While we didn’t see any snow travelling to Shirakawa-go, surprisingly, there was so much snow at Hirayu Onsen! With the sun so bright and the snow glistening white, it was truly the White Christmas I’d been looking for after living so many years in Australia (and yes, I arrived on Christmas Day!).
Hirayu Onsen is mostly famous for its Japanese spas or ‘onsens’ (who would have guessed), and its ski resorts. While we didn’t go skiing (I cannot ski unfortunately), we did stay at a traditional Japanese inn or ‘ryokan’ which had both an indoor and outdoor onsen. Being in an outdoor onsen is an experience I would highly recommend, as the cool winter air and the steaming hot waters of the onsen blend together to provide the perfect soothing atmosphere for deep relaxation. If your onsen has a view of the snow capped trees and mountainous hills in the distance – even better! You would never want to leave.
Only downside to Hirayu Onsen is that there is not much to do there, besides the activities listed above and strolling around the town admiring its picturesque winter scenery (which will take you no more than an hour or so since it is quite small). I still would highly recommend going to this place in the Winter, as a short detour if you’re planning to visit Central Japan.
IN TRANSIT; 