- Best for
- Traditional towns, mountains, crafts
- Days to allow
- 4–6 for a loop
- Bases
- Kanazawa, Takayama, Matsumoto
- Tokyo → Kanazawa
- ~2 h 30 min by Shinkansen · ¥14,600
Kanazawa
A castle town on the Sea of Japan that escaped wartime bombing, with preserved geisha and samurai districts, a famous garden and superb seafood. The Hokuriku Shinkansen makes it an easy 2 h 30 min from Tokyo.
- Kenroku-enOne of Japan's three great landscape gardens, beautiful in every season — snow-supporting ropes on the pines in winter. ¥320. Go at opening time.
- Higashi Chaya districtWooden teahouses with latticed fronts, some open to visit; Kanazawa produces almost all of Japan's gold leaf, and you'll find it on ice cream here.
- Nagamachi samurai districtEarthen walls, canals and the Nomura family's restored samurai house and garden.
- Omicho MarketSeafood rice bowls for breakfast or lunch; the crab season runs through winter.
- 21st Century Museum of Contemporary ArtA circular glass gallery known for Leandro Erlich's "Swimming Pool". It closes for renovation from 6 May 2027 until about March 2028.
Shirakawa-go
A UNESCO-listed village of gassho-zukuri farmhouses, their steep thatched roofs built to shed heavy snow. It's at its most magical under snow, and busiest then too.
- Getting there: Nohi buses from Kanazawa (about 75 minutes) and Takayama (about 50 minutes), ¥2,800 each way (¥2,900 from December 2026). All Kanazawa buses and about half of the Takayama buses need a reservation — book as soon as your dates are fixed.
- Winter light-up evenings (11, 17, 24 and 31 January 2027) are by reservation only.
- From December 2026 tour buses must reserve parking; private cars still park on a first-come basis.
- Some farmhouses take overnight guests — a rare chance to sleep under a thatched roof.
Takayama
A mountain town with a beautifully preserved Edo-era old quarter.
- Sanmachi SujiDark wooden merchant houses, sake breweries (look for the cedar balls hanging over the door) and craft shops.
- Morning marketsTwo daily markets selling pickles, produce and crafts along the river and in front of Takayama Jinya.
- Takayama JinyaThe only surviving government house of the shoguns' local administrators.
- Hida beefMarbled local wagyu — try it grilled on a skewer from a street stall or as sushi.
- FestivalsTakayama's spring (14–15 April) and autumn (9–10 October) festivals bring out gilded floats with mechanical puppets.
Getting there: Shinkansen to Nagoya, then the Hida limited express through the mountains — about 4 h 15 min to 4 h 45 min from Tokyo. Highway buses from Shinjuku take about 5 h 30 min.
Matsumoto and Kamikochi
- Matsumoto CastleOne of Japan's few original castles, black-walled and moated, with the Alps behind. ¥1,200 with a timed e-ticket (¥1,300 on paper). About 2 h 30 min from Shinjuku on the Azusa limited express.
- KamikochiA high alpine valley of clear rivers and peaks, one of the most beautiful places in Japan for walking. Private cars are banned; buses and taxis run from Sawando or Hirayu. Open mid-April to mid-November (17 April–15 November in 2026), with autumn colour around mid-October.
Skiing in Hakuba
Hakuba, an hour from Nagano, hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics and is the main ski area of the Alps. The 2026–27 season opens at Goryu on 21 November 2026, with most other areas opening in mid-December. See ski season dates.
Putting it together
The classic loop runs Tokyo → Kanazawa → Shirakawa-go → Takayama → Nagoya → Kyoto, slotting into the middle of a two-week trip. Our 14-day itinerary follows it night by night.