FUN-travel: Jubilant Japan in Bloom! – Shirakawa-go
April 7, 2018 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Jubilant Japan in Bloom! – Shirakawa-go
- This quaint mountain village…
…famous for their traditional gassho-zukuri farmhouses…
…with rice fields & a river running through it…
…was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1995.
- Gassho-zukuri means “constructed like hands in prayer”…
…as the farmhouses’ steep thatched roofs…
…resemble the hands of Buddhist monks…
…pressed together in prayer.
Myozen-ji Temple Grounds
- The architectural style developed over many generations…
…is designed to withstand the large amounts of heavy snow…
…that falls in the region during winter.
- The roofs made without nails..
…. provided a large attic space…
…used for cultivating silkworms.
Just Beginning to Blossom
FUN-fact – They have survived for more than 300 years or so because firewood is burned indoors every day, which fumigates the roof with smoke, kills pests, and has a preservative effect. Constructed without using even a single nail, these houses are distinctive for being built entirely of natural materials.