Shirakawa-go Winter Illumination & Takayama Old Town Tour

The driver drove safely and was friendly. I took the Shinkansen from Osaka to Nagoya, but due to snow, I arrived late at Nagoya Station, so I was late to the meeting point. However, the driver waited for me. We stopped at rest stops along the way for everyone to use the restroom. Before getting off at each attraction, the driver clearly explained the boarding location and time. In Takayama Old Town, the driver also introduced the street and told us where we could take beautiful photos. Before getting off at Shirakawa-go, the driver also shared information about the observation deck. Although I couldn't go up to the observation deck, I was still able to take beautiful photos on the street below.

The activity arrangement was very good, allowing travelers to participate in the lighting event, which is commendable. This activity didn't have a tour guide, only a driver for transportation. During the activity, the driver arranged to meet us at the Family Mart parking area at 2:15, but the driver didn't arrive until 2:24. There was no WhatsApp notification to inform us. I hope the driver can improve in the future. I understand that sometimes there may be delays, but he could have notified us via WhatsApp. The transportation arrangement with a seven-seater car was very appropriate. Although the driver and car number were changed three times, we were still notified before departure. I will recommend other friends to participate in the future.

The driver still drove very steadily in the snow and personally took us back to the door of our guesthouse. It was super considerate and saved us from having to travel further.

The meeting point was clear, the 9-seater van was comfortable, and it could also accommodate 6 suitcases. The return trip took about 2 hours to get back to Nagoya.

Before the trip, I discovered that the price had dropped by 30%. After reporting it on the same platform, I was only offered a 10% Klook credit. I hope the platform can also offer a price guarantee. The itinerary details were changed multiple times on the day of the trip, but we were able to depart smoothly. The driver successfully took us to Takayama and Shirakawa-go, but there was no tour guide, even though the description stated that there would be a guided tour of the illuminated village. Due to unfamiliarity with the environment, we missed several illuminated village attractions. I hope this can be improved in the future. Overall, the trip is worth recommending, but I hope there can be improvements in the details.

The price for the illuminated sunrise tour is 3x more expensive than on weekdays, and it does not include admission to the observation deck. There are more people taking pictures below 🥺. But because there wasn't much snow that day, it didn't feel as beautiful (I understand it's out of anyone's control). It's sufficient to go in without the illumination event, but the tour, driver, and other arrangements were smooth and problem-free.

Our driver, Big Brother Wang, was very nice. He timed the itinerary perfectly and took care of every member of the group, providing immediate assistance to those who were late or lost. The Shirakawa-go light-up on January 12th this year was beautiful, with snow the night before and great weather that day, making for beautiful photos. We also had a lot of fun on the old streets of Takayama. It was a wonderful and recommendable trip.

It’s actually really good. You don’t have to find time to take the subway, bus, etc. The only two itineraries you can go to are Takayama (a half-day trip) and Shirakawa-go (a half-day trip - including the night). The bad point is: because of the round trip to Nagoya on the same day, the time at each stop was too short (crying), even though it was cold today (2/2) for the light-up day tour 😶‍🌫️😶‍🌫️😶‍🌫️⋯⋯The tour guide Nice guy, good at chatting😏😏😏⋯⋯