Skiing in the Hakuba Valley
The Hakuba Valley is located deep in the Japanese Alps, approximately 3 hours from Tokyo.
Deep in the mountainous Ōno District in the Gifu Prefecture lies the small UNESCO village of Shirakawa-go 🏠
The hour long bus trip from Takayama cuts through the mountains with a series of tunnels the longest being 11kms. With Japan being active for earthquakes these long tunnels did make me a little nervous 😬 swipe ⬅️ last image deep inside the tunnel!
The UNESCO village dates 1000’s of years and was once cut off from the rest of Japan owing to the mountainous terrain. The famous and much photographed Gassho-style houses were built from around the 1800’s.
With their unique design of timber and thatch, there are no nails holding the large structural beams, instead they are lashed together with thick rope and the thatch is woven and placed on the roof in layers up to 60-80cm thick.
The roof design is said to resemble hands coming together in prayer 🙏
This style of roof also ensures a large open attic space and provided the perfect climate for the villages main industry of silkworm production and a once thriving silk industry 🐛👘
Some homes were built over three levels and with winter being harsh and often the villages covered in deep snow, generations of families all lived and worked together under the same roof ❄️❄️
A 1km hike up the road to the Ogimachi Castle at the top provides wonderful views down the valley and across the village.
Nicole x
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