Shirakawa-go

Autumn color against the thatched roof of a traditional gasshou-zukuri house.  

Farm House with Rice Field, Shirakawa-go

  

Corn Drying Outside a House, Shirakawa-go

  

Farmhouse and Autumn Color, Shirakawa-go

  

Shirakawa-go

This remote valley, about two hours by bus from Takayama, is a World Heritage site for its preserved gasshou-zukuri farm houses. Though a popular tourist destination, it remains a fully functioning village with residents accepting the many visitors who no doubt inject significant funds into the local economy.   

Hida-no-sato, Takayama

Hida-no-sato is a collection of traditional Japanese country houses, moved from various locations in the region and reassembled here in a natural setting. The thatched roofs are steeply sloped due to the heavy winter snowfall.  

Morning Market, Takayama

This woman was selling vegetables.  

Hida-kokubunji, Takayama

This is the oldest temple in Takayama, dating back to the 16th century. Older still is the stately gingko tree in front, believed to be twelve centuries old. A corner can be seen here, spectacularly bedecked in autumn yellow.   

Takayama

Venturing from Tokyo, iroiro visits Western Honshu and the ancient town of Takayama, in the mountainous Hida district of Gifu prefecture. This well preserved town seems to have retained its historical atmosphere, a rarity in Japan, without feeling like a theme park. One senses that traditions have survived quite naturally. Visitors can enjoy friendly morning street markets, traditional food specialties (the soba is a highlight) and see plentiful examples of the local woodworking skill that has been renowned across Japan for centuries. Generous signs and explanations in English are an additional and very welcoming plus for foreign visitors.

This area, called Sanmachi, was the center of the old town.