• Traveling

    Japan Travel Blog April 2015: Shirakawa-go

    Nestled along the Shogawa River Valley between Gifu and Toyama is a village that has the most curious set of houses. I remember being asleep when our tour bus rolled to a stop here at Shirakawa-go, and even at my groggy state it’s hard not to notice the houses with their large and steeply-slanted thatched roofing. It’s hard to ignore as well how much they give the area such a charming small-town provincial feel. Apparently this style of housing is called Gassho-zukuri architecture, with the roofs looking like hands pressed in prayer. Gassho (合掌) literally translates to ‘hands together’. Some people describe it as a book standing open, but whatever…