🏘️ Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama
UNESCO World Heritage Site of traditional gassho-zukuri farmhouses in the Japanese Alps
📋 Fast Facts
- Designated UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995
- Located in Gifu and Toyama Prefectures in mountainous central Japan
- Over 50 gassho-zukuri farmhouses, many over 250 years old and still inhabited
- Steep thatched roofs designed to withstand heavy seasonal snowfall
The Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama comprise a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the remote mountainous regions of Gifu and Toyama Prefectures, Japan. The villages are celebrated for their traditional gassho-zukuri farmhouses, characterized by steeply pitched thatched roofs that resemble hands joined in prayer. These architectural structures represent an exceptional adaptation to a harsh alpine environment and have been preserved as living examples of pre-industrial rural Japanese ...