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
4.9
(38 Ratings)
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Dana_k
May 24, 2025
Fabulous side trip - This was a wonderful way to get out into the quiet countryside of the Kanazawa area. We were able to see everything we wanted in one day. Our guide Daniel was FANTASTIC! Knowledgeable, personable and professional. He made the trip so easy and fun. We really enjoyed the paper making and the wood carving.
Review provided by Viator
Cmgbarnes
May 16, 2025
Come to Japan - watch, listen, experience, explore and learn - Dan was amazing. He is warm hearted, knowledgeable, accommodating and wonderful company. He brought to life the Japanese culture with respect and dignity.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Monai774
May 15, 2025
Great tour - The tour was very informative, comfortable, and organized. Our guide Daniel was very personable and provided in-depth information of the various tour sites visited. So glad we booked this tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Eleanor
May 15, 2025
A great day! - A really enjoyable day. Daniel was excellent and informative guide. I was great to see some beautiful and interesting places.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Coastal60026444361
May 11, 2025
Day trip - Great trip and guide. Saw small villages we would never have been able to get to. Learned more about this area. Very enjoyable!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
J9310fwalig
May 8, 2025
Great guide, fascinating sites! - This tour was amazing! The guide was very knowledgeable and we learned so much! This was easily one of the highlights of my trip!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
R6159hwjodies
May 3, 2025
Amazing - The scenery was amazing and our tour guide Mike was fantastic. I especially loved the woodcarving village and all the beautiful artworks. We got to ring the bell at the temple and the 2 tradional villages were soo beautiful
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Oldnotcrumbly
May 3, 2025
Best day out - Mike the perfect tour guide. Friendly knowledgeable willing to share . A great day was had by all. Definately first class
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Global768345
May 3, 2025
A great day out. - Mike was friendly, knowledgeable, informative and organized. We were able to laugh with him and ask many questions about life in Japan. Would absolutely go again.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
S4824zylisag
Apr 21, 2025
Japan highlight - This trip was amazing and a highlight for our trip to Japan. Daniel was fantastic, great knowledge of the area and history and made sure our kids felt included and engaged too. We were lucky enough to see the last of some snow with cherry blossoms. It was so nice to visit some quieter places away from big crowds too. Highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $211
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).