Located in the mountainous region of Northern Gifu and Toyama prefectures, that were cut off from the rest of the world for a long period of time, Gokayama and Shirakawa- go are slowly gaining fame throughout Japan and the world as the home to a unique, and until recently under publicized part of Japan’s culture. Because of their extremely isolated location in remote mountains valley, they have developed a culture and lifestyle different from any other area of Japan.

Gokayama and Shirakawa-go were registered as cultural heritage sites in 1995.The scenery of the mountain villages blending in with the nature of each season-fresh green leaves in spring, tinted leaves in autumn, winter snow- and the atmosphere of the villages with traditional houses standing side by side looks just like a fairy-tale.

The villages are most famous for “Gassho-style” houses found there. The houses could be seen scattered throughout the Sho River Valley between terraced fields for wet rice agriculture and dry crops land and are unique to the Shirakawa-go and gokayama areas. The houses are defined as having the roof in the shape of a triangle, similar to hands folded in prayer. In the multilayer structure the 3rd and 4th floors are particularly characteristic as they demonstrate the wisdom of the farmers who are able to raise silkworms even in the harsh winters. These dwellings are considered to be the finest farmhouses in Japan. The Gassho-style houses are being preserved as active communities by the villagers who live there. The houses used to hold 40-50 people, and at night time inhabitants would gather around the hearth on the first floor of the house, eat, and share stories with one another. The fire would not only heat the body of the villagers, but the silkworms being raised would benefit from the heat.

The observatory at the site of Ogimachi castleis a popular spot from which to view “Shirakawa-go Ogimachi village” where 59 houses are situated. The best time to visit these villages is mid-winter. Wada house and Nagase house are open to public, offering an opportunity to learn about how people lived long ago. Many tourists visit here specifically to see the water discharge exercise performed on the last Sunday in October every year. Gokayama offers numerous ryokan based Japanese inns for overnight stay. Most of these inns are gassho based inns and offer both dinner and breakfast in the accommodation fee. Dinner is generally traditional Japanese dishes consisting of river fish and exquisite mountain vegetables; you will almost sleep on a futon on a tatami mat. Well worth a visit are the following houses; Murakami house where the head of the family relates the history of Gokayama to visitors who sit around the open hearth. Haba house that retains the most well preserved gassho structure with very little renovation and Iwase house which is the largest gasshe style house.

Despite economic upheavals, the historic villages of Gokayama and Shirakawa-go are outstanding examples of a traditional way of life perfectly adapted to the environment and people’s social and economic circumstances.

To the historic villages and many other splendid attractions of ancient and the modern Japan, the ultimate gateway is provided by the international airport Tokyo. Cheap flights to Tokyo from UK are mainly offered by British Airways (Annual SALE) details available at Cheap flights to Japan.