Two days in Ainokura
 

My adult son and I will be driving from Wakayama to Ainokura for two night's stay. Wondering whether it would be better, after visiting Ogimachi on the way, to hang for the second day or travel to Hida, Takayama, Kanazawa (which we will be driving through on our way back), or maybe going through Tateyama to the Alpine for a day. November 19-20.

Stayinig in Ogimachi, Shirakawago, after two nights in Ainokura would not be necessary, but you do want to go to the lookout and maybe the outdoor museum. Takayama would be good, but Kanazawa would probably be more on your driving route.

Thanks. The question is more along these lines: We will be stopping in Ogimachi in the early afternoon before ending our day at Ainokura where we will be spending the night. The next day, we will be wandering early around the village and photo shooting. That leaves us with pretty much a full day open for either traveling to Hida, Takayama, Kanazawa, or into the mountains. We will be returning to Wakayama the day following, traveling through Kanazawa, so there is the possibility of stopping and walking about, visiting the gardens before hitting the road for good. I just don't know if that will be enough time to see everything I would like to see there or if it might be better to make the same/similar journey (1-1/2 hours) to see the mountain towns for the day and do the stop en route at Kanazawa. What I guess I am fishing for here is, what are the sacrifices and payoffs?

I think the Hida you are referring to is better known as Hida Furukawa and have read that it is like a smaller, less touristy, version of Hida Takayama. (Hida being a region, old province, of Japan). To choose between those, I think that you will have to look closely at both and have to choose for yourself, given your interests (which I take to photograph), and, especially given the very limited time you have. If I understand correctly this is a two night trip away from Wakayama. You drive all morning to Shirakawago and plan to spend just a few hours there - which is really just a rush, and then get to Ainokura that evening (does your lodging there know of your lodging time - I suspect that this would be a place where they expect you to check in during a specific time window). So then you spend the morning in Ainokura and want to go to another place for a night and sightsee the next day and then drive home, maybe stopping in Kanazawa on the way. If that is the plan then it is ambitious to the point that I wonder what it will achieve. I don't think that you have time for either Hida destination or anywhere else other than Shirakawago and Ainokura. I guess I don't really understand what you are going for. At first, I thought for amatuer photography But maybe it is a professional photoshoot of a specific scene, only take a couple of hours, and want to do other stuff while you are there. In any case, it seems that you are sacrificing time in just visiting one or two places in order to fit more in. You could take your time in Ogimachi and spend a night there. There is a payoff here. Then next day you could spend more time there before going to Ainokura, or go in the morning and spend the whole day and the night there. I guess I am on the side of "hang for the second day", as you put it. This is a case where you sacrifice and get a payoff. A case of less is more.