In 2018, during my second trip to Japan, I decided to visit new places. Since I went there during Autumn, I thought that it would be nice to discover the Japanese Alps. I stayed in Kanazawa for a few days. From there, you have the possibility to do a bus tour of some of the main villages. That’s what I did. The bus stopped in Gokayama, Shirakawago and Takayama. I particularly liked the first two villages.
First Stop In The Japanese Alps: Gokayama
The bus stopped right next to the Murakami house, where we watched a Kokiriko-Bushi dance performance. A man was dancing while playing the kokiriko, a musical instrument made of small wooden blades. When the instrument is used, the blades are struck together and it produces a very peculiar sound. It was relaxing and gave me the impression of a magical ceremony.
Here is a photo of the kokiriko dancer and its instrument:
The demonstration was interesting, but also a bit strange: we were in a very old and cold house, shivering around a fire that was right in the middle of the room. All the explanations were in Japanese, so I pretty much did not understand a thing. Like most of the people in my group. I’m glad I could see this performance, but I wish I had understood what the man said.
After the show, we could go for a short walk outside and this was so worth the cold! From the bridge above the river, we could see the beautiful colours of the Japanese Alps. Like in Canada, there were various shades of orange, green and brown. We continued our walk to a small temple, before heading back to the bus.
Second Stop In The Japanese Alps: Shirakawago
Gokayama and Shirakawago are registered with the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites as the “Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama”. This is due, in particular, to their Gassho-style houses. The name “Gassho” comes from the large roofs of the house. Indeed, these look like the Gassho pose, i.e. the way Japanese people bring their hands together to pray.
To enter Shirakawago, we crossed a bridge. This was an eerie scene, the fog above the trees and the multiple colours of the umbrellas reminded me of “Spirited Away” and the entrance to the baths.
The village is really cute and traditional, you can visit old houses and shops. I love walking around and looking at the gardens. The weather was not ideal, there was a bit of rain, but it didn’t reduce the beauty of the place. I even did a small hike to get a better view of the village from above. I loved it because it felt very zen and peaceful. The colours, the nature, the light rain… Even the tourists seemed quiet and respectful. Simply lovely!
Next to the village, there’s a magical open air museum: Gassho-zukuri Minkaen. It shows different types of Gassho-style houses and is a really nice walk (even under the rain). I finished my visit of Shirakawago in this museum.
Last Stop: Takayama
My last stop for this bus tour in the Japanese Alps was Takayama. This is less a village and more a city. The historical center was kind of pretty, but the whole city felt more industrial and was a bit of a disappointment after the beautiful villages of Gokayama and Shirakawago. Plus, it felt to me like we had less time to visit it.
In Takayama, I had just the time to walk around and buy some food before literally running to the bus. I even struggled a bit to find the meeting point. Maybe it was just the end of the day and I was getting tired and hungry. Anyway, I would not really recommend visiting Takayama. I think it’s better to spend more time in the first two villages.
To see more photos of Japan, you can visit the gallery Japan.
