{
  "id": "shirahige-falls",
  "name": "Shirahige Falls and Shirogane Onsen",
  "area": "Shirogane Onsen village, Biei",
  "status": "recommended",
  "priority": "high",
  "tags": [
    "Scenery",
    "Walking",
    "Onsen"
  ],
  "summary": "A compact waterfall-and-village stop, best enjoyed from Blue River Bridge. Legitimate visitor parking and an operator-published optional day bath make this a practical Furano excursion. [S1][S2][S4]",
  "why_go": "Groundwater emerges between natural rocks and falls approximately 30 meters into the cobalt-blue Biei River. The multiple white streams give Shirahige its white-beard name; the tourism association recommends viewing from the bridge. This suits photography and scenery seekers without committing to a mountain hike. [S1]",
  "season": {
    "late_june": "A suitable green-season visit; choose a good-weather day rather than waiting for lavender elsewhere. This is a waterfall destination, not a flower-peak appointment. [S1]",
    "july": "Keep the visit flexible and favor a weekday morning: the official attraction listing carries a congestion warning. No July 2027 crowd forecast is available. [S1]",
    "early_august": "Still within the year-round attraction's visiting season. Bring drinking water and sun protection; do not assume a shaded or cool bridge visit. [S5]",
    "best_window": "Any fair-weather weekday in the requested period. Prioritize safe access and visibility over a particular date; no guaranteed weather or water-color peak."
  },
  "visit_duration": "Planning estimate: 30-45 minutes for parking, bridge views and return; 45-60 minutes with the information center. Add 60-90 minutes for bathing, longer for lunch.",
  "drive_from_furano": "Allow approximately 50-70 minutes from central Furano in normal summer conditions, as a planning estimate rather than live routing. Add 20-30 minutes of peak-season contingency. Parking and walking are additional.",
  "best_time_of_day": "Around 09:00 on a weekday is a practical recommendation, coinciding with the information center's published opening. Day bathing currently begins at 11:00. [S2][S4]",
  "visit_plan": [
    "Navigate to Shirogane Tourist Information Center and use its designated visitor parking, expressly recommended for waterfall visitors. [S2]",
    "Follow village signs to Blue River Bridge; assess the actual approach before proceeding if steps or gradients matter.",
    "Photograph the white cascades and river from the bridge, leaving room for other visitors. The bridge is the officially recommended viewpoint. [S1]",
    "Return through the immediate village for toilets and local information; add Hotel Park Hills only if that day's bath or lunch service is confirmed. [S2][S4]"
  ],
  "practicalities": [
    {
      "label": "Hours and season",
      "text": "Currently promoted year-round. The municipality publishes permanent waterfall illumination from sunset to 21:00; this is not a statement of bridge opening hours. No daytime admission window was found. Recheck 2027 notices. [S5]"
    },
    {
      "label": "Costs",
      "text": "Information-center parking is explicitly free; a waterfall admission tariff was not confirmed. Hotel Park Hills currently publishes adult day bathing at JPY 1,530, face-towel purchase JPY 220 and bath-towel rental JPY 330. Effective year unspecified; not confirmed 2027 prices. [S1][S2][S4]"
    },
    {
      "label": "Parking and access",
      "text": "Use the information-center lot, not an assumed hotel parking entitlement. An August 14, 2026 notice additionally authorizes free waterfall-visitor parking within the former Shirogane Park Hill Valley ski-area grounds through Hotel Park Hills' permission. That specific overflow arrangement needs 2027 reconfirmation. Capacity and overflow walking distance were not verified. [S2][S3]"
    },
    {
      "label": "Facilities and accessibility",
      "text": "The information center publishes 09:00-16:00 service, possibly pausing 11:30-12:30, with closure during severe weather and the New Year period. Toilets are advertised as available 24 hours, restored March 13, 2026. Its barrier-free label does not establish waterfall accessibility: stair count, gradients and a continuous step-free bridge approach remain unverified. [S2]"
    },
    {
      "label": "Reservations",
      "text": "No waterfall booking mechanism was identified. Hotel Park Hills explicitly accepts day bathers, currently 11:00-21:00; last admission and date-specific restrictions were not established. Confirm these, towel charges, tattoo policy and any booking requirement before relying on the bath. [S4]"
    }
  ],
  "recommendations": [
    "Save the official parking notice and location link; overflow permission is not permission to occupy arbitrary hotel spaces. [S3]",
    "Make the bridge the main objective, rather than searching for an unsourced riverbank route. [S1]",
    "Use the information center for current village guidance and toilets; do not confuse its desk hours with toilet availability. [S2]",
    "If bathing and lunch appeal, Park Hills publishes an adult meal-and-bath package at JPY 1,970, with lunch 11:30-13:40 last order. Reconfirm price, menu and availability for 2027. [S4]",
    "Prefer daylight for a first visit. Consider sunset illumination only after checking current operation and accepting the return drive after dark. [S5]"
  ],
  "weather_plan": "For light rain, shorten the bridge visit and carry waterproof outerwear. A confirmed day bath is the useful indoor alternative. During severe weather, postpone rather than depend on the information center, which lists weather-related closures. [S2][S4]",
  "safety_and_etiquette": [
    "Stay behind bridge railings and obey closure barriers; do not improvise a descent to the falls or enter the river.",
    "Use cautious footing in wet conditions and keep photography equipment from obstructing pedestrian movement.",
    "At the bath, follow posted washing and photography rules, keep towels out of communal water, and hydrate before driving.",
    "Check municipal access notices after heavy rain; no specific summer 2027 road or bridge closure has been established."
  ],
  "pair_with": [
    "Shirogane Blue Pond"
  ],
  "skip_if": "Skip a dedicated return journey if brief bridge scenery alone would not justify roughly two hours of driving. Travelers requiring assured step-free access should obtain route confirmation first.",
  "recheck_for_2027": [
    "Bridge approach, stairs, gradients and any works or closures.",
    "Information-center parking and continued ski-area overflow permission.",
    "Public-toilet operation and information-desk hours.",
    "Park Hills day-bath fees, last admission, closures, policies and lunch availability.",
    "Sunset illumination operation if planning an evening visit."
  ],
  "confidence_notes": [
    "Official tourism, municipal and hotel-operator pages support the core recommendation; summer 2027 operation is not guaranteed.",
    "Hotel and tourism pages required reading their HTML because simplified extraction omitted practical tables.",
    "Accessibility is unresolved; no fully accessible claim is justified.",
    "Driving and visit durations are planning estimates, not measured routes."
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "S1",
      "title": "Shirahige Waterfalls",
      "publisher": "Biei Tourism Association",
      "url": "https://www.biei-hokkaido.jp/ja/facility/shirahige-waterfalls",
      "accessed": "2026-10-26",
      "supports": "Waterfall characteristics, bridge viewpoint, congestion warning, free designated parking and toilets."
    },
    {
      "id": "S2",
      "title": "Shirogane Tourist Information Center",
      "publisher": "Biei Tourism Association",
      "url": "https://www.biei-hokkaido.jp/ja/facility/shirogane-kanko-center",
      "accessed": "2026-10-26",
      "supports": "Explicit waterfall-visitor parking permission, hours, weather closures, barrier-free facility label and restored 24-hour toilets."
    },
    {
      "id": "S3",
      "title": "Notice to Shirahige Falls Visitors, August 14, 2026",
      "publisher": "Biei Tourism Association",
      "url": "https://www.biei-hokkaido.jp/ja/26495",
      "accessed": "2026-10-26",
      "supports": "Specific free overflow-parking permission at former ski-area grounds."
    },
    {
      "id": "S4",
      "title": "Day Trip Plans",
      "publisher": "Hotel Park Hills",
      "url": "https://www.biei-hotelparkhills.com/daytrip/",
      "accessed": "2026-10-26",
      "supports": "Operator verification of day bathing, current fees, hours, towels and meal-and-bath package."
    },
    {
      "id": "S5",
      "title": "Illumination Information: Shirahige Falls Section",
      "publisher": "Biei Town",
      "url": "https://town.biei.hokkaido.jp/culture/event/illuminate.html",
      "accessed": "2026-10-26",
      "supports": "Permanent year-round waterfall illumination from sunset to 21:00."
    }
  ]
}