Tsubakihara Hotel Guide - 4 Stars Hotels in Tsubakihara, Shirakawa

"My spouse and I were on vacation with our adult son. This was our favorite hotel in Japan (out of the six hotels we stayed at). It's not the easiest to get to - the hotel's shuttle times are limited (otherwise it's a 30 minute walk from the bus station; no taxis in town), but you can leave luggage in lockers or other paid storage at Shirakawa-go bus station (which is what we did). At the bus station, you are in walking distance to everything you would want to see in Shirakawa, whereas the hotel is not walking distance to anything. The shuttle driver was very nice and helpful, as were all of the hotel staff. They spoke decent English - we used a translation app for more complex conversation. You should absolutely book room with board (includes breakfast and dinner) since there are no restaurants open anywhere nearby in the evening. You can do this on Expedia, contrary to what another review said. The kaiseki dinner was lovely. Our room was the most spacious and comfortable room we had in Japan - it looked out over the mountains and river, which was beautiful. The hotel is very traditional - all of the hallways are lined with tatami mats and no outdoor shoes allowed. The onsen were beautiful and peaceful - a perfect way to end the evening. Although you could easily go to Shirakawa-go as a day trip from Kanazawa or Takayama, we're glad that we decided to spend the night there - this hotel was worth it! "