Ogimachi and the Thatched Rooftops: Shirakawa-go Before Dawn

The gassho-zukuri houses of Shirakawa-go — the name means «hands joined in prayer» and describes the steeply pitched rooflines — have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995. The village of Ogimachi, the largest of the three settlements, receives one and a half million visitors a year. Yet there is a way to experience it without the crowds: sleep inside one.

Evening and dawn

The tourist buses arrive around 10 and leave by 16:00. Those staying in one of the gassho-zukuri converted into minshuku have the village entirely to themselves in the evening and at dawn. Early in the morning, before 7, the raking light of the sun illuminates the dark wooden facades and the rice paddies surrounding the village. The only sound is the water of the Shogawa river.

Life inside a gassho-zukuri

The houses have three or four storeys: the ground floor was the living area with the central hearth (irori), the upper floors were used for silkworm farming. Today the guest rooms have futon on tatami and dinner is served around the irori — local dishes such as hoba-miso (miso grilled on a magnolia leaf) and mountain vegetables sansai. The most intimate experience rural Japan has to offer.

The viewpoint and the right season

The Shiroyama viewpoint is a 20-minute walk and offers the classic elevated view over the village. In winter, during the illumination evenings (mid-January to mid-February, by reservation only), the houses lit against the snow create a fairytale scene. But the secret is to come on weekdays in November or March, when visitor numbers drop dramatically.

Beyond Ogimachi

The neighbouring village of Gokayama — divided between Ainokura and Suganuma — has similar houses but receives a tenth of the visitors. Ainokura, with its 20 gassho-zukuri still inhabited, is the quiet version of what Ogimachi was thirty years ago.

Getting there

Nohi bus from Takayama (50 min) or from Kanazawa (75 min). There is no train station. Book your minshuku well in advance, especially for the winter illuminations.