Tokai explorations - where hidden gems are located!

*This article is based on the information as of November 2022 and the latest status may have changed.
 

Many of us might not know where the Tokai region is. But believe me, Tokai has a lot to offer! Follow me and my comprehensive itinerary for 5 days of Tokai exploration in this 4-article series. 

Check out the overall itinerary! 

Day 1: TOKYO - Matcha experience → Asakusa → Roppongi 
Day 2: AICHI - Nagoya castle → Sakae → Osu shopping district 
Day 3: GIFU - Shirakawa-go → Wada House 
Day 4: GIFU - Hida-Furukawa → Keta-Wakamiya Shrine 
Day 5: AICHI - Kimono experience → Inuyama Castle → Honmachi-dori

Hello everyone! Let’s continue with Day 3 of my Tokai exploration. 
We will be exploring Gifu. It is a beautiful prefecture, famous for its traditional village of Shirakawa-go and being the location inspiration for popular Japanese movie  “Your Name!”.
 

Day 3: How unique! Gassho-zukuri farmhouses in Shirakawa-go

From Nagoya, Shirakawa-go can be reached in three hours on the express Gifu Bus.
Declared as a World UNESCO Heritage in 1995, it has almost 100 Japanese traditional farmhouses in gassho-zukuri (triangular thatched roofs) style. Some are more than 250 years old! For me, Shirakawa-go is a must visit because of its uniqueness as well as history. 

Here, I went to Wada House, one of the gassho-zukuri farmhouses, to see the interior. Wada House is actually the largest gassho-zukuri in Shirakawa-go. It is still being occupied by the family, but is partially open to the public. The house was actually built late in the Edo period (1603-1867), so just imagine how old it is!
 

I suggest going up to the hill to take a photo of the whole Shirakawa-go. You wouldn’t believe just how much more outstanding the scenery up there is! Oh yes, do not forget to get your souvenirs here too from the many shops scattered across the village! 

After Shirakawa-go, I took a bus and train and went straight to Hida-Furukawa, also in Gifu. 
From Shirakawa-go Bus Terminal, take a one-hour express bus bound for JR Takayama Station to Takayama Nohi Bus Centre. Change to the Takayama Main Line near to the JR Takayama Station and arrive at Hida Furukawa Station in 15 minutes.
My hotel for the night was Busuitei Ryokan in Hida-Furukawa, near to the station. The ryokan was so spacious, and the scenery was very Japanese style zen. I would say, that was the best ryokan I have ever stayed at! That brings the end to Day 3. 
 

Day 4: Visiting the location inspiration of "Your Name" 

I started off my Day 4 by exploring the Hida-Furukawa area. Saying just this might be an understatement, but I was truly so amazed by how beautiful Hida-Furukawa was. I got to bask in beautiful mountainous scenery, to the refreshing sound of clean water flowing in the drains... Knowing that almost 1,000 vibrant koi fish happily live in the drains make it even more amazing!

Hida-Furukawa is also famous for being the location setting inspiration for the popular 2016 Japanese movie, Your Name. If you are a fan, you can visit a small exhibition for the movie here as well. 

For Muslims, there are many prayer spaces in the area such as in the Hida-Furukawa Station and at the Fukuzenji Soba shop. 
 

Fukuzenji Soba restaurant also has a Muslim-friendly menu. Thanks to efforts like these, it feels much more convenient for Muslims to travel here in Hida-Furukawa.
 

After strolling around Hida-Furukawa for a few hours, I went back to Nagoya by train. The journey from Hida Furukawa to Nagoya takes two and a half hours on the JR Takayama Line Express Hida. My hotel for the night was Hotel M Style Inuyama Experience, which I think is very convenient for travelers because it is located just next to Inuyama Station. 
 

So that was the end of my Day 4 Tokai exploration. I have 1 more day left tomorrow for exploring Inuyama castle town. Stay tuned!

1st Article is here
2nd Article is here
4th Article is here