Day trip to Shirakawa-go from Tokyo

Hi-
My husband and I will be going to Tokyo for the first time in March 28-April 3. Here's an outline of my temporary DIY itinerary:

Day 1 - Arrival in Narita @ 11:45am; roam around Tokyo in the evening.
Day 2 - Disneyland (weekday)
Day 3 - Go around Tokyo
Day 4 - Hakone then Kawaguchiko (overnight)
Day 5 - Kawaguchiko then go back to Tokyo
Day 6 - Day trip to Shirakawa-go
Day 7 - Departure @ 1:15PM

Any thoughts on this itinerary? I really wanted to see Shirakawa-go but it seems our schedule is tight. Is it worth it to pursue a day trip to Shirakawa-go for this trip? Any recommendations on what to replace it with, if ever?

Thanks so much!

Absolutely not. It would be a big day to travel to Shirakawago from Tokyo, let alone return in a day. You have hardly any time in Tokyo and have significantly underestimated travel times and how much to see.

Shirakawago isn�ft THAT beautiful to warrant such a day trip.

Maybe try this open air museum close to Tokyo:
https://www.nihonminkaen.jp/index_english.html

@Guesty McGuestface Thanks for the input! I was trying so hard to work around the timeline just to squeeze it in.

@LikeBike Thanks! Will check this one out!

If you're going to Tokyo Disneyland before school starts back up it will be packed. I know there is a school break around the end of March before school starts back up in April. School break also makes Hakone crowded.

Good luck!

I certainly wouldn't recommend it... The fastest route from Tokyo to Shirakawago is over 4 hours!

The earliest shinkansen departs Tokyo for Toyama at 06:16am and arrives at 08:25am.
The bus departs Toyama for Shirakawago at 09:00am and arrives at 10:35am.

In total, you'll be spending well over 8 hours of your day in travelling. That is an awfully long and expensive day and you won't be able to properly enjoy your visit to Shirakawago.


I recommend either dedicating another day to Tokyo or doing a day trip to somewhere such as Kamakura or Nikko.
And as another poster has mentioned, regarding your visit to the Disneyland park. The school children will be on Spring holiday during the time that you're in Japan. So expect the park to be even more busy than usual, with extremely large crowds and long waiting times for rides and restaurants.

If your objective is to go to one of the most popular and photographed tourist destinations in Japan, and you are seriously willing to spend a lot of money and several hours each way on transit, then Kyoto is more practical than Shirakawago. You could get good value out of a 7-day Japan Rail Pass if you chose to, or to get there faster you could pay for tickets on the Nozomi shinkansen. But you still have to add the time to get from your hotel to the train station and to get to wherever you want to go in Kyoto, such as Kinkakuji, Fushimi Inari Taisha, or �gthe bamboo forest�h in Arashiyama.

Very few people would do something like this, but if you can�ft find anything to do near Tokyo that appeals to you, it would definitely put some additional classic �gBest of Japan�h venues within your reach.

@ chiy0chan

Unsure why you want to visit Shirakawa-go, if no compelling reason, forget it.  Why don't you visit NIkko instead for a day trip from Tokyo, or better still visit the surrounding areas for the hanami.

> I really wanted to see Shirakawa-go but it seems our schedule is tight.

As long as you both fly into and fly out from Narita Airport [NRT],
yes, that schedule sounds to be very tight.

Have you checked flights to and from Chubu Centrair Airport and Kansai Airport [KIX]?

e.g.
March 28 (Tue)
: Centrair or KIX -- Takayama: overnight.
March 29 (Wed)
: Takayama -- Shirakawa-go -- Takayama
-- Odawara -- Hakone: overnight.
March 30 (Thu)
: Hakone -- Odawara -- Tokyo -- Tokyo Disney: overnight
March 31 (Fri)
: Tokyo Disney -- Tokyo: overnight.
April 1 (Sat)
: Tokyo : overnight.
April 2 (Sun)
: Tokyo -- Kawaguchiko -- Tokyo : overnight.
April 3 (Mon)
: Tokyo -- HND or NRT.

This still sounds packed,
but logically you can have minimum required time for each destination, I think.

> Day 1 - Arrival in Narita @ 11:45am; roam around Tokyo in the evening.

Narita Airport [NRT] is located outside Tokyo.
You make your way to Tokyo,
which requires about 45 minutes to 1 and a half hour by railway or bus.

Have you considered flying into Haneda Airport [HND]?
Haneda Airport [HND] is located in Tokyo, close to major urban areas,
so it is recommendable for first-time Tokyo travelers, I suppose.

- Takuhaibin Delivery Services
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2278.html

Depending on traffic situations and timing of dispatch,
delivery may be later than usual;
it sounds better to allow one more day.

It is strongly recommended that you pack lightly while traveling.

Staying previous night
at one of Disney hotels and Tokyo Disney Resort Official hotels,
which are inside the resort,
you can purchase there
your 1-day Pass for either Tokyo Disneyland or Tokyo DisneySea,
and you are guaranteed admission to that park for that day.

You still may have to wait long for popular attractions,
but this way you can save time to reach the resort and to get entry to the park.

As some other posters have pointed out,
many school children will be in their spring vacation during your trips,
so you had better prepare in advance for the crowdedness.

- Tokyo Disney Resort: Hotels: Guest benefits
https://www.tokyodisneyresort.jp/en/hotel/privilege.html

@Omotenashi,

I didn't mention staying on property because those Disney Resort Hotels book up super fast during Japanese vacation periods and can be quite expensive. Around when Japan first announced its opening, I was checking for openings at TDR for December and everything was gone. But staying on property is the only way to have guaranteed entry, but I honestly feel like if you are going to a Disney Park when it is so crowded you need to be staying on property to get in, it's just going to be a miserable experience.

I think if OP wants to spend 4 hours each way going to Shirakawa Go... more power to them? I've spent 3+ hours each way going to Licca Castle. I think the issue is more... I personally think Shirakawa Go is overrated and by late March/early April is there even a lot of snow still there? The Gassho Zukuri look really scenic under a lot of snow, but I don't think the area looks as compelling without it. I'd personally be chasing sakura/momo/end of ume during that time period, but that could just be me.

What were you wanting to see in Shirakawa-go - the gassho houses? (there is a relocated one near Yokohama - saved from being flooded by a hydro-electric project). Other than the tedious logistics (and cost) to get there and back in a day, Ogimachi is tiny and after an hour to 90 minutes, you most likely would have had enough and seen everything.

@omotenashi Absolutely appreciate this sample itinerary! Thank you.

@Everyone Thanks for all your inputs and honest opinions. All points taken.

Decided to NOT push thru with Shirakawa-go for now but definitely will include this in the future when I explore Kyoto-Osaka-Nagoya then Takayama > Shirakawa-go. Will check out all your recos as an alternative. Thanks! <3