Shirakawago

It is a historic village located in the Japanese Alps, one of the main tourist attractions in the area. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995, along with its neighbor Gokayama in the Shogawa River Valley. Crossed by the Shogawa River and surrounded by mountains, it is known for its typical gassho-zukuri style houses, which have a triangular roof made of straw and very inclined to support the weight of the abundant snow that falls in this area in winter. In fact, its name gassho refers to the image of two hands in prayer.