If your travel plans to Japan include a visit during the winter season, I highly recommend that you include the quaint little hamlet of Shirakawa-go in Gifu Prefecture on your “must-see” list of places to experience while traveling around Japan.
This historic village, with some of its unique structures dating back three centuries to around 1700, actually dates back to the 12th century.
The main attraction in this darling village is the distinctive thatched roof farmhouses that jut high up from the ground, all with the thick layers of straw that not only provide a waterproof covering, but also serve as insulation during the long, cold, and snowy winters, which are the hallmarks of this little community.
The structures in Shirakawa-go are referred to as “gassho-zukuri”. Gassho means “praying hands,” so the triangular shapes resemble the praying hands done in prayer to the Buddha.
This unique architectural-style has two very practical reasons behind it: 1) the steep roof allows for enough space inside to do many different types of work (with silk making being one of the early industries that utilized this particular design); 2) the severe winters with very heavy snowfalls are better suited to this style of sturdy, insulated construction.
The village has been designated, along with another village in Toyama Prefecture called Gokayama, as UNESCO World Heritage sites for their traditional and historic architectural-styles. I had an opportunity to visit Shirakawa-go, which is nestled in a very mountainous region of Gifu Prefecture, famous for its heavy snowfall.
It is easy to move around the village on foot, but with such heavy snowfall, the paths and roads are quite narrow due to the piles of snow that gets shoveled to the sides of the roads and walkways. This is a working village with all the homes inhabited by local residents, with some specially designated farmhouses open for tours so visitors can see how traditional life is in the village.
The villagers take being custodians of these very important historic and cultural treasures very seriously. I read that the entire village came to a joint consensus on three main principles: do not sell; do not rent; and do not destroy.
So, it goes without saying that they have what we would call (in modern times) a very strict HOA that everyone abides by without fail.
No one is allowed to change or alter the exterior of the houses. The houses and surrounding landscapes must be kept as they are, and as a “cultural heritage” site, not only are the structures regulated, but also the mutually beneficial activities that the residents do as a group effort.
This mutual cooperation is called “yui” in Japanese which means mutual assistance or shared labor, similar to the way the Amish communities in the U.S. pitch in and help neighbors when needed.
Yui, then, includes assisting others in the village when needed, including supporting one another when the wintery conditions necessitate a group effort to make the village accessible, reroofing the houses when needed, general repairing and keeping the atmosphere of the village distinctly traditional and as original as possible.
Each new generation grows up understanding the responsibility of owning one of these wonderful homes and how communal cooperation is a part of that responsibility. The continual collaboration between villagers instills a deep sense of connection between them, one that is respected and preserved as each new generation takes over the custodial responsibilities of their homes.
It gives the phrase “it takes a village” a literal interpretation.
Since the village was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site, tourists have visited there more than before the designation, but because it is off the beaten path, it is not overrun or inundated with too many tourists, thankfully. No doubt, tourism is an important local industry for the village, so while they want to maintain their traditional way of life and preserve the village as much as possible, they also understand the need to be open and inviting to allow tourists to visit as it helps to maintain the farmhouses which definitely are not cheap to keep pristine.
The aspect I enjoyed most about visiting Shirakawa-go was how easy it was to forget about the hustle-bustle of the outside, modern world. There was an eerie calmness and quiet that enveloped the village, perhaps due to the fact it was covered in deep snowfall. People seemed to enjoy living a simplified and traditional life, going about their daily chores and lives unbothered, maybe even seemingly unconcerned, about the modern trappings that occupy most of our daily actions and thoughts.
They definitely are living in the 21st century, so please don’t get me wrong, but perhaps the rural, remoteness of the area just allowed me to escape for a time into a world that appeared to be more nostalgic, slower, and more traditional.
I was absolutely enchanted by Shirakawa-go and I highly recommend you visit it when in the region.
