Nagoya World Heritage Shirakawa-go & Kanazawa Castle 2-Day Tour

Such a great tour with good enthusiastic guide 小Xi and safe Japanese driver. Big coach was clean and comfortable. The scenery along the way was beautiful. Everything went well. We were very lucky to have a guide who spoke clearly and gave detailed instructions, information and recommendations both verbally and through WhatsApp. The itinerary was excellent with sufficient time at every stop. The tour is self-guided so we enjoyed the flexibility to do what we want and roam around freely based on the many places suggested by 小Xi who WhatsApp the exact location on Google maps to us. He also provided maps and gave food suggestions. We stayed at Hotel MyStays Kanazawa. Rooms are clean and new but very small. Double bed is also very small for two people. Best to ask for twin beds when booking this tour. Breakfast at the hotel was great with a wide spread of local and continental food. Overall we enjoyed this tour very much. Highly recommend this over a day tour to Shirakawago/Takayama.

Guide was Ricky and he was helpful and generous with recommendations on what to look out and what local food to eat. We reached all 3 places on time and there was sufficient free time to explore around. The trip also includes a night stay at a hotel at Kanazawa, thank you!

Value for money tour. Tour Guide Xiao Xi, took care of us throughout both days. Thank you i have 2 great days with this tour.

I've joined this tour before, but this time the tour guide was very responsible. At each attraction, they handed out maps to us and marked how to get around. They also told us where the good food was and sent us links, which was really useful.

Attraction: **Kenrokuen Garden** is one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan, located in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, and is on par with Korakuen Garden in Okayama and Kairakuen Garden in Mito. Its name, "Kenroku," comes from Li Gefei's "Record of Famous Gardens of Luoyang" from the Song Dynasty, meaning the garden possesses the six attributes of a great garden: "spaciousness, serenity, artifice, antiquity, water sources, and panoramic views." The following is a detailed introduction to Kenrokuen Garden: --- ### **Historical Background** - **Construction Period**: Construction began in the 17th century (early Edo period) and was gradually expanded by successive lords of the Kaga Domain. It was initially the outer garden of Kanazawa Castle. - **Origin of Name**: Named in 1822 by scholar Matsudaira Sadanobu, referencing classical Chinese garden concepts. - **Open to the Public**: Opened to the public in 1874 and is now a designated Special Place of Scenic Beauty in Japan. --- ### **Garden Features** 1. **Seasonal Scenery**: - **Spring**: Cherry and plum blossoms are in full bloom, especially the weeping cherry trees around Kasumigaike Pond. - **Summer**: Lush greenery and vibrant moss, perfect for escaping the heat. - **Autumn**: Red leaves accentuate the Karasaki Pine and pavilions, with light shows at night. - **Winter**: The famous "yukizuri" – ropes protecting the pine trees from being crushed by snow – becomes a winter

Beautiful experience in the snow! Shirakawa-go looks like a fairytale postcard. Takayama is very quaint. Snowy Kanazawa is a surprise. Small group of 6 very friendly people. The attentive and thoughtful guide translated everything into Italian each time. Sheraton Hotel in Kanazawa with all the comforts, we dined splendidly there, too tired to go out in the evening.

The tour guide was friendly, the itinerary and hotel arrangements were great, and the two days were very fulfilling.

Purchasing the 1/11 Shirakawa-go, Kanazawa, and Takayama 2-day tour and encountering heavy snowfall, the tour guide was very responsible, enthusiastic, and attentive to the safety of all tour members. The timing at each attraction was adjusted perfectly. The driver was also very friendly and safely drove us to complete this wonderful journey. The hotel accommodations were also very comfortable. Worth recommending and repurchasing.

Accommodation choice: APA Hotel Kanazawa. Itinerary: Meet in Nagoya - Takayama - Shirakawa-go - Stay in Kanazawa - Kenroku-en Garden - Omicho Market - Chaya District - Return to Nagoya. Transportation: Minibus. Tour guide: Ms. Dong. She was very nice and recommended many of her favorite hidden-gem restaurants. Attractions and service: After placing the order, no one proactively mentioned the itinerary details. On the booking interface, even after booking, it was actually impossible to know whether we would be staying in Takayama or Kanazawa; we only found out on the first day by asking the guide in person. The itinerary stated we would visit Shirakawa-go first, but the actual schedule went to Takayama first, which the guide herself thought was strange. It seemed like there was a communication gap between the itinerary arrangement and the tour guide, or perhaps the website information was not updated. When we arrived in Takayama on the first day, it was basically almost 12:00 PM, and most of the morning market stalls were already closed; fortunately, we had researched some sights ahead of time. As for Shirakawa-go, we didn't arrive until past 3:00 PM, and the shops in Shirakawa-go close strictly at 5:00 PM, so the visit to Shirakawa-go was really just a quick trip to take some photos. The time planning for Kanazawa's Kenroku-en Garden was decent and quite good. The same goes for Omicho Market. As for the Higashi Chaya District, there was basically nowhere near enough time; every shop was packed with tourists, and dining in required waiting. Essentially, by the time you waited for one shop and finished eating, it was almost time to head back to the meeting point. Overall, the tour guide was wonderful, and the driver was wonderful, helping with the luggage, but some parts of the itinerary planning were a bit poorly organized.

This time I participated in the easy go two-day one-day tour on January 12-13, 2025. The itinerary was great. There are two Chinese tour guides, who very thoughtfully introduce the order of shopping at each attraction. On the first day from Nagoya to Takayama City, there were rest stops to use the restroom. The first stop is Gaoshan City for 3 hours. The second stop is Gassho Village for 2 hours. The third stop was WING International Premium Hotel in front of Kanazawa Station. the next day. The first stop is Kanazawa Kenrokuen Garden + Kanazawa Castle Park for 2 hours. The second stop is Omi Town Market for 1.5 hours. The third stop is East Tea House Street for 1.5 hours. It takes 3.5 hours to drive from Kanazawa to Nagoya. In the middle, we stopped at the rest stop "Sonano Plateau SA (上り)".