Shirakawa go and Hida furukawa: 2 beautiful places near Takayama

I wrote about the areas near Takayama in Gifu prefecture this time!Shirakawa go and Hida Furukawa are very popular places for tourists these days.People all over the world(especially from Europe) come visit to enjoy historical places. These places are great for taking pictures and feel traditional Japan!

1.Shirakawa go

In the north part of Gifu, there’s an old village called Shirakwa-go.Forest area covers 95% it, and most of the nature around it has been undisturbed for ages. It snows a lot in winter there, so the iconic Gassho style houses (wooden houses with steeply sloped thatched roofs) were built. In 1995, Shirakawa-go was registered as the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Since then, it has been one of the most popular places for tourist visiting Japan. In January and February, night illumination events take place. It is particularly beautiful during the winter, seeing the houses covered in snow with illumination.

2.Hida Furukawa

Thanks to the big hit of the anime “Your Name”(some of the scenes are based on this place), Hida Furukawa is gaining popularity among anime fans all over the world.It is a small town near Takayama city. It is smaller and also quieter than Takayama and just like other areas in Gifu, old wooden houses are well preserved. Furukawa festival is held on April 19th and 20th.Festival floats are displayed from 6:00am and traditional drum performance takes place in the evening of the 19th.Santera-mairi(pilgrimage of three temples in the area) is held on January 15th. During Sandera-mairi, about 1,000 Japanese candles are lined up near the river.
Thousands of Koi fishes are swimming in the rivers of Hida Furukawa, and it is a perfect place to enjoy the scenery and beautiful traditional architecture of Japan.

Access

・Shirakawa-go

From Takayama to Shirakawa-go

Travel Time: About an hour
Price: 2,470yen (One way) 4,420yen (Round-trip)
Bus ticket reservation/Bus Schedule: Nohi Bus

・Hida Furukawa

From Takayama to Hida Furukawa

<By Train>
Travel Time: About 20min
Price: 240yen (One way)

<By Bus>
Travel Time: About one hour
Price: 370yen (One way)
Bus ticket reservation/Bus Schedule: Nohi Bus

What are traditional houses/areas in your country like?
See you next time!
Taka

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