# Shirakawa-go Winter Light-Up

> On four winter evenings the gassho-zukuri farmhouses of Ogimachi in Shirakawa village are lit from 17:30 to 19:30. In 2027 the nights are 11, 17, 24 and 31 January. Entry is by advance booking only: a village stay, a reserved parking space or a bus tour. Nobody is let in on the day without one.

- Prefecture: Gifu
- Type: Lantern
- Admission: See official site
- Typically held: A few evenings in winter, announced each year. In 2027 there are four, all in January, lit 17:30 to 19:30.
- Official site: https://shirakawa-go.gr.jp/

## Dates

- 2027-01-11 to 2027-01-11
- Status: confirmed
- Dates verified on 2026-11-03 from https://shirakawa-go.gr.jp/events/441/

For two hours on each of four evenings, the steep thatched roofs of Ogimachi, the main village of the Shirakawa-go World Heritage site, are lit up after dark. The 2027 event is the 41st. It is also a village where people live, and the Tourist Association runs the evening as a closed event. From 15:30 a gate goes up on the way in, and only people with that night's entry ticket get through. Tickets are not sold on the day. There are five ways to get one: stay the night in the village (a lottery, which for 2027 closed on 31 October 2026), drive in with a reserved space at the Midashima car park, come by taxi using the same reservation, or join a bus tour run by a local bus company or a travel agency. The ticket hangs round your neck, its colour changes each night, and you wear it all evening. The view over the whole village is from the Ogimachi castle ruins viewpoint above it. On light-up nights only people with a viewpoint ticket can go up, and that comes only with a village stay or a bus tour that includes it. Visits are split into three sessions, the walk up from behind the Wada house takes 15 to 20 minutes, and tripods are not allowed. Without a viewpoint ticket you see the light-up from the lanes of the village itself.

## Where it happens
- Shirakawa-go

## FAQ

### When is the Shirakawa-go light-up in 2027?

On four nights: 11, 17, 24 and 31 January 2027, from 17:30 to 19:30. The first is a public holiday Monday and the other three are Sundays.

### Can I just turn up on the night?

No. From 15:30 there is a gate at the entrance to Shirakawa-go and only people with that night's entry ticket get in. Tickets are not sold on the day; they come with a village stay, a reserved parking space or a bus tour.

### Can I go up to the viewpoint during the light-up?

Only with a viewpoint ticket, which comes with a village stay or a bus tour that includes it, such as Nouhi Bus's 16,000 yen course from Takayama. A parking reservation does not include one. Visits are split into three sessions and may be stopped in heavy snow.

### Can I get there by public bus?

Not for the light-up. The last regular bus out of Shirakawa-go leaves between 16:00 and 17:00, before the lights come on. On light-up nights local bus companies run bookable tour buses instead, for example Nouhi Bus from Takayama.

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Source: [Shirakawa-go Winter Light-Up — Japan Voyage](https://travel.japanvoyage.jp/festivals/shirakawa-go-light-up)
Last updated: 2026-11-04