Oriva Editorial

@oriva_life_mapped

Hidden Gem: A village built for winter

Sep 27, 2026

Deep in the mountains of central Japan, Shirakawa-go is known for its traditional gassho-zukuri farmhouses — distinctive homes with steeply pitched thatched roofs designed to cope with the region’s heavy snowfall. The largest concentration of these houses is found in Ogimachi village. Their roofs were traditionally built without nails, and the steep angle helped snow slide away rather than accumulate heavily. The village is particularly striking in winter, when the houses can disappear beneath thick snow, but Shirakawa-go isn’t simply a preserved postcard. The traditional architecture developed around the practical needs of people living in an isolated, snowy mountain environment. The historic villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995.