Brilliant AddressesBrilliant Addresses / Japan / Iconic Villages
Japan

Shirakawa-go

The Praying-Hands Roofs
Iconic VillagesNature GatewaysMountain & Ski Resorts
Portrait

Gassho-zukuri roofs are pitched at sixty degrees and named for hands joined in prayer; the attics under them housed silkworm cultivation, and the thatch is replaced by the whole village working together, one house at a time. Snow buries the valley from December to March, and the houses are lit on winter evenings a few times each season.

If you like this city
Bled, Slovenia — The Island ChurchChefchaouen, Morocco — The Blue PearlGordes, France — The Luberon Ledge
← All cities: Iconic Villages