Private Tour of Shirakawago from Kanazawa (Half Day)

This was such a great tour - we learned a ton from Ian, who was friendly and open to all of our questions, and Shirakawago was delightful. This touring company was very intentional about planning our visit to get there before the larger crowds arrived, and thank God they did because there was a line of cars two miles long waiting to get there by the time we left. The village is adorable with a really interesting history, and we learned a lot about what it means to be a UNESCO Heritage designated site. My only suggestion for improvement would be to allow an hour more so that we didn’t have to choose between the actual walking tour and sitting down to enjoy a real lunch in the village. There’s a restaurant there that my friend highly recommended called 合掌茶屋 孫右エ門 that we did not have time to visit. Overall, however, such an enjoyable morning. Thanks to Ian!

Ian from Kanazawa Tours was fabulous! I enjoyed walking with him and learning about Shirakawaga. He was incredibly knowledgeable, kind and lovely to have as my introduction to the historical village! You must go. I hope you get him for a guide!

Tetsuro was an amazing guide who explained Shirakawa-go and the Ghasso-zakuri houses. We were able to even see workers repairing a thatch roof. We really enjoyed our tour. After he dropped us off at the train station I realized that I had left my purse in the van. Tetsuro was so kind to return it quickly. I hope all our future tours are as pleasant and informative as this one.

We have been on a lot of guided tours and would have to say this was one of our favourites. Our guides, Yasushi (Yeah Sushi) and Aiko were absolutely fantastic. They gave us a great introduction to Shirakawago as we drove from Kanazawa, which allowed us to understand what the town was known for, where to go and what to do. It can be a bit crowded, so was nice not to have to fight through the "mosh pits", and have to deal with the other tour's "scrums". We could really enjoy at our own pace. The town is beautiful and lots to see, and taste!! Definitely recommended.

Long but beautiful drive through the mountains. We went in April so there was lots of snow on the ground. There's an overlook that's about a 20 minute uphill walk or you can take a shuttle bus in town to get up there. Practically no trash cans in the town so be prepared to carry any trash you make with you until you arrive back in Kanazawa. Overall a very relaxing, unique experience!

We had a great trip to Shirakawago. Our guide Tetsuro picked us up at our hotel. We had a quiet drive out. As the ladies slept, Tetsuro told me a bit about the region and Japan. The name means village by the white river, it takes a month of courses to get your driver's license in Japan, interesting tidbits like that. We were fortunate it was a sunny day and Tetsuro remarked that he had never seen the parking lot so empty. His quiet demeanor and knowledge really made our trip memorable. Would definitely recommend this trip with Tetsuro.