My first Japan experience continues to defy my expectations. Expecting to be greeted by towering skyscrapers dotting the skylines of Tokyo and other cities in the land of the rising sun, endless postcard-like countryside scenery impresses me instead.
Directing my gaze outside our bus window, I see the gleaming landscape in the process of changing hues as the lush forests starts to adapt to the incoming autumn season.
Inside our tour bus, our tour guide Tomoko-San was explaining the cultural and architectural significance of our next destination: Shirakawa-go Village in the Ōno District, Gifu Prefecture,
The Unesco World Heritage Site of Shirakawa-go is a traditional village known for its centuries-old wooden houses designed in a unique architectural style known as gasshō-zukuri. These houses are characterized by roofs resembling how a Buddhist monk would merge his two hands in prayer and designed in a way to withstand the heavy downpour of snow come winter season.
As the centerpiece of each Gassho-zukuri houses, the thatched roofing is built in an intricate and laborious manner. The concept of “YUI”—a labor exchange system like our ‘bayanihan’ tradition, participated by volunteer neighbors, is practiced during the construction of the roofs. The meticulous process starts when workers drew straws from crops. It is then used to thatch the roof during autumn and spring time. After it dries up it is then used as snow shield surrounding the Gassho-style houses. It is interesting to note that these roofs are constructed without the use of a single nail. Everything was hand sewn together and because of its triangular shape it creates a spacious attic where residents cultivate silkworms.
As our bus rolled into a complete stop and Tomoko-San told us to alight, a bevy of cool wind emanating from the clear afternoon sky embraces my whole body further introducing me to the autumn season. A few steps later, I found myself standing at the edge of Shiroyama Viewpoint, where down below spread a spectacular sight of the entire settlement. Surrounded by rolling hills and lush greenery, the town appear like a setting from a 16th-century Samurai fable. Highlighted by the slanting thatched roof, the houses form a series of rows along intertwining patterns of lawn walkways and paved streets.
As surreal as the scene from the viewpoint, the best way to experience Shirakawa-go is to take a stroll through the village. The feeling of striding over the streets where these houses stands and still inhabited by the descendants of its original residents, brings forth a perception of shifting to a different era.
I would compare this to the small village of Chavayan in the island of Batanes where old stone houses still accommodate residents who refuses to surrender to the pull of modernity. There is an undeniable charming vibe that exists all over Shirakawa-go. I overheard my friend Kezia asking Tomoko-San if travelers can stay at one of the Gassho-styled houses. “Yes, in fact there are a few inns here inside the village” replies Tomoko-San. According to her, when winter breaks, the sight of the houses covered in blinding white snow turn into notches more visually captivating.
Enlisted as a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1995, Shirakawa-go encompasses an idyllic setting where a whole community thrived in a sustainable environment for more than 100 years before attracting the attention of curious travelers yearning a peek into their world.
Apart from the renowned Glasso-zukuri homes, the village is also popular for its abundance of mulberry trees which is grown in and outside the village. The residents used to strip this tree of its components to create and trade sanchu paper, which was once considered an extremely expensive type of paper in Japan. Today, only a few residents continue to make this kind of paper.
Continuing our walk, our group entered one of the Glasso-Zukuri houses, the Kanda house where the amiable 70-something Mr. Kanda cheerfully motioned us to come inside “Welcome to our home, it is not the biggest, but it is the most majestic house in the village” he declared with a smile. The first floor consisted of the living room, dining room, kitchen and an Irori fireplace laid out at the center of the house. We huddled around it while Mr. Kanda narrated the brief history of the house and not soon after, the heat emanating from the fireplace instantly warmed our cold bodies.
A tour of the rest of the Kanda house took us to the second floor and the attic where we saw various apparatuses used for farming and fermenting sake wine are displayed as if it’s a museum. Peeking out the attic window I am again reminded of the sheer beauty of the village’s neighborhood. A mixture of the changing colors of the trees foregrounding the other Glasso-Zukuri homes surrounded by pasture dotted with colorful flowers, meets my eyes. I imagine what mornings would be like to awake in such painterly banquet.
Our whole exploration of the village of Shirakawa-go lasted for almost a couple of hours. Too short to fully immerse in the impressiveness of the village’s setting, but more than enough to leave an imprint in my mind of a fantasy-like world coming alive in real life.
Image credits: Marky Ramone Go