🏔 Nagano / Gifu / Toyama · 2–3 days
Matsumoto to Kanazawa: Takayama & Shirakawa-go Drive
The Japan Alps crossing by car: Matsumoto to Kanazawa via Takayama, Hida Furukawa and the UNESCO villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama, with 8 michi-no-eki along the way.
This is the single best mountain drive on Japan’s golden route: from Matsumoto’s black castle, over the Alps on Route 158, into the preserved merchant streets of Takayama, and on to the gassho-zukuri farmhouse villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama before dropping to Kanazawa.
Doing it by car instead of the tourist buses means you can hit Shirakawa-go at 7 am before the day-trippers, detour to quieter Gokayama (most visitors never make it), and stop at Hida beef and sake stands the buses fly past. The michi-no-eki here double as farm markets for the Hida region — Nanamori Kiyomi and Hida Asahi are worth the small detours alone.
The stops, in driving order
- 1 Michi-no-Eki Arupusu Azumino Horiganeno Sato 道の駅 アルプス安曇野 ほりがねの里 · Nagano
Michi-no-Eki Arupusu Azumino Horiganeno Sato (道の駅 アルプス安曇野 ほりがねの里) is a government-designated roadside station in 安曇野市, Nagano, Japan, registered in 1998 as one of the country's official michi-no-eki rest stops for road travellers. On-site you'll find a restaurant, a local-products shop, EV charging, free Wi-Fi and a park. There is free parking for about 162 cars and 10 large vehicles. Typical opening hours are 通年 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 Azumino Matsukawa, Ikeda and Ikusakano Sato.
- 2 Michi-no-Eki Kazaana No Sato 道の駅 風穴の里 · Nagano
Michi-no-Eki Kazaana No Sato (道の駅 風穴の里) is a government-designated roadside station in 松本市, Nagano, Japan, registered in 1998 as one of the country's official michi-no-eki rest stops for road travellers. On-site you'll find a restaurant, a local-products shop, free Wi-Fi and an accessible restroom. There is free parking for about 32 cars and 10 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 Imai Megumi No Sato, Arupusu Azumino Horiganeno Sato and Kiso Narakawa.
- 3 Michi-no-Eki Hida Asahi Mura 道の駅 ひだ朝日村 · Gifu
Michi-no-Eki Hida Asahi Mura (道の駅 ひだ朝日村) is a government-designated roadside station in 高山市, Gifu, Japan, registered in 2000 as one of the country's official michi-no-eki rest stops for road travellers. On-site you'll find a restaurant, a local-products shop, a park, a baby room and an accessible restroom. There is free parking for about 93 cars and 3 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 Hida Takane Koubou, Hida Kaidou Nagisa and Mondeusu Hida Kuraiyama.
- 4 Michi-no-Eki Nanamori Kiyomi 道の駅 ななもり清見 · Gifu
Michi-no-Eki Nanamori Kiyomi (道の駅 ななもり清見) is a government-designated roadside station in 高山市, Gifu, Japan, registered in 1999 as one of the country's official michi-no-eki rest stops for road travellers. On-site you'll find a restaurant, a local-products shop, a tourist-information desk and an accessible restroom. There is free parking for about 89 cars and 4 large vehicles. Typical opening hours are レストラン11:00–16:00／ 売店9:00〜16:30／野菜直売所9:00〜16:00. 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 Hida Furukawa Ibushi, Mondeusu Hida Kuraiyama and Arupu Hida Furukawa.
- 5 Michi-no-Eki Arupu Hida Furukawa 道の駅 アルプ飛騨古川 · Gifu
Michi-no-Eki Arupu Hida Furukawa (道の駅 アルプ飛騨古川) is a government-designated roadside station in 飛騨市, Gifu, Japan, registered in 1996 as one of the country's official michi-no-eki rest stops for road travellers. On-site you'll find a restaurant, a local-products shop, a tourist-information desk, a park and a baby room. There is free parking for about 61 cars and 27 large vehicles. Typical opening hours are 9:00–16:00. 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 Hida Furukawa Ibushi, Nanamori Kiyomi and Chuu Doomu・ Kamioka.
- 6 Michi-no-Eki Hida Furukawa Ibushi 道の駅 飛騨古川いぶし · Gifu
Michi-no-Eki Hida Furukawa Ibushi (道の駅 飛騨古川いぶし) is a government-designated roadside station in 飛騨市, Gifu, Japan, 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, a tourist-information desk and a park. 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 Arupu Hida Furukawa, Nanamori Kiyomi and Mondeusu Hida Kuraiyama.
- 7 Michi-no-Eki Shirakawa Sato 道の駅 白川郷 · Gifu
Michi-no-Eki Shirakawa Sato (道の駅 白川郷) is a government-designated roadside station in 大野郡白川村, Gifu, Japan, registered in 1995 as one of the country's official michi-no-eki rest stops for road travellers. On-site you'll find a restaurant, a local-products shop, a baby room and an accessible restroom. There is free parking for about 62 cars and 4 large vehicles. Typical opening hours are 9:00–16:00. 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 Kamitaira, Hida Hakusan and Taira.
- 8 Michi-no-Eki Kamitaira 道の駅 上平 · Toyama
Michi-no-Eki Kamitaira (道の駅 上平) is a government-designated roadside station in 南砺市, Toyama, Japan, registered in 1993 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 57 cars and 10 large vehicles. Typical opening hours are 9:00–16:00. 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 Shirakawa Sato, Taira and Fukumitsu.
Make this route yours — load all 8 stops into the planner, reorder or remove stops, then open the finished trip in Google Maps.
Customize this route →Route tips
- Shirakawa-go’s village parking fills by 9:30 am in season — arrive early or visit after 4 pm.
- Gokayama (Kamitaira / Ainokura) is the same UNESCO listing with a tenth of the crowd.
- Route 158 west of Matsumoto has long tunnels and winter closures on side roads; check conditions November–April.
- Hida Furukawa is Takayama’s townscape without the tour groups — the sake breweries along the canal are open for tastings.
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?