The village of Shirakawa
The village of Shirakawa is located in the mountainous area of the Japanese island of Honshu. On an area of 350 km2. hundreds of houses have been built. The number of inhabitants is 1,750 people. Due to the climatic features of the area, the village was not marked on the map for a long time, no one knew about its existence. As a result, a unique architectural style, gasse-zukuri, was created here, unlike anyone else.
All the houses in Shirakawa village are built in the same style with high roofs connecting at an angle of 60 degrees. These designs resemble folded hands in prayer. This style has been formed over several centuries. It was designed to protect their buildings from heavy snow in winter and heavy rains the rest of the year. Thanks to such roofs, snow or rain does not linger on the roofs, but immediately rolls down without soaking them.
The Shirakawa houses were built without nails, exclusively from natural materials, the beams were interconnected with rods, and the walls were built according to the principle of the designer.
These structures are very strong, they withstand bad weather and hurricanes. Nowadays, you can find houses that are more than 400 years old.
Straw is used to cover the roofs. Due to the weather conditions, the roof is covered by the whole village in two days. They are re-closed after 50 years. There is mutual assistance here, in Japanese it sounds like "yu". All work is done collectively. They live in a commune, the life of the inhabitants is calm and measured.
Since the 17th century, for 250 years, the main occupation of the inhabitants has been the cultivation of silkworms on the roofs of houses. But the cold winters brought out the silkworms. Today, the main income of the residents of Shirakawa village is tourism.
Tourists come here to admire the real winter, where the snow height reaches four meters. Despite the frosts, due to the lack of wind, it is not cold here. There is a high hill on the outskirts of the village, from which you can view the beauty of the surrounding area.
The village of Shirakawa is a place where they preserve the beautiful nature and history of local architecture, at the same time trying to attract tourists and develop the area. Many of them offer tourists their house as an overnight stay. After spending the night in one of the buildings, tourists get to know the local way of life, traditions and rituals. There is a road leading to the village, and tourists are transported by tourist buses. The village of Shirakawa was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995.
