Explore the Little Mountain Villages of Gassho-style Houses
Gokayama are the deep mountains and dark valleys that the Heike-no-Ochudo legend has been told to. Thatched houses called “gassho-style” were created in the harsh nature by the prayer and wisdom of our predecessors. They are very valuable form of houses not found in any other region of this country but in Gokayama and Shirakawa-go. Including the gassho-style houses in Ainokura and Suganuma that are registered as a World Heritage Site, Gokayama with many more popular sites has now become a major tourist destination that represents Japan, especially after the registration of world heritage and the opening of the Tokai Hokuriku Expressway. Gokayama, by its nature, history, culture, and people who are warm and kind, never stops attracting the visitors.
Ainokura Village is a famous traditional village of Gokayama area. There are 23 gassho-style houses in Ainokura, with rice fields, stone walls, and Yukimochirin (forest to defend against avalanche) in the village serving as a nostalgic landscape. There are also Ainokura Folk Museum, inns, and souvenir shops available in the area, by which you can feel the traditional culture and touch the warmth and hospitality of the people. It is a small village in the mountains where an old-fashioned life is still alive even to this day.
Suganuma Village is another large village in Gokayama area, and there are 9 gassho-style houses surrounded by nature, leaving the quiet and peaceful environment still intact up to this day. There are Gokayama Folk Museum and Ensho-no-Yakata (Gunpowder ingredient Museum) inside the village where you can experience the history and tradition of Gokayama.
Ainokura Village is a famous traditional village of Gokayama area. There are 23 gassho-style houses in Ainokura, with rice fields, stone walls, and Yukimochirin (forest to defend against avalanche) in the village serving as a nostalgic landscape. There are also Ainokura Folk Museum, inns, and souvenir shops available in the area, by which you can feel the traditional culture and touch the warmth and hospitality of the people. It is a small village in the mountains where an old-fashioned life is still alive even to this day.
Suganuma Village is another large village in Gokayama area, and there are 9 gassho-style houses surrounded by nature, leaving the quiet and peaceful environment still intact up to this day. There are Gokayama Folk Museum and Ensho-no-Yakata (Gunpowder ingredient Museum) inside the village where you can experience the history and tradition of Gokayama.
