Kanazawa, near the West Exit
金沢駅西口
The light-up bus leaves from and returns to the station at 21:50. Stay within a five-minute walk.
Search Agoda ↗Named stays
Where to stay for the light-up
A room in Ogimachi is the best seat and the hardest to get: a lottery (1–31 October), results by 10 November, then a first-come window at 13:00 on 26 November for rooms that were declined or cancelled. Everyone else sleeps in a city and rides the light-up bus. No scheduled route bus runs back after the event (on ordinary days the last one leaves in the late afternoon), so book the bus before the hotel and pick a hotel near where it leaves. Light-up nights fill up, so reserve a refundable room early.
Hyatt Centric Kanazawa
Kanazawa Station West Exit · 2 min walk
The Hokutetsu light-up bus leaves the West Exit at 14:30 and is back at 21:50. This is the shortest walk to it.
from ¥30,000Our notes →
Check rates ↗Hotel Pacific Kanazawa
15 min walk from Kanazawa Station
The cheaper Kanazawa base for the 21:50 return. Allow a taxi back from the station, since the walk is 15 minutes in snow and dark.
from ¥9,500Our notes →
Check rates ↗Tokyu Stay Hida-Takayama Musubi no Yu
東急ステイ飛騨高山 結の湯 · 2 min from the station
The Nōhi light-up buses leave the station area between 14:40 and 15:40 and return about 20:20–20:45. Hot-spring bath for thawing out, and a washer-dryer for wet gloves.
Check rates ↗Mercure Hida Takayama
メルキュール飛騨高山 · 4 min from the station
International brand with a top-floor hot-spring bath, open-air and indoor. Takayama is colder than Kanazawa in January, and the village is about an hour away by bus.
Check rates ↗Minshuku Goyomon
民宿 五ヨ門 · Ainokura village
Gasshō farmhouse for up to 6 guests, hearth-cooked dinner. Ainokura's own light-up is on 20–21 February 2027, so this is the plan if you miss Shirakawa-go. Confirm the date with the house when you book.
from ¥15,000 ppOur notes →
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