Gokayama, Gifu Prefecture
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Gokayama is in the picturesque Shogawa River Valley in Gifu Prefecture. This remote highland area is known for World Heritage villages such as Ainokura and Suganumo. Their status is owed to the buildings’ A-frame pointed thatched roofs called gassho-sukuri, which translates as ‘praying hands’. Walking round, you are made aware that these are very much lived-in towns, so conduct yourself accordingly between 08.00 and 17.00. Some houses have become B&Bs and several others trade as restaurants or gift shops. Ainokura, pictured here, has only 20 gasso-sukuri houses, perhaps that adds to the romance of the setting and makes it less busy than Shirakawa-go. One imagines that it is pretty in the snow but quite a challenge to get in and out of by road. These photos were taken in the month of November with foliage about to turn. You can get to Ainokura from Takayama by bus or from Kanazawa by train and bus via Toyama.
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Below: Very much lived in.
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