白川郷と平瀬温泉 – Shirakawa-Go & Hirase Onsen

To be completely honest, after having seen Takayama’s Hida no Sato, I was a bit underwhelmed by Shirakawa-go.

The farmhouses were certainly impressive, and the view was quite nice from the cliff, but aside from that it really wasn’t much more than what I had already seen before…  Granted, all of these structures are original, not transplanted like the ones found in Takayama, some of which are more than 250 years old. But when you consider that you have to pay to actually enter the houses open for viewing, in comparison to Hida no Sato where you can enter as many buildings as you wanted, the Takayama option does seem a bit more appealing.  On top of that, there were tourists everywhere, making it feel awfully cramped.  They did, however have a place to eat fresh handmade soba noodles that tasted amazing.

Despite all of this, it isn’t a bad stop if you are planning on taking the bus from Takayama to Kanazawa (like I did).  However, I was finished with Shirakawa-go a lot faster than I expected, so I decided to take advantage of the extra time before my bus to Kanazawa to take a short side trip to the Hirase Onsen.  On this trip to both Shirakawa-go and Hirase I was actually joined by an Australian woman named Claire.  We met in line waiting for the bus from Takayama, and decided to go to the onsen town together.

It was so quiet and peaceful, and the scenery was beautiful. We decided to try Shiramizu no Yu, a famous onsen spot that’s supposed to improve a woman’s fertility…  The onsen was wonderful regardless and the view of the hills from the outdoor bath alone was well worth the trip.  I think I’m starting to become addicted to these baths though…

Vital Information:

• Open: Shirakawa-go Ogimachi Village Hours of houses vary; Shiramizu no Yu 11:00 to 20:00 (from December to March; Admission until 19:30) 10:00 to 21:00 (from April to November; Admission until 20:30)

• Closed: Shirakawa-go Ogimachi Village Irregular; varies based on location; Shiramizu no Yu Wednesdays

• Shirakawa-go Ogimachi Village 300-500 yen Admission per house; Shiramizu no Yu 600 yen Admission

• Not Very English Friendly, but English-Guided Sightseeing Bus Tours are available through the bus company.

• Shirakawa-go Ogimachi Village 50 minute bus ride from Takayama on the Nohi Bus; Shiramizu no Yu 15-20 minute bus ride from Shirakawa-go to Hirase Onsen on the Nohi Bus.