Takayama to Kyoto (via Shirawakago)

Hi,

We are going to be in Takayama on the 11th of March, we want to visit Shirawakago before we head to Kyoto, planning to arrive in Kyoto early evening. 2 adults, 2 older teenage boys - Also we do have a green JR Pass.

Should we...

A. Leave our luggage at our hotel in Takayama and catch an early bus to Shirawakago before coming back to Takayama and catching the train to Kyoto.

B. Catch the bus to Shirawakago (with our luggage) and then continue on to Kanazawa to catch the shinkansen train to Kyoto.

C. Hire a car and drive to Shirawakago then to Kanazawa (with this option would we need chains on the tyres for the snow? Also would there be any issues anyone can foresee about driving? Is it hard to find our way to kanazawa?) We are from australia so at least the driving roads would be similar apart from the weather.

Thanks!! Any advice appreciated :)

I wouldn't recommend driving. Finding parking may be difficult, and Kyoto has some narrow/winding streets. Public transport is usually most convenient.

Have you considered using the luggage forwarding system (takkyubin)? You could send your large luggage from Tokyo to meet you in Kyoto, and just take a small bag to Takayama. That should be easy enough to store in a locker while at Shirakawago, or even carry around with you if you can't find somewhere to store it.

Hotels and hostels can help you with the forms for luggage forwarding and arrange for the sending. You can specify a delivery date up to 7 days ahead. Just let your Kyoto accommodation know to receive a delivery for you. If you are staying in AirBnBs, it's best to arrange delivery through convenience stores or post offices, unless your AirBnB host is happy to accept the delivery for you.

Thank you! I hadnt thought to forward our luggage, will definitely check that out. The option for driving would only be from Takayama to Kanazawa...
We would then catch the shinkansen train from Kanazawa to Kyoto (def dont want to drive there!)

Would u still not recommend that drive? I just thought it might be a nice way to see the area...

I think all your 3 options are doable. If you can do baggage forwarding that would be easiest anyway but it does cost extra.

The advantage of hiring a car is that you can go to fares flung places like Ainokura which I personally found very nice. Finding your way is not hard. Just rent a car with navigation system. I know that all Toyota rental cars come with it, but likely others as well. Drop off in Kanazawa will cost you likely additional due to different prefecture than Takayama. I guess you do not plan to drive to Kyoto right?

You already bought the JR pass? There isn�ft really a need for green car pass. Depending on your planned route taking normal trains w/o pass might be cheaper than green pass and you can take the faster and more frequent Shinkansen. Just a thought.

Enjoy your trip to Japan!

I haven't done the drive, so can't comment on it. What you want to look at is where the rental companies are (proximity to city centre), if they allow you to pick up the car in Takayama and drop it off in Kanazawa (if the same rental company doesn't operate in both cities, it could be a problem), if there is a large fee for not returning the car to the point of rental, if the car or public transport is cheaper/quicker, if there are any toll roads on the way (and how you would pay for those), etc.

I would leave your luggage at the Kanazawa hotel if it is close to the Kanazawa train station. And collect it on the way through to Kyoto.

then continue on to Kanazawa to catch the shinkansen train to Kyoto.

There is no shinkansen to Kyoto from Kanazawa directly.

If you rent a car and drive to Shirakawago from Takayama, you'd better consider the difficulty to find a parking lot in Shirakawago since they are limiting the numbers of private vehicles to enter into the designated parking lot. Especially in weekends and national holideis, severe traffic jam is expected on the access road to the parking lot.

Thank you for the advice!! I think we will skip the driving option (seems like too much hassel and the bus will take us to what we want to see anyway.
Also i think its a great idea to send our luggage from Takayama to Kyoto!! Sounds like a much easier trip!

Thank you again!!!