Can I buy ticket from Shirakawa to Takayama in Kanazawa Nohi station In Kanazawa, tickets for this highway bus line are handled by Hokuriku Railroad [Hokutetsu], not by Nohi Bus.
These two companies are co-operating this highway bus line Kanazawa -- Shirakawa-go -- Takayama.
Buses on the section Kanazawa -- Shirakawa-go require reservation.
http://www.japan-guide.com/bus/shirakawago.html(Please donft omit "-go" after "Shirakawa"; there is another well-known Shirakawa which is located away from Shirakawa-go.)
Getting out of Kanazawa Station (of JR) to East Exit, you find a bus terminal.
You can walk along the left half of the bus terminal to its end, as the bus stop numbers decrease to No. 1.
Crossing the road there via a short pedestrian crossing, you reach the Hokutetsu office (called Hokutetsu Ekimae Center).
Its counter for highway bus tickets is open from 06:15 to 20:00.
You can try reserving your seat in the bus on the phone.
(I am not sure whether an attendant who speaks English well can hear you, though.)
The phone number (for domestic calls) of the reservation center of Hokutetsu (open from 09:00 to 18:00) is shown in this webpage.
http://www.hokutetsu.co.jp/bus/highway/08takayama.htmlIf you stay overnight in another place in Japan before arriving to Kanazawa, maybe a clerk of that hotel can help you to make the reservation.
Please pay attention to the time limit by which you should purchase the bus ticket.
P. S.:
The 3rd, 23rd and 24th of November 2014 will be public holidays of Japan. Some popular tourist spots may be crowded during the 1st to 3rd + the 22nd to 24th days.
