The farmhouses are lit on 11, 17, 24 and 31 January 2027. On those evenings getting in and getting home work differently from any other day.
The short answer
The Shirakawa-go light-up 2027 takes place on 11, 17, 24 and 31 January from 17:30 to 19:30, and you can only enter with a reservation. A tour solves the two hard parts, the entry and the ride home, because no regular bus leaves the village after the light-up. Under the official rules travel-agency tours come without a ticket for the Shiroyama observation deck. From Nagoya, Hakuu states the clearest rule if the evening is called off; from Takayama, Yamaguchi Motors runs a private van.
Pick the day you want to see the village, or the first and last day you are in Kanazawa, Takayama or Nagoya. We check the booking calendar of each Shirakawa-go tour and list the ones with places left.
In the village: 2 h
In the village: 4 h
In the village: 4.5 h
Duration: 10 h
Duration: 8 h
The light-up is the one time of year when a day visit to Shirakawa-go needs a plan for the evening. From 15:30 a gate at the village entrance lets in ticket holders only, and the ticket is a band you wear around your neck that cannot be passed on. The tours below include the visit by day and the lit village after dark.
Sorted by number of reviews; most of these tours are new. The date check above shows which ones still have places on your evening.
| Photo | Tour | Start and return | Before dark | Observation deck | If the light-up is called off | Vehicle and group | Reviews ↕ | Price ↕ | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Light-up option of the Nagoya day tour JRT Group | Ministop Tsubakicho 10:00, back 19:30 to 22:00 | Takayama and the village, about 120 min each | Listing mentions a deck ticket; ask | Not stated | Up to 27 with one guide | ★ 4.8 (77) | $49per person | Book now |
|
|
Light-up Night Tour from Nagoya Hakuu | Nagoya 10:00, back about 22:30 | Takayama and the village, about 2 h each | Not included | Full refund; Gujo Hachiman if the road is closed | Up to 13 | ★ 4.3 (13) | $202per person | Book now |
|
|
Winter Illumination Tour from Nagoya QingHe Travel | Nagoya 10:00, back about 22:30 | Takayama 120 min, village 2 h | Not mentioned | Not stated | Up to 9 | New tour, no reviews yet | $203per person | Book now |
|
|
Light-up Day Tour from Nagoya Leda Japan | Nagoya, times on the booking page | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | New tour, no reviews yet | $218per person | Book now |
|
|
Light-up Tour from Takayama Yamaguchi Motors | Takayama hotel 13:00, back about 21:00 | Wada house | Only with a matching reservation; shuttle extra | Another place, or a daytime visit with Gokayama | Private van | New tour, no reviews yet | $210per person | Book now |
Prices come from the booking platforms and include taxes and fees; group tours are per person, private cars per vehicle. Minutes in Shirakawa-go are the operator’s own figures.
Open a card for the meeting point, the stops and how long you stay in the village.
The Nagoya day tour with a later start and the light-up on the four January evenings.
A day from Nagoya with about 120 minutes in Takayama and about 120 minutes in Shirakawa-go. Vehicles carry nine guests at most. Meals are optional.
On the four light-up evenings in January 2027 the operator runs a light-up option with a later start; the booking page has the details.
Nagoya Station, Shinkansen north exit, 08:30. The light-up option starts at Ministop Tsubakicho at 10:00.
Stops and times taken from the operator’s product page on the booking platform, checked in November 2026.
Takayama and the village by day, then the light-up; up to 13 guests, full refund if it is cancelled, no deck.
A light-up evening from Nagoya for up to 13 guests: about two hours in Takayama, about two hours in Shirakawa-go in daylight and then the light-up from 17:30 to 19:30. The return to Nagoya is around 22:30.
The Shiroyama observation deck is not included. If the light-up is cancelled, the operator refunds in full; if the road to the village is closed, it switches to Gujo Hachiman. In snow the Takayama stop gets shorter.
Nagoya, 10:00. Back around 22:30.
Stops and times taken from the operator’s product page on the booking platform, checked in November 2026.
Takayama, the village by day and about 150 minutes for the light-up; up to nine guests.
A light-up day from Nagoya for up to nine guests: about 120 minutes in Takayama, two hours in Shirakawa-go and about 150 minutes for the light-up. The return to Nagoya is around 22:30. The listing does not mention the observation deck.
Nagoya, 10:00. Back around 22:30.
Stops and times taken from the operator’s product page on the booking platform, checked in November 2026.
Light-up day from Nagoya; programme and times on the booking page.
A light-up day tour from Nagoya for the January 2027 evenings. The booking page has the programme and the times.
Stops and times taken from the operator’s product page on the booking platform, checked in November 2026.
Private van from your Takayama hotel at 13:00 with the Wada house and the light-up, back about 21:00.
A light-up evening from Takayama in a private van, with hotel pickup at 13:00, a visit to the Wada house and the light-up from 17:30. The return to Takayama is around 21:00. The listing includes a light-up parking reservation.
The observation deck needs a matching reservation, and the shuttle up to it is extra. If the village cannot be reached, the operator offers another place without a price reduction or a daytime visit with Gokayama.
Hotel pickup in Takayama, 13:00. Back around 21:00.
Stops and times taken from the operator’s product page on the booking platform, checked in November 2026.
Taken from each itinerary. Light-up tours count the daytime visit and the evening together.
| Tour | In the village | Start | Ends | Also visits | Vehicle | Entry or workshop included | Whole trip |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shirakawa-go and Takayama Day Tour from Nagoya | 2 h | Nagoya | Not stated | Takayama | Not stated | Not stated | 9–24 h |
| Shirakawa-go Light-Up Night Tour from Nagoya | 4 h | Nagoya | Back where it started | Takayama | Not stated | Not stated | 10 h |
| Shirakawa-go Winter Illumination Tour from Nagoya | 4.5 h | Nagoya | Back where it started | Takayama | Not stated | Not stated | 10 h |
| Shirakawa-go 2027 Winter Light-Up Day Tour from Nagoya | Not stated | Nagoya | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | 10 h |
| Shirakawa-go Winter Light-Up Tour from Takayama | Not stated | Takayama | Back where it started | Only Shirakawa-go | Private car, driver-guide | Not stated | 8 h |
From the itineraries on the booking pages, checked in November 2026. “Not stated” means the operator gives no figure.
The four evenings in 2027 are Monday 11 January, a national holiday, and the Sundays 17, 24 and 31 January. The lights are on from 17:30 to 19:30. There is no ticket office at the gate. The listing of the Yamaguchi Motors tour also mentions February; in 2027 every light-up evening is in January.
The last scheduled buses leave the village between 16:00 and 17:00, before the lights go on, and the village taxi does not run on light-up days. Without a tour, a room in the village or your own car with a parking reservation, you cannot get away in the evening. That is why the tours here run late: the Nagoya departures are back around 22:30, the Takayama van around 21:00.
The view from the Shiroyama observation deck over the lit roofs is the picture most people have in mind. On light-up evenings the deck works with allocated time slots, tickets are not sold on their own, and travel-agency tours do not receive them. Hakuu states that the deck is not included, and QingHe does not mention it. Yamaguchi Motors needs a matching reservation for it, with the shuttle up as an extra. The JRT Group listing names an observation-deck ticket, which does not fit the official rules, so ask the operator before you count on it. Tripods are not allowed on the deck, and snow can limit access. More on the viewpoint on the Shiroyama page.
Under the official rules for 2026 the light-up can be cancelled in an extreme cold spell or if traffic breaks down. The operators handle that differently. Hakuu refunds in full if the light-up is cancelled, switches to Gujo Hachiman if the road to the village is closed, and shortens Takayama when it snows. Yamaguchi Motors offers another place without a price reduction, or a daytime visit with Gokayama. The other listings give no rule, which is worth a question before you book. On the QingHe page some text still refers to 2026; make sure the booking calendar shows your January 2027 date.
Yamaguchi Motors collects you at your Takayama hotel at 13:00 and lists a light-up parking reservation as included. The first round of those reservations sold out in September, and the second opens on 1 December 2026, so ask the operator whether it already holds a space for your date.
Light-up guides for 2027 expect −10 to 0 °C on the evening, and you stand outside for most of it. Private vehicles need winter tyres on light-up days, and drones are banned in the village. On the four evenings the gate admits light-up ticket holders only from 15:30, so check the date of any regular day tour you book for January. Other winter planning is on the best time to visit page.
On 11, 17, 24 and 31 January 2027, each evening from 17:30 to 19:30.
No. Entry is by reservation only, and from 15:30 a gate at the village entrance admits ticket holders only.
Under the official rules, travel-agency tours do not come with a deck ticket. Hakuu excludes it, Yamaguchi Motors needs a matching reservation, and the JRT Group listing mentions one, so ask that operator.
No regular bus. The last buses leave before the lights go on and the village taxi does not run, so a tour or a room in the village is the practical way.
It depends on the tour. Hakuu refunds in full, Yamaguchi Motors offers another place or a daytime visit with Gokayama, and the other listings give no rule.
The regular day tours run all winter, with their minutes in the village.
See the comparison