Shirakawago

It had been on my bucket list for a long time, to see the Gassho zukuri houses of Shirakawa-go in the mountains of Gifu pref. These wooden houses are made without nails or metal materials and have steep thatched roofs, fit for heavy snow. During the summer break we got enough time to drive all the way up. We crossed Shikoku, skipped Kyoto, glimpsed at lake Biwa and moved on to Ishikawa. There were a few other items on the list, like Mt. Hakusan and Mt. Daisen. More about that later. The mountain road known as the White Road that runs east-west across Mt. Hakusan was closed, and we had to take a huge D-tour, but it was worth it.

First Ainokura Gassho-zukuri Village in Toyama pref. This UNESCO world heritage site is just a small village, much more rural than the town of Shirakawa. The place must be very pretty when the sun is out, but we saw it on a rainy day. Which is fine with me for several reasons. The gloomy atmosphere is more what I like for my photos. The smaller number of visitors as well. The first photo is taken through the windows of Billie, our RV.

Actually, we first stopped at Suganuma, another World heritage site. That was before the rain started. Just so I could get my blue sky fix.

That night we listened to the rain on our roof, while the temperature was not too high. We were the only RV at this roadside station on the way to our next stop" Shirakawa-go!

The rain didn't stop people from visiting. It was holiday season, and the shops sold many umbrellas. Most people arrived after midday. By that time we were done.

Waiting for the bus.