Visiting Shirakawago? Here is some useful information on the parking situation and other tips.

Shirakawago is one of Japan’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites. You might be considering visiting there by car.

This will give you information on the parking situation and other useful information for visitors.

There is no free parking space in Shirakawago. You need to pay for parking.

Below is a list of parking spaces with map and details.

Note on Parking Spaces in Shirakawago

There are three parking spaces in Shirakawago. There are two temporary parkings in addition to the main parking, which is Sonei Seseragi Koen Parking

The temporary parking spaces are open only when it is busy. You might want to check the main Sonei Seseragi Koen Parking first.

But don’t worry. When it is busy, there is security staff who will guide you where to park.

Sonei Seseragi Koen Parking（JPY 1,000/visit）

13 mins walk to a shuttle bus station that goes to the Observatory

There are public restrooms and tourist information center. Part of the parking fee will be used for preservation of the World Heritage site. The main parking may get full as early as 8am on the weekends and holidays. You can cross the bridge “Deai Bashi” from Sonsei Seseragi Parking and you will get to the Historic Villages.

Terao Rinji (Temporary) Parking （JPY 500/visit）

8 mins walk to a shuttle bus station that goes to the Observatory

When the main Sonei Seseragi Koen Parking is busy, you will be guided to this additional parking. It is a bit distant from the Historic Villages but there are shuttle buses you can take that go to Ogimachi Gassho-Zukuri Village. This parking is located uphill, so it takes about 10 mins to walk down to the Historic Villages and 15 mins to walk back up. The parking is open until 9pm during the lighting event.

Midashima Koen Rinji (Temporary) Parking（JPY 500/visit)

15 mins walk to a shuttle bus station that goes to the Observatory

When Sonei Seseragi Koen Parking is busy, you will be guided to this additional parking. It is by the river so there is no exact address available but you can refer to the map below.

Tenshukaku Observatory (Tenbodai) Parking (Free)

About 15-20 mins walk to the Historic Villages

Address: 889 Ogimachi, Shirawaka-mura, Ono-gun, Gifu-ken, JAPAN 501-5627

This parking space has a view of the whole Historic Villages. It is free but small and limited. Usually busy even on weekdays.

Be aware that the streets around the parking space are narrow.

There are shuttle buses during the high season. (One way JPY 200, Round-trip JPY 400)

This parking space is walking distance to the Historic Villages but it is very steep so not recommended for children and the elderly.

Note that this parking is for the Observatory visitors.

Busy hours

There are not that many parking spaces available in Shirakawago but each parking space has a big capacity so you should be able to find a spot.

Be aware that the main Sonei Seseragi Koen Park gets busy even early weekend mornings or during the weekdays.

When it is busy, you might have to wait for more than half an hour. You should allow extra time for your visit.

Summary

There is security staff who will guide visitors where to park and they are spacious and easy to park.

Not to mention, it snows heavily in the area so make sure to be prepared with snow chains etc.

The blog topics may or may not be updated subsequent to their initial posting. It is encouraged that you check the latest information.

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Here is a list of free/cheap parkings in Gora , Hakone (with map and addres).