Into the village
From Takayama, into the mountains to Shirakawa-gō. It had started raining, so we bought an umbrella (¥1,760).
The village is spread out over rice fields, with the thatched gassho houses dotted around. The steep roofs are built to let the snow slide off.
Hida beef skewers to keep warm (¥1,100).
Inside a gassho house
One of the big houses is open as a museum (¥800 for two). Inside it’s dark wood, steep ladders and the attic floors where they used to raise silkworms.
Downstairs, the family altar and painted screens.
Mizu purin
On the way out, mizu purin, a water pudding in a little jar (¥460).
Yabaton
Back in Nagoya, dinner was misokatsu at Yabaton: tonkatsu drowned in sweet red miso sauce. Very Nagoya. ¥3,470.
Onward to Ghibli Park!
Information About Shirakawa-gō
A mountain village of gassho-zukuri farmhouses, with steep thatched roofs built to shed heavy snow. A UNESCO World Heritage Site. About 50 minutes by bus from Takayama.
PS: Some of the big houses are open as museums. The Shiroyama viewpoint above the village has the postcard view.