I'll Visit Again: Shirakawa-go

Sejujurnya saya berharap datang di Shirakawa-go di saat berbeda, musim dimana saya telah melihat foto-foto desa tradisional yang tertutup salju tebal dengan cahaya-cahaya lampu rumah yang diabadikan dengan sangat indah dalam banyak foto.

Honestly, I expected to visit Shirakawa-go in a different season, where I would see many photos of traditional village covered with a thick snow and the light house captured amazingly.

Saya dan Ferry mengunjungi Shirakawa-go di saat musim panas. Jepang di bulan Juli memang sedang dalam suhu panas, namun justru ini membuat langit sangat biru dan indah.

Ferry and I came to Shirakawa-go on summer. The fact that Japan is in the hot temperature during July even turns the blue sky more beautiful.

Terletak di area pegunungan di antara Gifu dan Toyama, Shirakawa-go berada di tengah lembah dan sisi sungai Shogawa. Saat musim panas pemandangan hijau menghiasi desa-desa tradisional yang telah menjadi situs warisan budaya dunia UNESCO ini.

Located in the hills area between Gifu and Toyama, Shirakawa-go is in the middle of the valley and river side of Shogawa. On summer, green landscape adorns the traditional village that already listed in UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Kami naik bus sekitar satu jam dari Takayama. Dari area parkir bus kita tinggal berjalan kaki menyeberangi jembatan untuk masuk ke area desa di Shirakawa-go. Rumah-rumah tradisional yang menjadi ciri khas area ini langsung terlihat jelas. Bentuk atap segitiga inilah yang membuat Shirakawa-go terkenal di seluruh dunia. Bentuk bangunan rumah di Shirakawa-go disebut gassho-zukuri style, artinya tangan yang berdoa. Bentuk segitiga ini rupanya merepresentasikan bentuk tangan pada umat buddha yang sedang berdoa.

We took a bus for about an hour from Takayama and continued walking from parking area, crossing a bridge to enter the area of Shirakawa-go village. We can see traditional houses that become the signature of this place. Those triangle-shaped roofs are one that makes Shirakawa-go become popular around the world. The house pattern in Shirakawa-go is called gassho-zukuri style which means the praying hands. The triangle-shaped is the representative of the praying hands of Buddhists.

Tidak hanya bentuk yang unik, bangunan di Shirakawa-go ini memiliki atap yang tebal agar tahan terhadap lapisan salju yang sangat tebal di musim dingin. Di saat musim panas bangunan ini sangat rentan terbakar sehingga di depan setiap unit bangunan terdapat hydran yang disembunyikan di balik tempat kayu sehingga tidak merusak pemandangan yang sangat tradisional di Shirakawa-go.

Not only the unique pattern, building in Shirakawa-go also has a thick roof to stand the very thick snow layer on winter. On summer, the buildings are easily to get burnt so there is hydrant available in front of every building that being put behind the wood case so it won’t ruin the very traditional yet beautiful view of Shirakawa-go.

Yang menarik, bangunan-bangunan ini masih ditempati oleh warga dan menjadi rumah pribadi mereka. Sebagian telah beralih menjadi toko atau tempat makan karena banyaknya turis yang ada, namun sebagian besar rumah-rumah di Shirakawa-go ini masih dihuni penduduk aslinya. Kita dapat melihat mobil-mobil modern yang diparkir di area rumah, sangat kontras dengan kesan tradisional bangunan yang ada.

Knowing that these building still become the house of local people was so interesting. Some already turned into shops or restaurants since there were many tourists visit, but some still made the houses in Shirakawa-go as a living place. We could see it from the modern car parked around the house that so contrast with the traditional atmosphere.

Untuk melihat pemandangan desa dengan lebih jelas, kami menuju Shiroyama viewing point yang berada di atas bukit, dimana kita dapat melihat Desa Ogimachi, desa terbesar di Shirakawa-go dari ketinggian. Bus stop menuju viewing point berada di tengah desa sehingga mudah diakses.

In order to get a clearer view of the village, we headed Shiroyama viewing point on the hills where we can see Ogimachi Village, the largest village in Shirakawa-go, from the top. It’s so easy to access the bus stop to reach viewing point since its location in the center of village.

Green view of Shirakawa-go

Dari atas kami dapat melihat rumah-rumah segitiga khas Shirakawa-go yang dikelilingi bukit kehijauan, jalanan utama di Desa Ogimachi dengan deretan rumah yang sangat cantik. Saya membayangkan suasana desa ini di saat musim dingin dengan lapisan salju tebal, surely I must visit this place again but in the winter, Amen to that!

From the top, we could see the scenery of Shirakawa-go’s triangle houses surrounded by green hills and the main street at Ogimachi Village with attractive rows of houses. I visualized this village on winter covered with a thick snow and all I could think that surely I must visit this place again but in winter. Amen for that!

@marischkaprue - don't mind a revisit to the same destination

Photos by Ferry Rusli & me

PS:

I'm so lucky to be able to visit Shirakawa-go again during winter, see how it turned into WINTER WONDERLAND here (click here)

NOTES

• Shirakawa-go berada di Ōno District, Gifu Prefecture, Central Japan.
• Shirakawa-go is located at Ōno District, Gifu Prefecture, Central Japan.  

Bus ticket counter di Takayama Bus Terminal

Platform no.4

• Shirakawa-go dapat diakses dengan mudah dengan naik bus, terdapat beberapa pilihan, paling mudah adalah dari Takayama Bus Terminal (1 jam perjalanan). Harga tiket bus ke Shirakawa-go adalah 4.420 Yen untuk pulang pergi (round trip), naik dari Platform 4 dengan tujuan Kanazawa dan Shirakawa-go (papan platform berwarna kuning). Beli tiket di loket Bus Ticket, disarankan untuk beli tiket setidaknya satu hari sebelum agar mendapatkan seat.
• We can reach Shirakawa-go by bus that has many alternatives. The easiest one is from Takayama Bus Terminal (for about one hour). Ticket price to Shirakawa-go is ¥4.420 for round trip, get in from platform 4 with the route Kanazawa – Shirakawa-go (yellow platform board), and buy ticket at the Ticket Bus counter. Advance ticket booking, at least one day, is recommended to get a seat.  

bus ticket and we're ready to go!

• Jadwal bus dari Takayama menuju Shirakawa-go ada di jam-jam berikut: 7:50, 8:50, 9:50, 10:50, 11:25, 11:50, 12:50, 13:50, 14:50 dan 16.30. 
• Bus schedule from Takayama to Shirakawa-go is available at the following hours: 7:50, 8:50, 9:50, 10:50, 11:25, 11:50, 12:50, 13:50, 14:50, and 16:30.

Bus schedule to Shirakawa-go, click to enlarge

• Sementara rute bus dari Shirakawa-go menuju Takayama ada di jam-jam berikut: 6:43, 9:35, 10:45, 11:15, 12:15, 13:15, 14:40, 15:15, 16:15, 17:20, 17:30.
• While the bus route from Shirakawa-go to Takayama is available at the following hours: 6:43, 9:35, 10:45, 11:15, 12:15, 13:15, 14:40, 15:15, 16:15, 17:20, 17:30.

tarif bus ke Shirakawa-go, click to enlarge

• Terdapat locker room di Shirakawa-go sehingga jika ingin mampir di Shirakawa-go sebelum menuju Kanazawa, atau sebaliknya dari Kanazawa sebelum ke Takayama, bisa jadi opsi karena koper dan barang dapat disimpan di locker.
• Those who want to drop by in Shirakawa-go before heading Kanazawa or from Kanazawa before heading Takayama don’t need to worry since there’s locker room to keep your luggage and stuffs.  

• Jika ingin mudah terdapat juga beberapa opsi tour Shirakawa-go dan Gokayama dengan guide berbahasa Inggris. Tour Shirakawa-go dan Ainokura dengan harga 6.690 Yen (dewasa) dan 4.420 Yen (anak-anak) dengan jadwal dari Takayama - Gokayama Ainokura Village, Tenshukaku Lunch, Shirakawa-go Village dan kembali ke Takayama, tour dari pukul 8:30 dan tiba kembali di Takayama pukul 15.10. Reservasi harus dilakukan sebelum pukul 17:30 satu hari sebelum tour. Booking bisa dilakukan online di www.nouhibus.co.jp/english.
• For easier way, there are also some tour options of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama with English guide. The tour price of Shirakawa-go and Ainokura is ¥ 6.690 (adult) and ¥ 4.420 (children) with the schedule starts at 8:30 from Takayama – Gokayama Ainokura Village, Tenshukaku Lunch, Shirakawa-go Village, and back to Takayama at 15:10. Reservation must be before 17:30, one day before tour date. Booking can be online at www.nouhibus.co.jp/english.