Historic Villages of Shirakawa-gō and Gokayama, UNESCO World Heritage site in Japan
The Historic Villages of Shirakawa-gō and Gokayama are famous for their traditional gassho-zukuri farmhouses, some of which are more than 250 years old.
These villages were declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1995.
Gassho-zukuri means 'constructed like hands in prayer', as the farmhouses' steep thatched roofs resemble the hands of Buddhist monks pressed together in prayer.
The area is remote, but can be accessed by bus from Takayama, Toyama, and Kanazawa.
The houses are designed to withstand heavy snowfall, and the large attics were used to cultivate silkworms.
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