There was so much hype about Shirakawago and all those thatched roof farmhouses in posters. So much so that we had to make this one of the highlights of our trip.Shirakawago was a UNESCO heritage site. Whenever UNESCO was, it spelled commercial tourism. Luckily for Shirakawago, the charm was still intact and we highly recommend a 2days 1 night trip to enjoy the villages away from the crowd.The first bus would arrive at Ogimachi village at 0840 from Takayama and many more tour buses would by 10am. Most would stop for a couple of hours and by noon time, they would be gone.We chose a less touristy route to visit the villages and all villages could be done in 1 day if weather holds.After arriving at the bus terminal (picture above), we proceeded to drop our bags at the ryokan (which was 2 minute by foot, highly recommend Shirakawago no yu sen) and head back to the bus terminal for connecting buses to nearby villages. Take note there were buses every 2 hours. It was important you plan ahead for your route. Check below for referenceWe were right on time for the 0915 bus to Suganuma and the only ones on the bus. Suganuma was a smaller village compared to Ogimachi. It suited us, for we had the whole place to ourselves. And even had time with Ramen with a view.We like the idyllic pace in Suganuma. We even had time to chat with the shop owners and saw the mochi that was on sale. Big pack of mochi. There was opportunity for connection in Suganuma. We had about 2 hours in Suganuma before the next bus and we sure made the best of it by taking lots of photography.Around 1215, we hopped on the bus to Ainokura village. The Ainokura village was the most remote and furthest. It had about 20 thatched farmhouses still intact and a couple of cafes good for lunch and desserts. We stopped by to have our matcha fix.Personally I enjoyed Ainokura as there were more spots to explore and nicer viewpoints..Making the best use of time, we decided to get the 1438 bus back to Ogimachi and finish the last village. But it started to pour. Instead we went back to our lovely ryokan and enjoy the river view and food dinner.

Ogimachi Village

We started off the next day morning exploring the Ogimachi Village. We were expecting loads of tourists. If you like to get away from the crowd, either arrive here before 9am or after 1pm.Ogimachi was the biggest village of all and had more shops and stopover point. The observation point was definitely worth it. It was cold and snowing while we were up there.You would be able to capture the Japan Alps at the observatory too.More snapshots of the views in Ogimachi.We loved our stay in Shirakawago and highly recommend a 2D1N stay here to enjoy the quaint villages and more time to explore.