Despite Japan being one of the most modern and highly developed countries in the world, you would not imagine so if you visited Shirakawa-go in Gifu prefecture. Instead of soaring skyscrapers and advanced transportation systems, tucked away in this nostalgic, fairy-tale landscape of old Japan are Gassho-style homes with steeply pitched thatched roofs. Thanks to the unique historic landscape and the well-preserved natural environment, in 1995, Shirakawa-go and the surrounding areas were inscribed into the World Cultural Heritage list under the title of “Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama.”

Shirakawa-go started attracting attention from around the world after Bruno Taut (1880 - 1938), a German architect, highly praised Gassho-style houses in his book “Houses and People of Japan.”

The steeply pitched thatched roofs with a lateral profile that is almost a perfect equilateral triangle characterize gassho-style houses. The design, which dates back to as far as the Edo period (1603 - 1867), has a lot to do with the area’s heavy snow and the rearing of silkworm. Equally unique about the area is the tradition of the local people. Always there for one another, everyone helps each other out even with the repairing of homes and the replacing of roof thatches. Unfortunately, though, it may become increasingly difficult to maintain these homes, as Shirakawa-go is also facing depopulation brought on by aging.