the major highway bus websites before departure.
▶︎Nouhi Bus
https://www.nouhibus.co.jp/
▶︎ Kaetsunon Bus
http://www.kaetsunou.co.jp/
▶︎ Gifu Bus Official Website
http://www.gifubus.co.jp/
＃Advance booking is required
Basically, reservations for B&Bs in Shirakawa-go start in October, and some start in November and December, so if you’re sure you want to go, do your homework now! If you’re sure you want to go, do your homework now!
＃Camera, cell phones need to be fully charged
Because the weather is colder in Hapjeong Village, it will cause your cell phone or camera battery to drain faster, so be sure to fully charge it before you leave, or bring a powerbank in case it runs out of power.
＃Flashlight, umbrella, non-slip boots
Because it is lit at night, will walk in the dark road, so open flashlight is relatively safer way; In addition, may encounter heavy snow, so can also be prepared with an umbrella, or wet may get cold; road slippery relationship will also be recommended to wear non-slip boots, in order to avoid falls and other accidents.
＃It’s cold at night.
When you go to the village of Hepa, down jackets, scarves, sweaters, gloves, hats, anything to keep you warm, don’t forget! Don’t forget anything to keep you warm! The climate is already cold during the day, and it will only get colder at night when you watch the lighting! The snow is thick, so it is recommended that you wear clothing that is easy to walk in and light.
＃Not every place can set up a corner rack
The last thing to note is that not every place can set up a corner stand if you want to take good photos! It is very dangerous to set up a corner stand on the hillside because of the snow and the terrain, usually there is an open space for setting up a corner stand in Hapyeong Village, but it is necessary to start lining up and getting a spot early.
