Shirakawa-go, Ogimachi Village Guide
- Nimrod
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
October 2024 [To All Posts in Japan]
Focus: Shirakawa-go – Ogimachi Village Guide
Content
Shirakawa-go – Ogimachi Village Introduction
I think it’s time to clarify a few things… Shirakawa-go and Gokayama are regions in the Shogawa River Valley, home to several villages with historic farmhouse homes, some over 200 years old.
Here’s a general map showing three villages: one in Shirakawa-go and two in Gokayama (marked with red icons).You can choose which village—or villages—best suit your visit, whether you’re traveling by rental car or public transport.
In any case, the villages in the Gokayama area are much less touristy and are smaller than those in Shirakawa-go.
In Shirakawa-go: Ogimachi Village.
In Gokayama: Ainokura Village and Suganuma Village.
How to Get to Shirakawa-go
If you’ve visited Kanazawa or Takayama and want to experience a charming rural atmosphere in a green valley with villages beautifully preserved from the feudal era, Shirakawa-go is the place to go.
We arrived at Ogimachi Village on a very rainy day, driving straight from Kanazawa in a rental car. The drive took about an hour (many roads were under construction, so sometimes we had to wait).
You can also reach here by bus: about an hour and 15 minutes from Takayama, and two hours from Kanazawa.
To be honest, I didn’t do thorough homework to decide the best village to visit and ended up in the most touristy of the three villages.
More Trips in Japan
What to See in Ogimachi Village
Ogimachi Village, the largest and most visited village in the area, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. The village is home to several dozen gassho-zukuri style houses, some of which are over 250 years old.
So, what is gassho-zukuri? Simply put, it’s an architectural style inspired by the posture of hands pressed together in prayer. This style is distinctive for the steep thatched roofs found on the houses here.
The roofs are made of tightly packed straw, and their steep angle was designed to prevent heavy snow accumulation. In the attic spaces, residents traditionally raised silkworms, and on the ground floors, in some years, they produced potassium nitrate to create gunpowder.
Today, most of the houses serve as restaurants, small museums, or family-run inns called Minshuku.
We hiked about 15 minutes up to a viewpoint overlooking the village in heavy rain here. Honestly, we couldn’t see much due to the rain and low clouds, but it was still worth the experience.
We entered a typical house, now a paid-entry museum, and were impressed by both the interior and its huge thatched roof. The visit was interesting, but quite touristy and crowded with visitors.
I imagine that on a beautiful day, it’s very pleasant and enjoyable to stroll among the houses in the village, sit down for a cup of tea or coffee, and simply soak in the atmosphere.
On the Japan Guide page about the village, you can find a list of unique houses here that are open to visitors.
You can also visit part of the village that serves as an open-air museum, where traditional farmhouses relocated from other parts of the valley have been gathered for preservation (Shirakawa-go Gassho-Zukuri Minka-en).
Where to Go Next
Those with a rental car usually continue to the city of Takayama for a day trip or longer stay. You can also visit other villages in the Gokayama area or head to Kanazawa.
We continued from here to the town of Hakuba in the Japanese Alps. Read the full post here.