Shirakawa-go Light-Up 2027 Is Reservation-Only, on Four Days from January 11; Second Round of Parking Sales Starts December 1

The “41st (2027) Shirakawa-go Light-Up Event,” which illuminates the gassho-zukuri village in winter, will be held at Shirakawa-go, a World Heritage site in Shirakawa Village, Gifu Prefecture. It takes place on four days in 2027, Monday, January 11 (a public holiday), Sunday, January 17, Sunday, January 24 and Sunday, January 31, from 17:30 to 19:30 each day, in the Ogimachi district. According to the event outline published by the Shirakawa-go Tourist Association on its official website, it is by advance reservation only: people without a reservation cannot take part even if they come on the day, and no tickets are sold on the day.

How to balance daily life and tourism in a World Heritage village

In 1995, Shirakawa-go was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List (cultural heritage) together with Gokayama in Toyama Prefecture as the “Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama.” The Shirakawa-go Tourist Association notes that snow can reach more than 170 centimeters in February, and describes the light-up in this deep-snow season as a winter tradition of Shirakawa-go.

The village is also a place where residents live. According to an announcement by Shirakawa Village on March 6, 2026, about 2 million day-trippers visited in 2024, and about 48.4% of them (about 970,000) came on tour buses. To ease congestion in the village, Shirakawa will introduce advance reservations for tour buses and other vehicles at the village-run Seseragi Park Oro Parking Lot, starting with use from December 1, 2026.

The light-up also uses a system to manage participants. As last time, an “entry ticket system” is in place to counter rule violations, and eligibility is checked at entry. The tickets are lanyard holders, color-coded by day and valid only on that day. Because the village is an area where residents live, drone photography is also prohibited.

How to take part? Reservation methods and schedule

There are only five ways to take part. Whether an “observation deck ticket” for viewing the light-up from the Ogimachi Castle Ruins Observation Deck is included also depends on the method.

• Staying in the village (observation deck ticket included): Lodgings handled by the Shirakawa-go Tourist Association are allocated by lottery, not first come, first served. Applications are accepted by email from 13:00 on Thursday, October 1, 2026, to 23:59 on Saturday, October 31, one application per person. Only winners will be notified, by email, on Tuesday, November 10. Only if there are withdrawals or cancellations, additional places are scheduled to be offered on a first-come, first-served basis from 13:00 on Thursday, November 26.

• Reserving a designated parking lot for your own car (no observation deck ticket): Spaces at the “Midashima Parking Lot” (standard cars only), dedicated to the light-up, are sold online on a first-come, first-served basis on the Shirakawa-go Tourist Association website. Payment is by credit card only. The first round, which began on September 10, sold out; the second round starts at 13:00 on Tuesday, December 1.

• Using a taxi (no observation deck ticket): The user reserves a designated parking space and then arranges a taxi. Entry is limited to 10 people including the driver.

• Bus tours by route bus companies (observation deck ticket depends on the tour): Five companies, Nohi Bus, Kaetsuno Bus, Toyama Chitetsu Bus, Hokutetsu Bus and Iruka Kotsu, sell tours at the same time. Sales have begun for all four days (sales for January 24 began on October 26 and for January 31 on November 2, both at 14:00).

• Bus tours by travel agencies (no observation deck ticket): Each travel agency accepts bookings. Links to plan details are scheduled to be posted on the Shirakawa-go Tourist Association website at 13:00 on Wednesday, December 2.

Tickets and prices: designated parking from 7,000 yen per car

In the second round of sales, designated parking costs 7,000 yen per car (1–5 people) or 10,000 yen (6–10 people). In the sold-out first round, the prices were 6,000 yen and 9,000 yen. If you book for 1–5 people and the group grows to 6 or more on the day, an additional 4,000 yen is charged. Entry tickets are handed out with a map at reception on the day, after the number of people is checked.

The parking lot opens at 15:00 and must be fully vacated by 20:00. After booking, changes (other than the number of people), cancellations and resale are not possible, and there are no refunds. Refunds are given only if heavy snow or similar causes large-scale traffic disruption and the executive committee decides to cancel the event.

Viewing from the observation deck

Only holders of observation deck tickets can view the light-up from the Ogimachi Castle Ruins Observation Deck. Because they are limited, they are not sold separately and can only be obtained by staying in the village or through some route bus companies’ tours. Viewing is divided into three sessions to avoid crowding, and time slots cannot be chosen. Camera tripods and pets are not allowed, and vehicles are banned from driving to the observation deck all day on event days.

Access: daytime sightseeing on event days and route bus cautions

On event days, daytime sightseeing is also restricted, to separate event participants from general tourists. Daytime visitors in standard cars do not need to reserve parking; they can enter from 8:00, with last entry at 15:00, and must leave completely by 17:00. For buses, last entry is 14:00 and full exit is 16:00, and advance reservation on the “Shirakawa-go Bus Parking Reservation Site” is required.

From 15:30, a gate is set up at the entrance to Shirakawa-go, and entry is not possible without an entry ticket. The last route buses from Shirakawa-go depart during the 16:00 and 17:00 hours, before the light-up, so it is not possible to return by route bus after viewing. Daytime visitors using route buses are asked to come on a bus that reaches Shirakawa-go by 15:20.

At night the temperature drops to about −10°C to 0°C, and roads freeze. Studless winter tires are essential for cars, and visitors are advised to bring warm clothing, waterproof insulated boots, spikes and a flashlight. If a nationwide severe cold wave threatens large-scale traffic disruption, the event may be canceled.

Editor’s perspective

Most of the event outline is devoted not to the lighting itself but to managing the number of visitors and their movements. Limiting the ways to take part and checking numbers with entry tickets and a gate points in the same direction as the reservation system for tour bus parking that the village will start in December. The reservation windows have fixed dates: lottery applications for accommodation close on October 31, and the second round of parking sales starts on December 1. In Gokayama in Nanto, Toyama Prefecture, part of the same World Heritage site “Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama,” winter light-ups will be held at the Suganuma Gassho-zukuri Village on Saturday, February 6 and Sunday, February 7, 2027, and at the Ainokura Gassho-zukuri Village on Saturday, February 20 and Sunday, February 21, with no parking reservation needed for ordinary passenger cars (our roundup of illuminations and light events in Hokuriku and Koshinetsu). Other winter light events are covered in [2026–2027] Winter Illuminations and Light Festivals Across Japan and our roundup of illuminations and light events in the Tokai region, and events starting in January are introduced in the January 2027 Art Event Calendar.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Shirakawa-go Light-up 2027?

It is held on four days, Monday, January 11 (national holiday), Sunday, January 17, Sunday, January 24 and Sunday, January 31, 2027, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. each day, in the Ogimachi district of Shirakawa Village, Gifu Prefecture.

Can I go without a reservation?

No. The event is by advance reservation only; people without a reservation cannot take part even if they come on the day, and no tickets are sold on the day. There are only five ways to take part: staying in the village, reserving a designated parking space, using a taxi, joining a bus tour by a route bus company, or joining a bus tour by a travel agency.

When can I reserve designated parking?

The second sale of the Midashima parking lot (regular cars only), dedicated to the light-up, starts at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 1, on a first-come, first-served basis on the Shirakawa-go Tourist Association website. Prices are 7,000 yen per car (1–5 people) and 10,000 yen (6–10 people), payable by credit card only.

Overview

Name: 41st (2027) Shirakawa-go Light-Up Event
Dates: Monday, January 11 (public holiday), Sunday, January 17, Sunday, January 24 and Sunday, January 31, 2027
Hours: 17:30–19:30 each day
Venue: Ogimachi district, Shirakawa Village, Ono District, Gifu
How to take part: Advance reservation only (staying in the village, reserving designated parking, bus tours). No same-day ticket sales
Prices: Designated parking (second round of sales) 7,000 yen per car (1–5 people), 10,000 yen (6–10 people). For accommodation and bus tours, check with each booking provider
Inquiries: Shirakawa-go Light-Up Committee (at the Shirakawa-go Tourist Association, a general incorporated association), 05769-6-1013 (9:00–17:00)
Official website: https://shirakawa-go.gr.jp/events/441/
*Information as of October 20, 2026. Please check the official website for the latest information.

*Top image: Shirakawa-go on a winter night, seen from the observation deck (2017) (photo: Yoshiyuki Ito, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on press materials from the Shirakawa-go Tourist Association (September 2 and October 1, 2026) and Shirakawa Village (March 6, 2026), and information on the official website.

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team