For a 2-day, 1-night trip to Gifu, a route connecting Hida Takayama, where the atmosphere of an old castle town still remains, with the World Heritage Site Shirakawa-go is highly recommended. You can enjoy food hopping and cafés at Takayama’s morning market and old townscape, then visit the gassho-zukuri houses of Shirakawa-go on the second day to experience a truly Gifu-like journey.
Day 1: Enjoy the old townscape and peaceful morning atmosphere of Hida Takayama
Day 1 is all about enjoying Hida Takayama, one of Gifu’s sightseeing spots that is especially satisfying to explore on foot. By visiting the Miyagawa Morning Market, the old townscape around Kamisannomachi, and traditional townhouse cafés, you can enjoy a relaxed trip without feeling rushed, taking photos as you stroll through town.
10:00 Arrive at Takayama Station
Start your trip from Takayama Station. Both the Miyagawa Morning Market and the old townscape are within walking distance from the station, making Hida Takayama an easy place to explore smoothly from the first day of a 2-day, 1-night Gifu model course. If you head straight to the city center, you can begin your walk while the lively morning atmosphere still remains.
10:30 Miyagawa Morning Market
The first place to visit is the Miyagawa Morning Market. Stretching for about 700 meters along the east bank of the Miyagawa River, this morning market is lined with local vegetables and handmade goods. One of its charms is that you can feel the warmth of Hida Takayama through conversations with the vendors. The riverside scenery itself is also gentle and beautiful, making it a spot where you will want to capture not only the food and small items, but also the fresh morning air in your photos.
11:30 Stroll through the old townscape
After the morning market, head straight to the old townscape. Around Kamisannomachi, you will find rows of traditional townhouses with lattice doors and sake breweries, creating a scene that instantly makes you feel like you have arrived in Hida Takayama. The streets are not too wide, and the building heights are beautifully aligned, making it easy to take atmospheric photos that capture the depth of the street, shop curtains, and wooden signs. This area is especially recommended for those who enjoy café hopping and browsing small shops.
13:00 Lunch
Takayama Cafe TAKAYAMA CAFE
For lunch, “Takayama Cafe TAKAYAMA CAFE” is recommended. Located in the old townscape area, it offers lunch dishes using Hida beef and Hida pork, as well as café lattes and soft-serve ice cream made with Hida milk. It is a great spot not only for lunch, but also for those who want to stop by casually as a café.
15:00 Café break
Cafe Ao
If you want to take a relaxing break in a calm townhouse atmosphere, “Cafe Ao” is a great choice. Located within the old townscape, this café uses a 150-year-old townhouse and allows you to spend a peaceful moment while looking out at the garden. The interior, which preserves a traditional Japanese atmosphere, is perfect when you want to add a quiet pause during sightseeing. The matcha-style sweets also go well with Takayama’s atmosphere, letting you fully enjoy the mood of the place.
16:30 Stroll around the Nakamachi area
In the late afternoon, it is recommended to expand your walking area a little and take a relaxed stroll around Nakamachi. The charm of Takayama lies not only in visiting sightseeing spots one by one, but also in experiencing the town as a whole, with wooden buildings and small shops continuing through the streets. As the flow of people becomes calmer toward evening, the streets take on a quieter atmosphere, allowing you to enjoy a more relaxed and refined time than during the day.
Day 2: Experience Shirakawa-go’s nostalgic scenery and panoramic views
On Day 2, visit Shirakawa-go, one of the classic highlights of Gifu sightseeing. Rather than simply walking through the area, you can fully enjoy the charm of Shirakawa-go by exploring the inside of a gassho-zukuri house and taking in the view from the observatory. By walking through the village first and then seeing the full view from above, you can experience Shirakawa-go’s beauty more deeply.
10:30 Arrive at Shirakawa-go
The Ogimachi area of Shirakawa-go is a village with more than 100 large and small gassho-zukuri houses, and it was registered as a World Heritage Site in 1995. Its value lies not only in the buildings themselves, but also in the scenery where people still continue to live. It is recommended to start walking slowly from the morning. The layered thatched roofs against the mountain backdrop are beautiful, and in any season, you can take photos that feel like a nostalgic image of Japan’s original rural landscape.
11:00 Stroll through Ogimachi Village
The central area of Shirakawa-go is easy to explore on foot, and the tourism association also suggests that a full walk around the area takes about 2 to 3 hours. That is why it is best not to rush, but to enjoy the gassho-zukuri houses from different angles and distances while crossing bridges and walking along the waterways. The village is photogenic in both wide-angle and vertical compositions, and photos with people placed small in the frame also look beautiful.
12:30 Lunch and food hopping
Kondo Shoten
If you want to casually enjoy light food that feels like Shirakawa-go, “Kondo Shoten” is a convenient choice. Located about a 5-minute walk from the Shirakawa-go Bus Terminal, it offers local-style items such as Hida beef croquettes, Hida beef skewers, and doburoku-style soft-serve ice cream. Rather than a sit-down lunch, it is recommended for those who want to enjoy local flavors while strolling through the village in a food-hopping style.
14:00 Visit Wada House
If you choose one facility to visit inside the village, Wada House is the first recommendation. It is one of the largest gassho-zukuri houses in the World Heritage area and is also the only nationally designated Important Cultural Property there. While it is still used as a residence, the first and second floors are open to the public. You can experience the impressive beams and depth of the interior, which are difficult to understand from the outside alone, making it a place well worth entering.
15:00 View Shirakawa-go from the observatory
To finish the trip, it is recommended to view the entire Shirakawa-go village from the observatory. According to the tourism association, a shuttle bus to the observatory is available from in front of Wada House. When you look down from above at the rows of gassho-zukuri roofs, the houses, rice fields, and mountains appear connected as one complete landscape, giving a different impression from when you were walking through the village.
Summary
This 2-day, 1-night model course lets you enjoy the walkable charm of Hida Takayama and the breathtaking scenery of Shirakawa-go. With food hopping, old townscapes, townhouse cafés, and a World Heritage Site, this route is a perfect way to experience Gifu, so be sure to visit!