Yesssss 1 day is too limited. I had about 4 days in Nagoya and still not done exploring!

Shirakawa-Go is in the UNESCO World Heritage site it's one of the best place I've ever been. Definitely - the best season is Winter!!! In other times you can enjoy/ see different charm of the place, but without a doubt - Winter. Highly highly recommended.

Friends and I was there early Jan this year.

Day 1 - Shirakawa-Go. We arrived between 3-330pm and went out to play around 4pm after checking-in. It wasn't snowing. Whatever snow were there - a lot had been melted off by the locals to make it easy to walk.



Day 2 Pic 1- Went out of the gassho-zukuri/ minshuku between 8-830am (as breakfast was served at 7am, also took some time to pack up) and there was thick fog. It was snowing slightly, but the night before there were heavy snow and we were so happy & amazed by the scene before our eyes.



Day 2 Pic 2 - We stayed in the inner most part of ShirakawaGo village. Shirakawa-Go is huge and there are many different villages located in different parts of the 'mountain'/ area. Friend said this was the only place available as we did an adhoc trip, but I think we were lucky because it was so beautiful - beyond words. Staying at the innermost, although we had a long bus ride, was totally worth it.

We would see the mountain. And the snow were soft like cotton.



Day 2 Pic 3 - We must check out by 10am, and by 10, non-staying guests/ tourists will start to flood the place (rule is that, no tourists or guests from other area can come in before 10am), they can only access the village from 10am-3pm. Times other than those are reserved for the village's guests. It was sad that we had to leave so soon, as the enjoyment felt so short. I'll definitely return one day. If you ask why so short, only 1 night - it's because you can only stay 1 night in gassho zukuri. All these places are usually overbooked so in order to ensure no one hogs the accommodation, everyone is only allowed 1 night stay - unless you move to another minshuku/ village for another night.



Hope this inspires you to go one day

This post has been edited by sweet_pez: Aug 17 2017, 05:44 PM

Right?! Away from city life... felt like I could stay there for a week and still be contented.

Wow that's really interesting. I was only at the city most of the time and one day at Kiso Valley. Where else in Nagoya do you recommend to visit? Especially places that are less touristy.

HAHAHAHAHAHA I know, I'm also jealous of myself back in Jan when I looked at the photos. I wanna go back again, it's calling me! Chances of snow is better mid/end Jan onward. Feb's snow may be very heavy.

One thing we didn't manage to do was to go up the viewing point. There wasn't much time and we had to catch our bus. Friends chose a nice, warm lunch over the viewing point oh well, that gives me a good reason/ excuse to go back hehe

The Gassho-zukuri can accommodate estimated max 9-12 people in a night I think. The minshuku I stayed in had 3 rooms. A couple stayed next to us. My group has 4 people and divided into 2 pairs. The rooms aren't big so 2 in a room is comfortable enough. 3 in a room will be a little cramped.

Very interesting. These don't appear on the search result when you Google Nagoya. Thanks for the recommendation

Get off every station... that's the God-like level of exploration when you're there long enough to have covered all the major attractions! Looking forward to more sharing from you weeeeeee.

That's the seishun kippu right? I asked this forum and the group chat before, but it seemed like no one was familiar with it coz no reply hahaha.

We used the same ticket to get around Gifu from Nagoya to ShirakawaGo and back. It was cheaper but also took some time coz like you said, only can board the Local or Limited Express.

Was it a planned trip or you just make the stops as you like? What about accommodation?

Ahahahahaha I'm giving you motivation! Yep plan a next trip to ShirakawaGo it's definitely eye opening and unforgettable. One of the best trip I've made in my life so far. The forum is interesting coz there are tips and interaction!

This post has been edited by sweet_pez: Aug 18 2017, 03:37 PM

And luck too, to get the seishun kippu. We bought it on 31st Dec (last day haha!) coz we arrived in Nagoya on NY's eve. Damn kancheong. Rushed to the station and checked. Luckily they still have tickets

So you travelled alone for the trips back then? I remember you're no good with Japanese right? Surely its not easy going around, but I agree that's the fun part.

That's pretty much all for a 6-7 days trip. But if you have the time, may wanna consider Ueno, Nakano (Broadway), Tokyo Station, Imperial Palace and Sengakuji Temple near Tokyo Tower. If you like Pokemon, there's Ikebukuro

This post has been edited by sweet_pez: Aug 23 2017, 03:14 PM

Good to know. There were people who recommended the Oedo Onsen Monogatari. If you're considering onsen and have time to spare, perhaps can give the place a shot. Check out more info about the place. Have not been there personally so I can't comment.

Woah impressive shop front.

Depends. Get to the airport earlier (more than 2 hours prior to flight) and check-in. At the counter, check with the airline whether they can assign you seats that you prefer. If they can do that, they will. It all depends on availability and usually, early birds get the worm. Because you were early and you asked, you may get it.

Been to Daikokuya and Tonki

I will highly recommend both. Daikokuya was one of the best comfort food I've ever had in Tokyo. The portion was enormous and really delicious. However, manage your expectation. Most of the time people prefer crispy batter for tempura but Daikokuya is famous for their soft batter. I've always preferred soft batter over crispy ones.

Tonki on the other hand - was the best tonkatsu I've had in Tokyo. Not like I've tried a lot but I've been to few, including Marugo in Akihabara. In comparison, Tonki is the best out of the ones I've had.

YESSSSSSSS!!! I don't mind them crispy too, but the soft ones are 一番

Really?! yayyyyyy share more recommendation of places with soft batter! LOLL!

Since you spent the fare to Kyoto, why not visit the place and then make your way back to Osaka?

HAHAHA how old are they?

Here's some recommendation on what you can do for a day trip in Kyoto: https://www.insidekyoto.com/kyoto-with-children

It's really a waste not to visit Kyoto when you're already there. At least drop by the Zoo or cafe there and take a stroll before going back to Osaka.

I think she's afraid the kids will be bored with the journey and hike there. I agree that kids easily get bored and places like temple etc you gotta be abit more zen. I can imagine kids screaming, nervous parents trying to calm them down lololll

Yeah I guess not everyone appreciates it. So if their interest doesn't lie in visiting temples, there'll be other things to do/ visit. I acknowledge different people have different likings; so before they go on a trip I'll usually ask what is it that they want from the trip and what they're expecting. I'll usually be able to recommend better if I know them well

No kidding, I thought they were 5-6 years old hahaha. Ady 9 and 12, I believe they'll behave better in foreign land

Nay you don't have to walk a lot. Maybe just do say, the Zoo and then drop by cafe for food then off you go back to Osaka. Just feel a little 'waste' if you don't get off and make your way back to Osaka straight from the station.

Personally the way I rank it (AAX/ MAS/ JAL/ ANA etc):

Anything below RM1k (all inclusive) is super good deal. RM1k-RM1.2k it's a good deal; RM1.5k-RM1.6k is average price and RM1.8k and above is on the high side.

Your price range is too low to be used for benchmark. Generally, as long as it's below RM1,000 for all-in it's cheap - be it RM700 or RM300.

As you said it, one of it is launching promo. So after launch, it's almost impossible for the price to resurface unless it's once-in-awhile major Sale.

This post has been edited by sweet_pez: Aug 28 2017, 10:30 AM

When next week is AA sale?

So kan cheong ah... hopefully got!!

Yeah but this one back up. Not sure my HKG trip is gonna happen or not due to the typhoon... so just in case, wanna check out if there's any cheap flights to Osaka/ Tokyo as back up. But sacwoc said no issue with major tourist attractions, so probably HKG is happening?