Shoryudo

A "dragon-shaped" route starting in Nagoya and heading north through Hida to Hokuriku, linking Takayama, Shirakawa-go, Kanazawa and Tateyama Kurobe.

"Shoryudo" (Ascending Dragon Route) is a tourism brand jointly promoted by nine prefectures in Chubu and Hokuriku. It is named because the shape on the map resembles a dragon rising from Ise Bay toward the Noto Peninsula, and it is especially popular with Chinese-speaking visitors. The route roughly starts in Nagoya (or Ise-Shima in Mie), passes through Gero Onsen and Hida-Takayama to the World Heritage gassho-zukuri village of Shirakawa-go, then to Kanazawa's Kenroku-en and Higashi Chaya district, and finally turns east to Toyama and crosses the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route to reach Nagano. The core attractions are the Edo-style old towns, snow-covered gassho houses, Kenroku-en (one of Japan's three great gardens), and the spring Snow Corridor, with walls over ten meters high. Plan 6–8 days: Nagoya 1 day, Gero or Takayama 2 days, Shirakawa-go half a day, Kanazawa 1–2 days, Tateyama Kurobe 1 day. For transport, the JR Limited Express Hida runs from Nagoya to Takayama, highway buses link Takayama–Shirakawa-go–Kanazawa, and Tateyama Kurobe requires several transfers between cable cars and trains, though luggage can be forwarded. Foreign visitors can use the Takayama-Hokuriku Area Tourist Pass. Some mountain roads close in winter, and spots for the Shirakawa-go light-up events are hard to get.

Destinations

• Nagoya
• Gero Onsen
• Hida-Takayama
• Kanazawa
• Toyama & Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route
• Ise-Shima
• Noto Peninsula & Wajima

Itineraries

• Shoryudo Nagoya-Takayama-Kanazawa – Head north from Nagoya via Gero, Takayama, and Shirakawa-go to Kanazawa. A classic train and bus route for first-time v…
• Tokyo to Kyoto via Japan Alps – Bypass the Tokaido and take the mountain route from Tokyo to Kyoto via Matsumoto, Kamikochi, Takayama, and Kanazawa.
• Tokyo, Hokuriku, Takayama & Kyoto Northern Route – Skip the Tokaido route and travel via Karuizawa, Nagano, Kanazawa, Shirakawa-go, and Takayama to Kyoto.
• Hokuriku Shinkansen Slow Travel – Travel along the Hokuriku Shinkansen from Fukui through Kaga and Kanazawa to Toyama, connecting temples, coastlines, an…
• Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, Hakuba & Matsumoto – Cross Tateyama from Toyama via the Kurobe Gorge to the Nagano side, then follow the mountain line through Hakuba and Ma…
• Ise-Shima, Jingu, Toba & Kashikojima – Take the Kintetsu Line from Osaka to Ise to worship at the Grand Shrine, then follow the coast to see Toba and Ago Bay.