Shirakawa Village in Gifu Prefecture has decided to introduce a pre-reservation system targeting tour buses for the major gateway bus parking to World Heritage ‘Shirakawago’ on December 1 2026, Reservations will be accepted from June 1 2026, and details including how to book will be announced in the middle of May.

Reservations will be made up to 8 months in advance, and the village will gradually add months where reservations can be made on a monthly basis. For educational trips and field trips, preferential reservation slots will be arranged.

In 2024, approximately 2 million tourists visited Shirakawa Village on day trips. Of these, approximately 48.4% (about 970,000 people) used tour buses. As tourists including international tourists have been increasing, over-tourism within the World Heritage settlement becomes a big challenge for the village.

By introducing a reservation system, the village aims to optimize the number of tourists accepted.