♨ Gifu · 2 days
Gujo to Shirakawa-go: Hot Springs, Soba and the Headwaters of the Nagara River
A 2-day climb up Route 156 and the Tokai-Hokuriku corridor from the water town of Gujo Hachiman to the thatched roofs of Shirakawa-go, with three hot-spring baths among five michi-no-eki along the way.
This is the drive up the spine of Gifu. It starts in Gujo Hachiman, a castle town laced with irrigation channels and spring-fed washing basins, and follows the Nagara River upstream until the valley narrows into the Hakusan foothills. The road is Route 156 — the old Gujo highway — with the Tokai-Hokuriku Expressway running above it on viaducts for the legs where you want to make time. Everything on the way is uphill: the river gets clearer, the soba gets better, and the baths get hotter.
The first stop sits in Yamato, where a hot-spring bath and a museum to classical poetry share a car park — the Kokon Denju tradition of transmitting the Kokinshu anthology was handed on in this valley. North through Shirotori the station keeps the old post-town feel and the Nagataki shrine's thousand-year ritual nearby; higher still, Dainichidake marks the Hirugano plateau at around 900m, where the watershed splits between the Sea of Japan and the Pacific. Shokawa, over the pass in Takayama city, has a bath and the famous transplanted cherry trees saved from the reservoir below. The last station, Hida Hakusan at Hirase, is a soak in sight of the Hakusan range and a 20-minute drive from the thatched houses of Shirakawa-go.
The stops, in driving order
- 1 Michi-no-Eki Kokon Denju No Sato Yamato 道の駅 古今伝授の里やまと · Gifu
Michi-no-Eki Kokon Denju No Sato Yamato (道の駅 古今伝授の里やまと) is a government-designated roadside station in 郡上市, Gifu, Japan, registered in 2001 as one of the country's official michi-no-eki rest stops for road travellers. On-site you'll find a hot-spring (onsen) bath, a restaurant, a cafe, a local-products shop and a tourist-information desk. There is free parking for about 250 cars and 8 large vehicles. Typical opening hours are 9:00–18:00. Like every michi-no-eki it offers free parking and 24-hour restrooms, making it a reliable stop on a Chubu road trip or campervan tour. It also makes a handy base for reaching nearby stations such as Shirao Fureai Paaku, Seiryuu No Sato Shirotori and Meihou.
Nearby: 🏛古今伝授の里フィールドミュージアム (2.2 km) · 🏛日本土鈴館 (6 km)
- 2 Michi-no-Eki Hakuchou 道の駅 白鳥 · Gifu
Michi-no-Eki Hakuchou (道の駅 白鳥) is a government-designated roadside station in 郡上市, Gifu, Japan, registered in 1994 as one of the country's official michi-no-eki rest stops for road travellers. On-site you'll find a restaurant, a cafe, a local-products shop, free Wi-Fi and a tourist-information desk. There is free parking for about 100 cars and 5 large vehicles. Typical opening hours are 8:30–17:00. Like every michi-no-eki it offers free parking and 24-hour restrooms, making it a reliable stop on a Chubu road trip or campervan tour. It also makes a handy base for reaching nearby stations such as Seiryuu No Sato Shirotori, Shirao Fureai Paaku and Dainichidake.
Nearby: 🏛奥美濃若宮修古館 (0.2 km) · 🏛日本土鈴館 (7.5 km)
- 3 Michi-no-Eki Dainichidake 道の駅 大日岳 · Gifu
Michi-no-Eki Dainichidake (道の駅 大日岳) is a government-designated roadside station in 郡上市, Gifu, Japan, registered in 2001 as one of the country's official michi-no-eki rest stops for road travellers. On-site you'll find a restaurant, a cafe, a local-products shop, free Wi-Fi and a tourist-information desk. There is free parking for about 45 cars and 7 large vehicles. Typical opening hours are 9:00–17:00. Like every michi-no-eki it offers free parking and 24-hour restrooms, making it a reliable stop on a Chubu road trip or campervan tour. It also makes a handy base for reaching nearby stations such as Sakura No Sato Shoukawa, Hakuchou and Shirao Fureai Paaku.
Nearby: ⛰Mt. Dainichigatake (5 km) · 🏛白山文化博物館 (8.9 km)
- 4 Michi-no-Eki Sakura No Sato Shoukawa 道の駅 桜の郷 荘川 · Gifu
Michi-no-Eki Sakura No Sato Shoukawa (道の駅 桜の郷 荘川) is a government-designated roadside station in 高山市, Gifu, Japan, registered in 2001 as one of the country's official michi-no-eki rest stops for road travellers. On-site you'll find a hot-spring (onsen) bath, a cafe, a local-products shop, EV charging and free Wi-Fi. There is free parking for about 114 cars and 5 large vehicles. Typical opening hours are 9:00–18:00. Like every michi-no-eki it offers free parking and 24-hour restrooms, making it a reliable stop on a Chubu road trip or campervan tour. It also makes a handy base for reaching nearby stations such as Dainichidake, Pasukaru Kiyomi and Shirao Fureai Paaku.
Nearby: ⛰Mt. Washigatake (9 km)
- 5 Michi-no-Eki Hida Hakusan 道の駅 飛騨白山 · Gifu
Michi-no-Eki Hida Hakusan (道の駅 飛騨白山) is a government-designated roadside station in 大野郡白川村, Gifu, Japan, registered in 2008 as one of the country's official michi-no-eki rest stops for road travellers. On-site you'll find a hot-spring (onsen) bath, a restaurant, a local-products shop, a baby room and an accessible restroom. There is free parking for about 36 cars and 3 large vehicles. Typical opening hours are 営業期間 4月1日–11月30日 売店10:00–17:00（軽食 11:00–16:30） 定休日:毎週水曜日 情報コーナー9:00–17:00 足湯24Ｈ 年中無休. Like every michi-no-eki it offers free parking and 24-hour restrooms, making it a reliable stop on a Chubu road trip or campervan tour. It also makes a handy base for reaching nearby stations such as Shirakawa Sato, Sakura No Sato Shoukawa and Dainichidake.
Nearby: 🏛旧遠山家民俗館 (2.1 km) · ⛰Mt. Kaerikumo (5.6 km)
Make this route yours — load all 5 stops into the planner, reorder or remove stops, then open the finished trip in Google Maps.
Customize this route →Onsen baths and beds along this route (Gifu · 9 with onsen / 3 with rooms)
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Hida Hakusan 道の駅 飛騨白山 · Shirakawa, Gifu · on the route -
Kokon Denju No Sato Yamato 道の駅 古今伝授の里やまと · Gujō-shi, Gifu · on the route -
Sakura No Sato Shoukawa 道の駅 桜の郷 荘川 · Takayama, Gifu · on the route -
Hida Kanayama Nuku Mori No Sato Onsen 道の駅 飛騨金山ぬく森の里温泉 · Gero, Gifu · ~28 km off the route -
Heisei 道の駅 平成 · Seki, Gifu · ~31 km off the route -
Mino Shirakawa 道の駅 美濃白川 · Shirakawa, Gifu · ~34 km off the route -
Seiryuu Shirakawa Kuoore No Sato 道の駅 清流白川 クオーレの里 · Shirakawa, Gifu · ~38 km off the route -
Hoshi Nofuru Sato Fujihashi 道の駅 星のふる里 ふじはし · Ibigawa, Gifu · ~48 km off the route -
Kagai Michi Tsukechi 道の駅 花街道付知 · Nakatsugawa, Gifu · ~52 km off the route -
Ikeda Onsen 道の駅 池田温泉 · Ikeda, Gifu · ~54 km off the route
♨ All 143 michi-no-eki with an onsen bath🛏 All 81 michi-no-eki with rooms on site♨🛏 All 46 michi-no-eki with both onsen and rooms📍 Every michi-no-eki in Gifu
Route tips
- Hida Hakusan runs on a season: open 1 April to 30 November, shop 10:00–17:00, closed Wednesdays — but the foot bath is free and open 24 hours all year.
- Hirugano is 900m up. Expect 5–7°C less than Gujo Hachiman, and from late November snow tyres rather than a sunroof.
- Soba and cold water are the local pair: Shirotori and Hirugano both sell flour milled nearby, and the roadside springs along Route 156 are free to fill bottles from.
- Shirakawa-go's village car park fills by 10:00 in autumn. Sleep near Hirase, bathe at the station in the evening and arrive at the village before 09:00.
Before you drive
- Can you drive in Japan? License rules by country
- Renting a car in Japan: the complete guide
- Can you sleep overnight at a michi-no-eki?
FAQ — Gifu's mountain spine
How many days do you need for the Gifu's mountain spine route?
2 days is a comfortable pace: roughly 60 km of driving with 5 michi-no-eki stops along the way. You can compress it, but the stops are the point.
Where does the route start and end?
It starts at Gujo Hachiman (Tokai-Hokuriku Expressway, Gujo-Hachiman IC — about 1h from Nagoya) and ends at Hirase, Shirakawa Village (Tokai-Hokuriku Expressway, Shirakawa-go IC). Load all 5 stops into the free MichiStops route planner to reorder, add or remove stops, then open the finished trip in Google Maps.
When is the best season to drive this route?
Best from late September to mid-November for autumn colour; the Hida Hakusan station closes from December to March.
Do I need to rent a car?
Yes — michi-no-eki are roadside stations, realistically reachable only by rental car or campervan. Most visitors can drive in Japan with a 1949-convention International Driving Permit; check the license rules for your country before booking. License rules by country →
Can I sleep overnight at the michi-no-eki on this route?
Resting overnight in your vehicle is tolerated at most michi-no-eki, but tents, awnings and open-air cooking are not allowed. Read the overnight-stay guide for the etiquette. Overnight-stay guide →