AnimeTripJapan

1 day

Takayama & Shirakawa-go: Three Series in the Mountains

Hyouka in Takayama, Higurashi in Shirakawa-go, and Your Name one stop up the line.

Your Name (Kimi no Na wa) Higurashi: When They Cry Hyouka

Three separate series sit within an hour of each other in the Gifu mountains. Takayama's old town and Hie Shrine are Hyouka; Shirakawa-go, an hour west by bus, is the model for Hinamizawa in Higurashi; and Hida-Furukawa, 15 minutes north by train, is the countryside half of Your Name. Do Takayama in the morning, take the bus to Shirakawa-go for the afternoon, or reverse it and see the village early when it is quiet. Remember that people live in the Shirakawa-go farmhouses — no drones, no private ground, no photographing through windows.

Route

4 stops

  1. 45 min

    Hie Shrine, Takayama

    Takayama (JR Takayama line) · 20 min walk

    Twenty minutes on foot from Takayama station through the preserved streets, so the walk is half the point.

    Walk down through the old town.15min

  2. 30 min

    Kanshokan (Takayama City Library)

    Takayama (JR Takayama line) · 15 min walk

    A working public library — keep quiet inside and check the closing day before travelling.

    Bus to Shirakawa-go from Takayama station.60min

  3. 2 hr

    Ogimachi village, Shirakawa-go

    Bus from Takayama or Kanazawa

    People live in these houses. No drones, no entering private ground or farm plots, and do not photograph residents or through windows.

    Shuttle bus or a 20-minute walk up to the viewpoint.20min

  4. 45 min

    Shiroyama Viewpoint

    Shuttle bus or a 20-minute walk up from the village · 20 min walk

    The shuttle queue builds through the morning and the platform is small. Walking up is often faster than waiting.

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