Shirakawa-Go

Hi there,

Shirakawa-go is quite a long way out from Tokyo and will take at least 6h of getting there one way. First you'd take the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Nagoya, then the Wide View Ltd express to Takayama, from there you can get on a 90min bus ride (bus not covered by the JR Pass) to Shirakawa-go.

Hope this helps,
Daniel

Hi Daniel-san,
We’re actually returning to Tokyo from Shirakawa-Go.

The leg of the trip to Shirakawa-Go is from Kyoto-Kanazawa (by Express Thunderbird)-Shirakawa-Go (by Noushi bus).

The questions are:
1. Is there a better way to get to Shirakawa-Go from Kyoto?
2. Do we retrace our steps back to Kyoto then, Tokyo? If not what would you suggest?

Your assistance is much appreciated.

Hi,

If you do need to make it from Shirakawa-go to Tokyo, then it would be easier to get on the Nohi bus to Kanazawa and get on the Shinkansen from there to Tokyo. This way you have a direct train connection.

1.) It would be slightly faster but still be a good trip.

2.) My advice would be to spend a night or two in either Takayama or Kanazawa and do a day trip from there to Shirakawa-go. Both cities are well worth your time and make for a much easier visit to Shirakawa-go.

Hope this helps,
Daniel