The snow-covered Shirakawa-go Gassho-zukuri village felt like going into a world of “Tales of Old Japan.”

“Shirakawa-go” is in the upper reaches of the Sho River, which includes the northwestern part of Gifu Prefecture (adjacent to Toyama and Ishikawa Prefectures), the western edge of the Hida region, Shirakawa Village, and the Shokawa District of Takayama City (former Shokawa Village). Sometimes “Shirakawa-go” simply refers to Shirakawa Village. The Sho River is a steep mountainous area from the midstream to the upper stream, so it was an isolated and unexplored region with inconvenient transportation until the middle of the 20th century (1950s) when power generation dams such as the Miboro Dam were constructed.

<Location map of Shirakawa-go>

Shirakawa-go is known for its thatched-roof houses called Gassho-zukuri. In 1995, Shirakawa-go Ogimachi Village was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as ” Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama ” with Gokayama (Aikura Village and Suganuma Village) in Toyama Prefecture. Ogimachi Village in Shirakawa-go has value in that many of the Gassho-zukuri houses are still inhabited, and is different from villages of other Gassho-zukuri houses in other regions.

<Ogimachi Castle Ruins Observatory>

The Ogimachi Castle Ruins Observatory overlooks the view of Gassho-zukuri in Shirakawa-go Ogimachi village. In the village of Ogimachi in Shirakawa-go, there are more than 100 large and small Gassho-zukuri houses, and all of them are facing the same north-south direction to avoid snow winds from the mountains.

<Lit up of Gassho-zukuri Villages>

Shirakawa-go is lit up every from January to February when it snows. From the Ogimachi Castle Ruins Observatory, you can enjoy the fantastic landscape that emerges from the pure white snow. (Reservations are required to view the light-up from the observatory.)

<Wada House Residence>

The “Wada House Residence” is a particularly large Gassho-zukuri house in Shirakawa-go. In addition to the main house, the earthen storehouse and toilet hut are also designated as national important cultural properties. You can tour through inside the buildings.

<Gasshozukuri Minkaen Outdoor Museum>

A total of 25 Gassho-zukuri houses are open to the public at the “Gasshozukuri Minkaen Outdoor Museum” in Shirakawa-go and Shirakawa Village. Shirakawa-go is still a village where people live normally, so there is a mixture of Gassho-zukuri houses and ordinary houses. The “Gasshozukuri Minkaen Outdoor Museum” is the best place to take photos of the beautiful Gassho-zukuri houses.

<Doburoku sake Festival>

In Shirakawa-go and Shirakawa Village, the Doburoku sake Festival, which has a tradition of 1,300 years, is held every mid-October at five shrines in the village, including Shirakawa Hachiman Shrine. After the procession of mikoshi portable shrines accompanied by Shishimai lion dances and musical accompaniment, the villagers and visiterd drink Doburoku (cloudy sake) brewed in the shrine’s sake brewery on the grounds of the shrine.

<Shokawa Sakura>

“Shokawa Sakura (Cherry blossoms of Sho River)” is two 500-year-old cherry blossoms on the lakeside of Miboro Dam. ” Shokawa Sakura” had been planned to submerge during the construction of the Miboro Dam (completed in 1960), but it was transplanted by people who love the cherry blossoms.

<Hida Folk Village Hida no Sato>

“Hida Folk Village Hida no Sato” is an outdoor museum that preserves the Gassho-zukuri houses that have been passed down in Shirakawa-go and the former Shokawa village (current Takayama city). The Gassho-zukuri houses in Shirakawa Village and Gokayama, a World Heritage Site, are characterized by Kiritsuma-yane gable roofs, but the Gassho-zukuri houses in former Shokawa Village are characterized by Irimoya-yane gable roofs. It is also interesting to observe how the shape of the Gassho-zukuri roof differs from region to region.