Takayama to Shirakawa to Kanazawa & return in 1 day?

We are staying in Takayama for 1 and a half days and have booked and paid for accommodation there for 2 nights.

I found the Nohi Bus site and see I can get a bus at 8.50am from Takayama to Shirawaka arriving at 9.40am. then departing Shirawakawa at 11.10 arriving at Kanazawa at 12.25. Would an hour and a half be enough to have a quick look at Shirawaka? We do plan on doing the Hida Folk Village at Takayama (half a day), are these similar villages or which village is best?

Go to Kenrokuen Garden (3 and a half hours) then return to Kanazawa Bus at 4.40pm to go back to Takayama.

The bus timetable shows more buses from Maki is that near Kanazawa so could we get a taxi to there leaving later at 7.10pm. Have not been able to find Maki on any of my Japanese web sites.

OR am I just dreaming to think I can do this??????

We don%26#39;t mind having a long day if it is worth it. We have a 5 hour train journey the next day so we would rest then.

Any advice would be very much appreciated.

Thanks

Pam

Takayama to Shirakawa to Kanazawa %26amp; return in 1 day?

You will feel very rushed at Shirakawa-go. It%26#39;d be nice to have about 2 hours minimum. If you must do it that quickly, I%26#39;d spend 20 minutes to walk the village, 20 minutes to see a house, and 20 minutes to get up and down the hill for the view. But that is really rushed.

Kanazawa is ok with 3.5 hours.

Takayama to Shirakawa to Kanazawa %26amp; return in 1 day?

Thanks Sammyfloyd

Have you been to Hida Folk Village at Takayama and Shirawaka? Are they very similar or is it worth visiting both?

How much time would we need in Takayama because now I am thinking of changing the hotel booking there and travelling from Matsumoto to Kanazawa, stay there overnight then go to Shirakawa the next morning then onto Takayama for the night?

Have you done either the train route from Matsumoto to Kanazawa or the bus from Matsumoto to Takayama? I am wondering if they, both, are very scenic or if one is better than the other.

Just not enought time in this region, decisions, decisions.

Your advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

Pam

Pam -

The impression I%26#39;m getting from all your posts (e.g. %26#39;a QUICK LOOK at Shirawaka%26#39;)is that your trying to do too much too quickly. Japan demands time from we Australians to just appreciate the scenery, the culture, the food, the people...to truely appreciate all that Japan has to offer. 3 1/2 hours for the Kenrokuen Gardens might be sufficient (barely, IMO), but there is much more to appreciate in Kanazawa that you%26#39;ll simply miss. You%26#39;d be appalled if I was to allocate just 24 hours for Perth and Rottnest, or 48 hours to the southwest of Western Australia. Your first trip to Japan should simply give you a %26#39;feel%26#39; for the place (unless you simply want to experience Japan%26#39;s [amazing] public transport system) - and provide some orientation for a 2nd or 3rd visit in the years ahead.

Thanks 60yoAussie,

I appreciate your comments and yes we would be rushing but is it best to see something quickly or not at all? We have a long train journey the next day to rest and do want to make the most of our time in Japan.

We consider this a trip not a holiday, a holiday is for relaxing and taking it easy. We are happy to be on the move and have done this many times on our overseas trips.

If Hida Folk Village and Shirawaka are similar then we will drop one of these but I have had no advice on that yet.

Only wish we could afford 3 months in Japan instead of the 3 weeks we have.

A little good news for us Aussies today my JR rail pass agent has emailed me to say they have dropped the pass price today. A whole $17 for a 21 day pass but still better than it going up.

Cheers

Pam

Cheers

Pam