Gifu transport: Buses between Nagoya, Takayama and Shirakawa-go

The key transport connections in Gifu are the express buses linking Takayama, Shirakawa-go and Kanazawa. Fares change on 1 December 2026, and some services require reservations. This page uses official Nohi Bus and Shirakawa-go Tourism Association information (checked 2026-10-28). The official sources do not provide schedules for each service in 2027, so these are not supplied. Return to the Gifu travel guide.

Key points

• Takayama to Shirakawa-go: about 50 minutes by bus; current one-way fare 2,800 yen, rising to 2,900 yen from 1 December 2026.
• Shirakawa-go to Kanazawa: currently 2,800 yen, then 2,900 yen from 1 December; Takayama to Kanazawa: currently 4,200 yen, then 4,400 yen.
• Some services require reservations. The departure from Takayama at 19:00 does not run on weekends, holidays and certain other days.
• The official fare page does not identify these as adult fares, so this article presents the amounts without adding that classification.

Nohi Bus one-way fares (yen)

Route	Current	From 1 December 2026
Takayama to/from Shirakawa-go	2,800	2,900
Shirakawa-go to/from Kanazawa	2,800	2,900
Takayama to/from Kanazawa	4,200	4,400
Shirakawa-go Folk Village package (adult)	6,200	6,400
Shirakawa-go Folk Village package (child)	3,100	3,200

• The announcement also mentions changes to the Toyama route, but the official page does not list fares to Toyama.
• Return fares, reservation rules for every service and timetables are not listed on the official page. Consult Nohi Bus’s PDF timetable or call its reservations centre (0577-32-1688).

Getting to Shirakawa-go

According to the Shirakawa-go Tourism Association, Shirakawa-go has no nearby railway station. Travel by train to a city and then change to an express bus. The terminus, Shirakawa-go Bus Terminal, is next to the village.

Starting point	Route	Official time
Takayama	Express bus (Nohi Bus)	About 50 minutes; the JR Hida limited express from Nagoya to Takayama takes about 2 hours 20 minutes
Kanazawa	Express bus from Kanazawa Station	About 1 hour 20 minutes
Nagoya	Express bus from Meitetsu Bus Center (about 5 minutes on foot from Nagoya Station)	About 2 hours 30 minutes; the official site estimates 2 hours 50 minutes for the whole journey
Nagoya (by rail)	JR Hida limited express to Takayama, then bus	Official total about 3 hours 25 minutes, including the bus from Takayama
Toyama	Express bus from Toyama Station	About 1 hour 20 minutes

• The official page links to three bus operators: Gifu Bus, Nohi Bus and the Hokuriku Hida 3 Star Route. It does not give fares from each city.
• Check the Nohi Bus timetable for services requiring advance booking, or confirm by telephone.

Driving

Shirakawa-go Tourism Association:

Starting point	Official time
Kanazawa	About 1 hour 10 minutes (Hokuriku Expressway to Shirakawa-go IC, then about 5 minutes on Route 156)
Nagoya	About 2 hours 15 minutes (Tokai-Hokuriku Expressway to Shogawa IC, then about 45 minutes on Routes 158 and 156)
Osaka	About 4 hours
Tokyo	About 5 hours 15 minutes

Parking (Seseragi Park parking area, 8:00 to 17:00, last entry 16:30):

Vehicle	Charge
Standard car	2,000 yen
Motorcycle	500 yen
Bus or medium-sized bus	10,000 yen

• When crowded, drivers may be directed to another parking area. Car spaces may be reduced during autumn foliage season. On evening illumination event days, parking in the park is reserved for booked buses from 15:00; ordinary cars must move to temporary parking before 15:00.
• The official page does not explain restrictions on private cars. Check the Shirakawa Village or Shirakawa-go Tourism Association website before departure.
• For renting and driving, see the rental car guide and driving rules.

Connections to Ishikawa and Nagano

• For urban transport towards Kanazawa, see Ishikawa transport.
• For access to Kamikochi, see Nagano transport.

Further reading: route and timetable search tools and how to take buses.