Shirakawa-go (白川村 Shirakawa-mura) is a small village located in the city of Shirakawa of Gifu-ken, it was declared a World Heritage Site in 1995. Where the houses are traditional with Gassho style, the large houses with their steeply thatched roofs Inclined are the only examples of their type in Japan.
Gassho-zukuri, which means “hands together in prayer”, because the roofs resemble two hands together in prayer. Their objective is to facilitate snow removal, as they are located in a region where it snows a lot in winter.
Every 30 or 40 years, it is necessary to change the thatch on the roof of a gassho house and for this, around 200 to 300 people, including residents and volunteers, come together for this task, which takes around 2 days to complete. The size of Gassho houses is also surprising, as they are much larger than a conventional Japanese house, having 3 to 4 floors.
Shirakawa-go is known as one of the most beautiful places in Japan due to its nostalgic landscape surrounded by mountains. And here visitors can discover a historical and cultural part of Japan.
Winter Season
Winter Lighting
Gifu-ken Ono-gun Shirakawa-cho Ogimachi 2483