# How do you get into the Shirakawa-go winter light-up in 2027?

> Shirakawa-go light-up 2027 is on 11, 17, 24 and 31 January, 17:30 to 19:30, reservation only. How the lodging lottery, parking and bus tours work.

- Source: https://clevertourists.com/resources/shirakawa-go-winter-light-up-2027-reservation-guide
- Authors: Evan & Clara, Clever Tourists (first-hand, from years of travel across 20 countries)
- Published: 2026-10-08

**The 2027 Shirakawa-go light-up runs on four evenings, 11, 17, 24 and 31 January 2027, from 17:30 to 19:30, and you can only get in with an advance reservation: a lottery-allocated room in the village, a reserved parking space, or a bus tour.** No tickets are sold on the day, and from 15:30 a gate at the village entrance turns away anyone without one. The famous view from the Shiroyama observation deck needs a separate deck ticket that only comes with village lodging or certain bus-company tours. We visited Shirakawa-go as a day trip from Kanazawa in spring 2023, during our 4 days there, so this guide is built on the Shirakawa-go Tourist Association's official 2027 rules, not on a light-up night.

## 2027 dates and times

This is the 41st light-up, held in the Ogimachi area of the village, where the thatched gassho-zukuri farmhouses are lit after dark.

• **Monday 11 January 2027** (Coming of Age Day, a public holiday)

• **Sunday 17 January 2027**

• **Sunday 24 January 2027**

• **Sunday 31 January 2027**

Each night runs **17:30 to 19:30**. The association warns temperatures can sit between **−10°C and 0°C (14 to 32°F)**, and the event can be cancelled if heavy snow disrupts transport. Bring a torch and anti-slip boots.

## The five ways in, and when each goes on sale

**1. Stay in the village (includes the observation deck).** Rooms in Shirakawa-go's minshuku inns are allocated by **lottery**. Applications ran from 13:00 on **1 October to 23:59 on 31 October 2026** (Japan time), one entry per person, and winners are told by email on **10 November 2026**. This is the only way to see the light-up and wake up in the village the next morning.

**2. Reserved parking (no observation deck).** For your own car or a taxi at Midashima parking. Round one went on sale on 10 September 2026 at ¥6,000 (≈ $38) per car for 1 to 5 people. **Round two opens at 13:00 on 1 December 2026** at **¥7,000 (≈ $44) for 1 to 5 people and ¥10,000 (≈ $63) for 6 to 10**, first come, first served. Cars need studless winter tyres. Hakusan Taxi does not run on light-up days, so a taxi from elsewhere must hold a parking reservation.

**3. Highway bus company tours (some include the deck).** Nohi Bus, Kaetsuno Bus, Toyama Chihou Railway, Hokutetsu Bus and Iruka Kotsu run packages from Takayama, Kanazawa, Toyama, Takaoka and Nagoya. Sales open at 14:00 Japan time on a staggered schedule: **13 October** (for 11 January), **19 October** (17 January), **26 October** (24 January) and **2 November 2026** (31 January). The deck-inclusive plans sell first.

**4. Travel agency bus tours (no deck).** Listed on the Tourist Association site from **13:00 on 2 December 2026**; you book with the agency.

**5. Regular daytime buses do not work.** The last scheduled buses leave the village between about 16:00 and 17:00, before the lights come on, and there are none afterwards. Regular bus passengers without an event ticket must arrive by the 15:20 bus and leave before the gate closes.

## Which option to choose

**Without a car, a bus company tour is the realistic route.** From Takayama, the Nohi Bus tour is the shortest ride (the regular bus takes about 50 minutes); from Kanazawa, Hokutetsu runs tours on a route that normally takes about 75 minutes. Our [Kanazawa to Takayama bus guide](https://clevertourists.com/resources/kanazawa-to-takayama-bus-shirakawa-go-guide) explains the regular service. Base yourself in [Takayama](https://clevertourists.com/guides/takayama) or [Kanazawa](https://clevertourists.com/guides/kanazawa); see [how many days in Takayama](https://clevertourists.com/resources/how-many-days-in-takayama) and [where to stay in Kanazawa](https://clevertourists.com/resources/where-to-stay-in-kanazawa).

**With a rental car and winter driving experience,** round two parking on 1 December is the cheapest way in for a group. You will not get onto the deck, but you can walk the lit village lanes. Mountain roads in January are snowbound; only drive them if you have done winter driving before.

**If you won the lodging lottery,** you have the best version: the deck, the village after the day crowds leave, and the morning. Cancellation charges are 20% at 15 days out, 50% at 7 days and 100% on the day.

## Observation deck rules

Only observation deck ticket holders may view from Shiroyama, and tickets cannot be resold or transferred. Viewing runs in **three timed sessions** and you cannot choose yours. **Tripods are banned**, as are pets on the deck and **drones anywhere** in the village. Access to the deck can be suspended in heavy snow. On event days the walking route up closes at 16:10, and the shuttle runs uphill until 15:40.

Your entry ticket is a lanyard you wear all evening. The association says rule-breakers can be banned permanently, including other companies in the same group as a tour operator that breaks them.

## If you miss out on 2027 tickets

Visit by day. Outside light-up evenings, and before the 15:30 gate on event days, Shirakawa-go is open to everyone and the snow-covered houses look just as they do in the classic photos, only in daylight. Two to three hours is enough to walk the village and climb to the viewpoint. It works as a day trip from Kanazawa, or as a stop between Kanazawa and Takayama: see [day trips from Kanazawa](https://clevertourists.com/resources/day-trips-from-kanazawa).

Japan has other winter light-ups that need no lottery: our [winter illuminations guide](https://clevertourists.com/resources/japan-winter-illuminations-2026-2027-tokyo-osaka-kobe-dates) has dates for Kobe Luminarie and the city displays, and Kanazawa's Kenroku-en holds its own winter light-up in February. For clothing and conditions, see [Japan in winter](https://clevertourists.com/resources/japan-in-winter-december-january-february-weather-packing-guide).

## Frequently asked questions

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

On 11, 17, 24 and 31 January 2027, from 17:30 to 19:30.

### Can you buy Shirakawa-go light-up tickets on the day?

No. Entry is by advance reservation only, through village lodging, reserved parking or a bus tour, and a gate closes to non-ticket holders from 15:30.

### How do you get an observation deck ticket for the Shirakawa-go light-up?

Only through a lottery-allocated room in the village or a highway bus company tour that includes the deck. It is never sold on its own.

### When does Shirakawa-go light-up parking go on sale?

Round two opens at 13:00 on 1 December 2026, at ¥7,000 (≈ $44) for 1 to 5 people or ¥10,000 (≈ $63) for 6 to 10, first come, first served.