Discover Shirakawa-go, Gokayama and the Wood Carving Village of Inami - Full-Day Tour

This tour will start at Kanazawa Station at 9:00 A.M., where your guide will meet you in front of the Information Center near the Shinkansen Ticket Gates. You will have the opportunity to put your belongings in a coin locker at the station as well if you feel the need; however, you can of course store your belongings on the tour bus as well.

The tour begins at Kanazawa Station, where you will get on the bus at the bus terminal on the Kanazawa Port side of the station. After boarding the bus, you will ride about an hour on the highway through the beautiful mountains and then plains of the Hokuriku Region.

As you get off the bus in the middle of a small town near the mountains, you will have arrived in Inami. This area is famous for its woodcarving and there are over 100 professional traditional woodcarvers in the area, mostly on the main street. From the parking area we will walk towards that main street, where even on the way you can see some great examples of the woodcarving specialty of Inami.

The main street of the thoroughfare leads towards the centerpiece of Inami, Zuisenji Temple. As you go along you can find examples of National Historic Treasures in woodcarving on and above many of the shops. Also, look for the cats hidden everywhere. The town association says there are 32 but many other shops have their own secret cats in interesting locations. Try to find them all!

Finally, you will arrive at Zuisenji Temple, with its giant walls. As you approach you may feel like you’re about to enter a castle. Originally built in the 1300s, it burned down in 1735. That prompted a rebuilding that brought a famous wood carver from Kyoto. The locals learned from him and created a specialized industry in the city that became nationally renowned. There are many intricate designs that include not only patterns on the gates but also dragons, lions, elephants and many of the other famous animals all over the grounds. You can get up pretty close to many of them, they’re really a unique sight to see.

After seeing the temple it is time for an early lunch in the town. There are two soba restaurants that your guide will recommend, but feel free to walk around and enter some shops. Eat wherever seems good to you!

Meeting back up at the parking lot, we will then head towards Gokayama, one of the two areas of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The first stop is Ai-no-kura, one of the best preserved villages in the area. Here is a short stop where you can walk around and get those beautiful shots from the observation point.

This area, secluded from the hustle and bustle of the larger cities, was vital to the economic prosperity of the entire state. The production of various agricultural products and sake were very important but also was the manufacture of gunpowder and paper. You will get your hands wet making paper using traditional Japanese methods. First you will better understand the history and methods before participating in the final step of the actual creation process. When done, you can take the paper you made home as a souvenir!

The next bus ride will take about 40 minutes before arriving at the UNESCO World Heritage Site that is Shirakawa-go. This beautiful village is famous for its picturesque townscape with the gassho farmhouses. We will start from the end of the main street of the village and weave our ways through the historic farming town. You can really feel the history as you walk on wooden bridges, under the thatched roof house and simple admire the majestic mountains all around. We will even enter into one of the historic houses. After seeing the inside of a gassho farmhouse, you have free time to walk around, eat and shop.

After a long day exploring around the region, we will return to the bus and head back to Kanazawa. The ride is a little over an hour so relax and enjoy the ride back to the station/hotel. If you have any questions about any other parts of your trip, this is a perfect time to ask!