A charming village in the Japanese countryside
The Old-World Charm of Uchiko. Imagine a small, peaceful town nestled at the bottom of a valley. Not for here the chaos of urban Japan, of crowds milling about restlessly like ants. By day it is tranquil, but quietly alive; by night, the empty streets are bathed in the warm glow of old-fashioned streetlights.
A gently winding road, wide enough for comfortable walking, is the main artery of this town. Its streets are kept meticulously clean in the way many Japanese cities are. Nevertheless, the architecture and atmosphere of this town is distinctly old-fashioned. To stroll along the length of this road, lined with beautifully-preserved merchant buildings, is to walk back in time. Here, the houses are large and stately, their walls of cream and eggshell adorned with elegant black-and-white patterns. Misty mountains beckon beyond the rooftops. One wakes up to the chatter of neighbourhood old lady exchanging the latest gossip, the rattle of wooden doors sliding open, the laughter of children making their way to school. Welcome to Uchiko.
A gently winding road, wide enough for comfortable walking, is the main artery of this town. Its streets are kept meticulously clean in the way many Japanese cities are. Nevertheless, the architecture and atmosphere of this town is distinctly old-fashioned. To stroll along the length of this road, lined with beautifully-preserved merchant buildings, is to walk back in time. Here, the houses are large and stately, their walls of cream and eggshell adorned with elegant black-and-white patterns. Misty mountains beckon beyond the rooftops. One wakes up to the chatter of neighbourhood old lady exchanging the latest gossip, the rattle of wooden doors sliding open, the laughter of children making their way to school. Welcome to Uchiko.
