Things to do in Takayama

The entire itinerary was planned wonderfully, allowing us ample time to deeply explore the charming locations of Shirakawa-go Gassho Village and Hida Takayama. The day trip included convenient and comfortable bus transportation, eliminating any worries about complicated travel arrangements, and allowing us to fully enjoy the beautiful scenery. The tour guide, Liu Mei, was extremely knowledgeable about the itinerary, and her explanations were lively and interesting, providing us with much practical and interesting information. She not only proactively reminded us of various precautions but also took care of the needs of different members of the group, making everyone feel at home. Her Chinese expression was clear and fluent, completely eliminating any language barriers, making the entire communication process very pleasant. Even on the return trip to Nagoya city, she proactively introduced places to visit and must-try foods for our subsequent itinerary. If you are looking for a high-value Shirakawa-go & Hida Takayama day trip, this itinerary, combined with an excellent tour guide like Liu Mei, is definitely your best choice!

the meeting point is easy to locate. Our tour guide Jane gave a good overview of the history Takayama and SHIRAKAWA Go. it was a long bus ride and ample washroom stops was given. we tried the famous ramen In Takayama and the yummy ice cream in SHIRAKAWA. the beautiful scenery in both places were amazing. my children had fun playing with snow it was drizzling high up in the mountains. we walked up to the observatory deck as we missed the micro bus which was 20 min interval. the walk takes about 10-15 min. when we were done n came down the micro bus just arrived at the observatory deck.

A good day trip (11 Dec 2025). The itinerary was well planned, our English guide was clear with her instructions and sharing some brief info along the way. The weather was good. It was a sunny day but the air is cooling with snow on the ground. Grabbed some nice beef sushi at Takayama's morning market and enjoyed a nice walk at the beautiful Shirakawa-go. The Hida beef lunch we booked was decent. Enjoy the short hike up to the observatory!

Starting with a change of meeting point, you will be notified by E-mail, but it's near the original meeting point. The guide will take us to Takayama old town and Shirakawago as stated in the details. Everything is on time as scheduled. The guide speaks multiple languages, is easy to understand, and it's very convenient to come on this one-day trip.

White Ring Tour group has a superstar team!This is my second time visiting the same listed destinations except from a different departure city and the experience this time round was a 5 star! Both guides were super informative about each destination and they took great care with sharing tidbits of information that are very helpful. The lunch was truly an authentic experience and very exclusive to the tour group. Size of the tour group was a comfortable number and seats on the bus are actually assigned which made things very organized and orderly. Plenty of time assigned for self-exploration. Highly recommended and will join any tour organized by the White Ring group!

The place is nice and beautiful, but it's a rainy day and we couldn't take a lot of photos. By the time we arrive, it's crowded. Maybe I can repeat it next time if I have a change. The bus conductor is nice to us. He waited all of us in front of the gate of takayama bus entrance.

It was very fun, I would like to try it again if I have time.

Despite the rainy weather, we had a great experience! Our guide Ms. Fuji was very accommodating and spoke good English, so non-Japanese speakers weren’t excluded. We’re given a good amount of time to enjoy both Takayama and Shirakawago. All in all, this is a trip we’ll cherish.

the view was beautiful and the kids had fun playing with snow at the top. should cater for half a day at least. there is also a foot onsen at the first stop so do soak your feet after playing in the snow.