Shirakawa-go

Shirakawa-go and the neighbouring Gokayama area lie in a mountain region that remained isolated for centuries. UNESCO notes that the villages have existed since the 11th century and that residents lived largely from mulberry cultivation and silkworm rearing, using the large upper floors of their houses for silk production. Wealthier families also traded in materials for gunpowder; the Wada family of Ogimachi, for example, served as village heads and earned income from silk and gunpowder ingredients during the Edo period.

The gassho-style houses survived the great economic changes of post-war Japan thanks to local preservation efforts, and in 1995 the Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama, comprising Ogimachi, Ainokura and Suganuma, were inscribed on the World Heritage List. Roofs are re-thatched every 30 to 40 years through yui, a tradition of unpaid communal labour that can draw 200 to 300 helpers in a day.

Around Ogimachi, people still farm, run guesthouses and maintain their homes, and the community cooperation known as yui, or koryaku locally, extends from re-thatching roofs to rice planting, weddings and funerals. Visitors should remember that many houses are private homes: do not enter gardens or buildings unless they are clearly open to the public, keep voices low, and avoid photographing residents without permission.