i took my family there in December of 2018. We arrived and saw the autumn foliage in all its glory during the sunset. At night a snow storm hit and the next day it was a winter wonderland and completely different than the day before. It snowed all day. My daughter from Thailand was only 5 years old and got to see snow for the first time.
Sorry I missed your live stream. I visited Shirakawago in March. They have a small bus that can take you up to the Lookout point. You don't need to trek up the hill.
With regards to the comment of the person asking you to not show yourself too much...don't listen to them, we don't mind. Appreciate you sharing the beauty of Japan especially when you and your family are in it 👍👍👍
What a great town. Sadly we came home yesterday after a fabulous 4 weeks going everywhere from Atoro to Hiroshima. A lot of our itinerary was built from your videos. Thank you.
Glad it helps! I think about what would help me so it’s useful for everyone. Glad I have more tools to do that now with the streaming software. Thank you!
So we watched your video on our big TV screen, so much better this way. We were there in 2018 in November and was raining. Yes we went on a tour so we can get the history of the area in English. Many times we go to places in Japan, we don’t know the significance of the area. So we went on a tour. Very expensive but so well forth it. When we were there we got to go inside the building and explored. What a neat experience! Because of the time of the month(?) we were the only ones there! Thanks for this video, it brought back a nice memory!
Thanks for showing us around John. Never knew a place like this existed in Japan, almost felt like hiking around Interlaken, Grindelwald or Murren in Switzerland! It was serene and magical. 👍
@@heythaveYes, Hotel Central Wolter in Grindelwald is great and a must! It’s easy access to everything. Also, don’t forget to visit Glacier Gorge (Gletscherschlut) there as well. 👍 Not so sure about Interlaken though! 😊
I’ve got about 25 man hole covers pictures!!! It’s one of my pet peeves🏯 I’ve got pictures of temples, castles, cities, professional baseball mascots!!! Thanks once again for sharing your beautiful family and amazing scenery👌🏾
Yes! I went there a few years ago. Took an overnight bus from Tokyo to Kanazawa, then another bus to Shirakawa-go. And it was a perfect day like this. What a quaint little village. So picturesque. It was so nice to walk around and explore, and stop by random restaurants - which were so lovely, run by families residing in that building. I would highly recommend it. My friend went during the winter and it was so serene with snow covered roofs.
Lovely video! Brought back lots of memories of our stay in Hisamatsu, one of the minshuku in November 2019. My husband and I and our grown children stayed in three of the rooms, with the most amazing home cooked dinner and breakfast, which added to the experience. After dark, once the tourists have all left you can visit the village sento to bathe. A great experience.
Loved visiting this place back in 2019. Roofs all held together without nails and just cedar, woven ropes & dried straw. I could've sat for days watching one of them getting re-thatched, very fascinating.
Not many left in the countryside the to have pride in it. Shrinking population faster. Most are falling apart, but this town is well preserved and the tourist money helps keep it maintained and looking great.
John, if you're roaming Gifu, have you considered driving by "Monet's Pond"? Especially with a car I think it's such a lovely place. Not only the pond (and the small shrine) but the whole surroundings as it's very remote it's super peaceful 🍃 Oh and I stayed at the same hotel last autumn and it was pretty nice (though also expensive for my budget). The rooms were very clean and the walk from the hotel to the village is very pretty 💜
totally agree with you regarding people wearing perfume/cologne....total yuck...makes me cough/gag/sick, luckily I'm not allergic but I know people who are. The spouse and I are contemplating our first ever Japan vacation and I am wondering if Shirakawa-go might be a unique and wonderful place to stay for a couple of nights. Thank you, this video is helping me make decisions.
When it mixes with BO, it’s worse 😂 but I keep my mouth shut to stay outta trouble and not breathe it in hahaha! Smell pollution is next after Japan’s over tourism issues.
I spent a few hours in this beautiful village in 2018. I had a wonderful meal there and had an interior visit to one of the farm houses to see how they are constructed. What I wasn't ready for was the commercialization and the loads of visitors coming by the busloads. My perception of Shirakawa-go was somewhat shattered. However, I wouldn't discourage anyone from visiting there because it is worthy of the UNESCO designation. As John said expect a Disneyland component as part of the experience.
Yes, it’s lost touch with what makes it a UNESCO site and I think they may lose that status but heck, they don’t need it. It reminds me of Ginzan and Ouchi-Juku in Fukushima. But man, the locals seem well off here.
It’s usually photographed in winter but I wanted to scout it out, also see how many tourists are really here. Super interesting part of Japan! Really enjoy Takayama every time, the neighboring town.
You should walk a little further up to the Observatory deck. I visited Shirakawago twice. Once in autumn and 2nd time on 24 Mar 2024. There was heavy snow on 23 Mar. On 24 Mar, we get to see the awesome views from the observatory where the roof of gassho is mostly white.
I bet it’s better in winter! Just a taste, I’ll be back but it gives you a good overview of what’s here, what a stay is like and if you might like it. There’s a lot to like, except maybe the prices but it’s just a little more than the norm and demand is high.
Gokayama which is also UNESCO World Heritage site, but a bit smaller. It’s near by and far less tourists. The line for the famous pudding at Shirakawa-go is quite something. And the volume of buses at Shirakawa-go is crazy!
I am so glad that i got to see it back in 2008 before the touristy stuff. It was so quaint and beautiful but I understand that people have to eat and business has to survive so touristy it is.😢😊
I thought americano was an espresso poured into a mug and filled with hot water so essentially a weaker cup. I remember checking out this hamlet about 8years ago. It was interesting to learn about the silk worm process of breeding, boiling cocoons and harvesting the fibers to be spun into silk. I remember the Amazake was warm and tasty.
i have been wanting to tell you john to purchase a pair of good polarized sunglassess. in the long run, the glasses will protect your eyes since you are always on the road.
Thank you! I’ll see if these are polarized. I used to have a pair but - Leo got a hold of them and they’re all scratched up. Now they’re in his toy box, guarded by toy pirates!! 🏴☠️
I made plans to visit and stay there for one night back in March 2020. The world stopped and I had to cancel my plans. Haven’t have a chance to visit yet.
People enjoy what they wear. To each their own. I don't wear it but like everything else... no one else gets to decide anything about you. Fortunately. It's our own choice.
John, we asian mostly dont have armpit problem (generic, but some still do), but westerners do, so i would rather smell their cologne than the actual smell..... ps: i also never need to wear cologne.
Cologne masks it so you get … drum roll … BO & Cologne! It’s worse. I don’t have this issue anymore. I think it’s diet, chemicals in food, dairy? 🤷🏻♂️ but Kanae says when I come back the US I smelled different and the. It goes away after a week.
12:00 such an unpresonable and pretentious thing to command from people visiting to do. Japanese people don't wear deodorant and fragrances mainly because they don't emit bodily odor the same and they dislike coming across too strongly or to be too coo or seek attention l in general. By those standards you should stop wearing sunglasses otherwise you're being a hypocrite. I also know for a fact that all drug stores and shopping stores carry cologne. Telling people to stop being different and lying that it offends locals is plain dictatorship. Unimpressed.
Cologne,perfume and other personal products sold in Japan have a much lesser and more delicate level of scent than those in Europe or NA. It is simply considered rude in Japan to inflict noticably stronger odors onto other people. This is also why bentos are not usually heated on shinkansens for example; no-one wants to smell a fishy lunch outside of a dining area This discussion is a perfect example of one of the root causes of the over-tourism Japan is experiencing. It's not just too many people; it's that an ever-increasing percentage of them, either through ignorance or attitude, are acting like jerks. Your comments show you would be one of them
i took my family there in December of 2018. We arrived and saw the autumn foliage in all its glory during the sunset. At night a snow storm hit and the next day it was a winter wonderland and completely different than the day before. It snowed all day. My daughter from Thailand was only 5 years old and got to see snow for the first time.
Woah! What timing!! You got autumn and winter all in one stay!!
Beautiful town. Amazing scenery. ✌️
Sorry I missed your live stream. I visited Shirakawago in March. They have a small bus that can take you up to the Lookout point. You don't need to trek up the hill.
Love seeing your smiling face as part of the whole experience 😊
That’s very kind! I then drive my family home 450km to Tokyo but still had most of that smile, not so much traffic 😊
With regards to the comment of the person asking you to not show yourself too much...don't listen to them, we don't mind. Appreciate you sharing the beauty of Japan especially when you and your family are in it 👍👍👍
Thank you ^_^
What a great town. Sadly we came home yesterday after a fabulous 4 weeks going everywhere from Atoro to Hiroshima. A lot of our itinerary was built from your videos. Thank you.
Awesome and OTSUKARESAMADESHITA for a 4 week trip! I’ll keep giving you new ideas for next time ^_^
I visited in winter and it was ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL. Out of a literal Christmas card
I loved that place very great view love it enjoy your time there I think the village really looks beautiful I love it
John, thank you so much for showing the locations on the map. Very helpful.
Glad it helps! I think about what would help me so it’s useful for everyone. Glad I have more tools to do that now with the streaming software. Thank you!
So we watched your video on our big TV screen, so much better this way. We were there in 2018 in November and was raining. Yes we went on a tour so we can get the history of the area in English. Many times we go to places in Japan, we don’t know the significance of the area. So we went on a tour. Very expensive but so well forth it. When we were there we got to go inside the building and explored. What a neat experience! Because of the time of the month(?) we were the only ones there!
Thanks for this video, it brought back a nice memory!
I’m glad it’s finally 1080p streams so it can keep up with a big TV ^_^ makes me happy to think you’re watching on TV at home, Japan Adventure!!
This was interesting. Good to see you and your family. Thank you for the video.
Evening John! So beautiful! Thank you so much! Cheers!
Beautiful village , buildings and all the nature looks beautiful🙂Thank you John, Kanae &Leo🙂👍!!!
So nice! Thank u!
Thanks for showing us around John. Never knew a place like this existed in Japan, almost felt like hiking around Interlaken, Grindelwald or Murren in Switzerland!
It was serene and magical. 👍
We were planning to visit Interlaken and Grindelwald. Any hotel recommendations?
Right, I bet in winter it’s super pretty (and cold) so I’ll try to return in the snow
@@heythaveYes, Hotel Central Wolter in Grindelwald is great and a must! It’s easy access to everything. Also, don’t forget to visit Glacier Gorge (Gletscherschlut) there as well. 👍
Not so sure about Interlaken though!
😊
@@thelonelyamazonian7039 Alright, thanks!
I’ve got about 25 man hole covers pictures!!! It’s one of my pet peeves🏯 I’ve got pictures of temples, castles, cities, professional baseball mascots!!! Thanks once again for sharing your beautiful family and amazing scenery👌🏾
There are so many interesting ones! I’ll have to do another episode on it. They’ve added tech and stuff to them!
Oh my gish, lovely!
Yes! I went there a few years ago. Took an overnight bus from Tokyo to Kanazawa, then another bus to Shirakawa-go. And it was a perfect day like this. What a quaint little village. So picturesque. It was so nice to walk around and explore, and stop by random restaurants - which were so lovely, run by families residing in that building. I would highly recommend it. My friend went during the winter and it was so serene with snow covered roofs.
Pure enjoyment of this village view and ambience 😎
Thank you for sharing this video. I’ll be there soon and shiragawa-go is in my list 😁
Definitely 👍 100 % ❤ this for your postcard 😊 I appreciate the opportunity to share with us
So quaint 😍
Enjoy Buddy it’s like tranquility and so peaceful best wishes
Lovely video! Brought back lots of memories of our stay in Hisamatsu, one of the minshuku in November 2019. My husband and I and our grown children stayed in three of the rooms, with the most amazing home cooked dinner and breakfast, which added to the experience. After dark, once the tourists have all left you can visit the village sento to bathe. A great experience.
Quaint! 👍🎈🌞
Awesome I miss this stream oh no. I always waiting for another John’s adventure outside city
Loved visiting this place back in 2019. Roofs all held together without nails and just cedar, woven ropes & dried straw. I could've sat for days watching one of them getting re-thatched, very fascinating.
Cool, I visited during GW this month. Fun place, but the traffic was awful for the bus to arrive.
19:58 i was there when they were re-roofing this building e few years ago! 😄
I would love you to visit Toyama. A beautiful city.
My favourite horror anime as a teen, Higurashi no naku koro ni, was set in this town. Same buildings etc
Really cool to see the amazing Japanese countryside. No wonder they are so proud.....
Not many left in the countryside the to have pride in it. Shrinking population faster. Most are falling apart, but this town is well preserved and the tourist money helps keep it maintained and looking great.
I was there in March 2019. The place was sprinkled with snow.
John, if you're roaming Gifu, have you considered driving by "Monet's Pond"? Especially with a car I think it's such a lovely place. Not only the pond (and the small shrine) but the whole surroundings as it's very remote it's super peaceful 🍃
Oh and I stayed at the same hotel last autumn and it was pretty nice (though also expensive for my budget). The rooms were very clean and the walk from the hotel to the village is very pretty
💜
I’ve already filmed it. I’m an episode this year.
@@onlyinjapanGO Oooh I see - well, the pond will wait for your return to Gifu 😄Looking forward to your next videos!
totally agree with you regarding people wearing perfume/cologne....total yuck...makes me cough/gag/sick, luckily I'm not allergic but I know people who are. The spouse and I are contemplating our first ever Japan vacation and I am wondering if Shirakawa-go might be a unique and wonderful place to stay for a couple of nights. Thank you, this video is helping me make decisions.
Cool glasses, suits you well.
I agree with you on the cologne! Especially different smells all mixed together! Ugh.
When it mixes with BO, it’s worse 😂 but
I keep my mouth shut to stay outta trouble and not breathe it in hahaha! Smell pollution is next after Japan’s over tourism issues.
I like going there on weekdays, I love it when it’s not crowded hahah
It was nice AM! I can’t imagine on the weekends!! They do a good job keeping it clean and running well.
Other than that, great video as usual.
I spent a few hours in this beautiful village in 2018. I had a wonderful meal there and had an interior visit to one of the farm houses to see how they are constructed. What I wasn't ready for was the commercialization and the loads of visitors coming by the busloads. My perception of Shirakawa-go was somewhat shattered. However, I wouldn't discourage anyone from visiting there because it is worthy of the UNESCO designation. As John said expect a Disneyland component as part of the experience.
Yes, it’s lost touch with what makes it a UNESCO site and I think they may lose that status but heck, they don’t need it. It reminds me of Ginzan and Ouchi-Juku in Fukushima. But man, the locals seem well off here.
So that is how it looks during spring, was visiting during winter..
It’s usually photographed in winter but I wanted to scout it out, also see how many tourists are really here. Super interesting part of Japan! Really enjoy Takayama every time, the neighboring town.
I used to live there in 2000-2002
You should walk a little further up to the Observatory deck. I visited Shirakawago twice. Once in autumn and 2nd time on 24 Mar 2024. There was heavy snow on 23 Mar. On 24 Mar, we get to see the awesome views from the observatory where the roof of gassho is mostly white.
I bet it’s better in winter! Just a taste, I’ll be back but it gives you a good overview of what’s here, what a stay is like and if you might like it. There’s a lot to like, except maybe the prices but it’s just a little more than the norm and demand is high.
What a nice little town! You say it's touristy, but looks peaceful and relaxing.
Had to look up what a hamlet was. Not a word I hear often. "A hamlet is a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village."
Well, the shops, hotels, restaurants are. The scenery is not :) which is why people come.
@@onlyinjapanGO Thanks for sharing this place. That water sound when you placed the mic close, I could just close my eyes and fall asleep. 😅
Gokayama which is also UNESCO World Heritage site, but a bit smaller. It’s near by and far less tourists.
The line for the famous pudding at Shirakawa-go is quite something. And the volume of buses at Shirakawa-go is crazy!
Across the river, it got pretty crazy with the buses around 10:30!! That’s when we left, after a Hida milk ice cream! 🍦😋
I am so glad that i got to see it back in 2008 before the touristy stuff. It was so quaint and beautiful but I understand that people have to eat and business has to survive so touristy it is.😢😊
I thought americano was an espresso poured into a mug and filled with hot water so essentially a weaker cup.
I remember checking out this hamlet about 8years ago. It was interesting to learn about the silk worm process of breeding, boiling cocoons and harvesting the fibers to be spun into silk. I remember the Amazake was warm and tasty.
I have no idea that it is 😂 as an American, I can only assume drip coffee? Sanka? Instant Coffee? With extra water?☕️ 🤷🏻♂️
i have been wanting to tell you john to purchase a pair of good polarized sunglassess. in the long run, the glasses will protect your eyes since you are always on the road.
Thank you! I’ll see if these are polarized. I used to have a pair but - Leo got a hold of them and they’re all scratched up. Now they’re in his toy box, guarded by toy pirates!! 🏴☠️
I made plans to visit and stay there for one night back in March 2020. The world stopped and I had to cancel my plans. Haven’t have a chance to visit yet.
I hope you can soon, it was awful to hear of so many plans cancelled back then. Glad we’re outta that era!
😊😊🏆🏆
Hi John, what stabilizer did you use for this video? It was so smooth when you ran.
Osmo mobile SE or the 6 sometimes
@@onlyinjapanGO Thanks :D
Haha, I mean gosh!
Are you using an Iphone to film all your videos? What gimbal you using?
Only on this channel for live streaming.
People enjoy what they wear. To each their own. I don't wear it but like everything else... no one else gets to decide anything about you. Fortunately. It's our own choice.
Clothing, sure. Perfume, it’s the same as shouting in a library.
I wonder if any of the Gasho Zukuri is rentable or any of them a hotel or an inn.
Good question! I think some must be, plan to return in winter.
Is there an “off” season time you could come and rates might be more reasonable?
Here? Not anymore. Maybe rainy season in late June?
Today probably the closest you've looked to Jeff Goldblum. 😂
😂 The glasses!
Are your glasses polarized?
They were ¥2000 from Uniqlo. Maybe 🤔
Nice video, but the sharpness of the focus leaves something to be desired.
The internet must be slow…
Really, seemed fine to me. I’ll try to fix it if it’s off. Thanks!
🩵🩵🩵
John, we asian mostly dont have armpit problem (generic, but some still do), but westerners do, so i would rather smell their cologne than the actual smell.....
ps: i also never need to wear cologne.
Cologne masks it so you get … drum roll … BO & Cologne! It’s worse. I don’t have this issue anymore. I think it’s diet, chemicals in food, dairy? 🤷🏻♂️ but Kanae says when I come back the US I smelled different and the. It goes away after a week.
Because they don't take a bath
Hmm 🤔 you mean they take just a shower? I take a bath every night. Shower AM in summer.
Weak coffee 😂
American Coffee 🇺🇸 (😊 I can drink a mega size of it!)
12:00 such an unpresonable and pretentious thing to command from people visiting to do. Japanese people don't wear deodorant and fragrances mainly because they don't emit bodily odor the same and they dislike coming across too strongly or to be too coo or seek attention l in general. By those standards you should stop wearing sunglasses otherwise you're being a hypocrite. I also know for a fact that all drug stores and shopping stores carry cologne. Telling people to stop being different and lying that it offends locals is plain dictatorship. Unimpressed.
Triggered! 🐈💨
@@onlyinjapanGO lol the fact that you would take the time to reply with this instead of not altogether or to argue is telling enough.
Cologne,perfume and other personal products sold in Japan have a much lesser and more delicate level of scent than those in Europe or NA. It is simply considered rude in Japan to inflict noticably stronger odors onto other people. This is also why bentos are not usually heated on shinkansens for example; no-one wants to smell a fishy lunch outside of a dining area
This discussion is a perfect example of one of the root causes of the over-tourism Japan is experiencing. It's not just too many people; it's that an ever-increasing percentage of them, either through ignorance or attitude, are acting like jerks. Your comments show you would be one of them