Gifu Attractions｜World Cultural Heritage-Walk into the Fairy Tale World-Shirakawa-go Gassho Village

#100 Ways to Travel About 350 kilometers from Tokyo, there is a world-famous scenic spot in the mountains - Shirakawa-go. The Gassho-style buildings in Shirakawa-go, which were designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1995, exude a dreamy atmosphere like a fairy tale world all year round. Transportation Guide: Shirakawa-go is located in Shirakawa Village, Ono District, Gifu Prefecture, central Japan. It is about a 1.5-hour drive from Kanazawa and Toyama City; and about a 2-hour drive from Nagoya City. Currently, only buses can reach Shirakawa-go. If you don't have a car, you can only take the bus. There are direct buses to Shirakawa-go from Nagoya, Kanazawa and Toyama, but there are not many buses and reservations are required. You can also take a bus to Takayama and transfer to Shirakawa-go at Takayama Station. There are two types of buses: non-reservation bus and reservation bus. If the non-reservation bus is full, there will be more extra buses. Or you can take a local one-day tour, but the visiting time will be limited. If you purchase the Shoryudo Bus Pass or the Takayama Hokuriku Pass, you can make bus reservations for free. The preciousness of Shirakawa-go lies in its beautiful natural scenery and incomparable cultural landscape, and it is known as the hometown of Japan. In the Hida region, the village is surrounded by steep mountains. Shirakawa-go is a village born in the basin formed by the Sho River flowing through the steep slopes of the mountain. The village is also one of the areas with the heaviest snowfall in Japan, which gave rise to the unique architectural style of "Gassho-zukuri", which is built by combining wooden beams into the shape of a mountain. Because from the external shape, the triangle of the Gassho-zukuri building looks like two hands clasped together, as the name suggests, it is a Gassho-zukuri building. The Shiroyama Observatory is the only place where you can clearly see the entire Shirakawa-go scenery. Take the bus "in front of the Wada family". There is a bus every 20 minutes from 9:00 to 15:40 (departs at 00, 20, and 40 minutes, and no bus from 12:00 to 13:00). The fare is ￥200 per trip, especially in winter when it is covered with snow, just like a fairy tale. Walking into the village, you can feel the height of the Gassho-zukuri buildings up close. The roof built at 60 degrees can prevent heavy snow accumulation, and the upper space inside the house can be used for raising silkworms, which is in line with architectural principles and life wisdom. There are still more than 100 households in Shirakawa-go, with a few restaurants, cafes and shops, as well as B&Bs for accommodation. Ancient residences such as the Wada family, the Kanda family, and the Nagase family are now preserved. You can buy a ticket to visit them, where ancient farm tools and silkworm breeding tools are displayed, and you can also get a glimpse of the super-strong construction method of building houses without using nails. Among them, the Wada family is the largest Gassho-style house in Gassho Village, and the Kanda family has a history of more than 200 years and still uses the traditional stove "Irori" (盲炉里). You can experience the scene of single men or servants in ancient times watching the fire from the small window on the second floor to avoid fire. In addition, Hida beef, Gohei mochi, soft serve ice cream, Cattail leaf miso, Hida beef croquettes, Hida milk, etc. are all delicacies worth trying. Find a window seat in a small shop, order a cup of coffee and quietly wait for the snow to fall, experience the isolated fairy tale world, where time seems to stand still at this moment. #familytravel #Japan #naturallandscape #Shirakawago #Ogimachi #Gassho Village #Takayama #Hida Takayama #Gifu #Nagoya #World Heritage #Free Travel #World HeritageShirakawago #100 Ways to Travel #Natural Landscape #World HeritageShirakawago