Road Station Shirakawa-Go

Michi-no-Eki Shirakawa-go is a roadside station where you can enjoy many charms of the gassho-zukuri village culture. Built in the image of Shirakawa-go’s iconic gassho-style architecture, it offers local specialty shopping as well as meals made with regional ingredients. The facility includes the Gassho Museum and a general cultural exchange center, where you can learn about authentic gassho-zukuri houses from various angles. A real structure is displayed partially dismantled, and you can even enter the house; in particular, the roof structure is something you rarely get to see elsewhere. Visiting here before going to the gassho-zukuri settlements helps you appreciate the architecture and history more deeply. Popular items at the restaurant include ramen made with Shirakawa-go Koshihikari rice flour, game dishes such as bear-meat udon and “kuma-jiru” (bear soup). There are also many souvenirs: rich cheesecake made with plenty of Hida milk, shiso monaka, doburoku rice-cracker snacks, and ancient rice products. Every winter, the Shirakawa-go light-up event captivates visitors with a fantastical landscape of snow and warm illumination.