Shirakawago: A Fairy Tale Comes to Life, Shirakawa, Japan

For a truly magical escape from the crowded and stressful city life, head to the enchanting mountain village of Shirakawa-go located in north-western Gifu Prefecture of Japan. Its main attraction and village center, Ogimachi (荻町) features several dozen traditional gassho-zukari thatched-roof farmhouses set amongst babbling streams, rows of rice paddies, and a backdrop of majestic mountains. “Gassho” means praying hands and the farmhouses’ slanted roofs are build this way to withstand heavy snowfall during harsh winter months. For hundreds of years, these farmhouses served as a practical space for living and working but they have since been converted into museums, guesthouses, shops, and restaurants. Because of Shirakawa-go’s location in what used to be a remote and unexplored region, its population previously had little interaction with the rest of the country, resulting in their own unique culture and practices. In 1995, Shirakawa-go was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site and travelers far and wide began to discover its charm and beauty that’s straight out of a fairy tale. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).