The Lovely Village of Shirakawa-go! 5 compelling reasons why you should include this in your next trip to Japan.

 Located in Shogawa river valley in Gifu prefecture in central Japan, this village boasts the rich historical accounts of ingenuity of the Japanese people and great scenery - I mean awesome view, really!  It is no surprise that this place is one of Japan's UNESCO Heritage Sites and is famous among tourists and locals. And here is why:

1. It is astoundingly gorgeous! 

A view of the village from the top of a hill.

To get the full view of the whole village, tourists climb to a nearby hill which serves as an observation deck by either walking (steep slope) or by riding a shuttle bus. And once you get to the top, you are greeted with such a breathtaking scenery.

2. Be amazed with the landscape and architecture

A close up view of the traditional houses

Known for their unique construction method, Shirakawa-go village gives us insight on the way of life of its early settlers and their effective environment adaptation skills as reflected by their houses built in gassho-zukuri (prayer-hands construction) style. This building technique protects the houses from heavy snowfall during winter and strong winds during typhoon season.

A fireplace greets visitors in the middle of the house.

3. It is a village and a tourist spot at the same time! 

If there are a few places on earth where people live quietly while hundreds of tourists come by each day, Shirakawa-go just made it on this list. 

4. It is one of the few places in Japan where you can drink sake in its "original" form.

This one is sake with a twist of rice granules! :)

5. It is a place where gardening also means farming!

While rice boxes are common sites in many of Japan's suburbs and rural areas, it is here in Shirakawa-go  where almost every family owns a rice field right next to their traditional houses. 

with these on one side...

And these on the other side.

If you want to know more about Shirakawa-go,  you can click on the following links.

http://shirakawa-go.org/english/

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5950.html

Note: I learned that it is equally awesome to visit this place during winter as evidenced by the photo below.

http://www.japan-guide.com/blog/schauwecker/g/130127_00.jpg

Have fun in your next trip to Japan! 

Another note: All photos published here are raw, unedited and taken during the author's visit to the village. Photos in this blog except otherwise cited are owned by the author.