[Back Post] Japan with Peko-chan 2017 #2/9 - Hida Mountains I: Shirakawa-go

View of Ogimachi, Shirakawa-go from the Shiroyama Viewpoint.

From Suwa/Shiojiri (in Part 1), we drove through the twilight and the dark through mountain roads to our lodgings for our next destination near Takayama (see Part 3) in the Hida Mountains. This isn't our first time up in the Hida mountains area, with the 2015 summer in Kamikochi, but it was our first time up driving around in the dark on snowy roads! Our windscreens also started fogging up from the cold. Did not quite expect the temperatures to drop that much. We finally made it to Miyama Ouan in Hirayu Onsen, our onsen ryokan lodging for this stretch of the road trip (Part 3).

Our first day in the area, we took a day trip to Shirakawa-go. At the time of planning, we weren't able to reserve a gassho-zukuri home stay, which is a real pity.

View from the Shogawa, Ogimachi, Shirakawa-go, Gifu Prefecture (on IG)

The historic villages of Shirakawa-go白川郷 and Gokayama五箇山 were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995 as an outstanding example of a traditional way of life that is perfectly adapted to the environment, and the people's social and economic circumstances. There are 3 villages: Ogimachi荻町, Ainokara相倉 and Suganuma菅沼.

The Gassho-zukuri houses of Ogimachi, Shirakawa-go, Gifu Prefecture (on IG)

The villages are known and preserved for their unique architecture. The steep thatched roofs of the gassho-zukuri farmhouses evolved in response to the region's harsh winters and heavy snowfall and the space became used for sericulture, which was formerly one of the village's key industries. Sericulture, i.e. silk production, has been practised in Japan since its introduction between the 2nd and 3rd centuries BC. In 1909, up until WWII, Japan led the world in silk production. Sericulture has also been an imperial tradition since 1871, practised by successive Empresses of Japan.

Ogimachi, Shirakawa-go, Gifu Prefecture

We visited Ogimachi荻町, which is the closest and most accessible of the 3 villages. It is the most accessible but also the most touristy and commercialised. There is still some level of rustic charm, and the scenery is still lovely and unique. With the landscape blanketed in clean white snow and shrouded in fog, it was even more atmospheric. The views of the village that I liked best were from Deaibashiであい橋, and Shiroyama viewing point, but there were also many closer views that I really liked too, while strolling around the village.

The main street of Ogimachi, Shirakawa-go, Gifu Prefecture

Shirakawa-go mokeke

An aspect I noticed was the straw mats or boards covering the sides of each house, creating a sort of sheltered corridor. And I was reminded a passage from A Daughter of the Samurai, in which the author described her hometown in the old Echigo Province, and how "during the winter the sidewalks were enclosed by walls of upright boards with an occasional panel of oiled paper, which turned them unto long halls, where we could walk all over town in the stormiest weather, entirely protected from wind and snow".

That Ogimachi has become fairly touristy and commercialised is evident. This aspect is most obvious along the main street Shirakawa Kaidou白川街道, with its proliferation of souvenir shops. Apparently, this is becoming a major issue in the area, with local residents turning the homes into hostels, restaurants and souvenir shops catering to tourists. As said, there are still rustic charm to the place, but I do agree that further such commercialisation would ruin whatever charm it has left.

So, I do consider the souvenir shops selling tacky souvenirs as spoiling the landscape and chipping away at its atmosphere of authenticity and rustic charm. Yet at the same time, I can't help being amused at finding some cute region-specific souvenirs like the Hida cow mascot and the Shirawago mokeke. Yes, I get the contradiction. It's a difficult balance.

Hida-gyu sarubobo mascot that is found all over the Hida region.

That said, the Hida cow mascot is pretty cute, in a non-tacky kind of way. It's pretty appropriate as a mascot for the Hida region, as a variation of the sarubobo, itself a traditional good luck charm associated with Takayama, and the black cow is representative of the region's best known local product Hida beef飛騨牛, which we had plenty of throughout our ryokan stay in the area (Part 3 Takayama and Part 4 Hida Furukawa). It probably became even more popularised by its cameo appearance in Makoto Shinkai's Kimi no Na wa.

View Ogimachi, Shirakawa-go from the Shiroyama Viewpoint (on IG)

Originally planned to visit the Wada-ke和田家 and Kanda-ke神田家, but we ended up only going up the Shiroyama viewing point. When we got up there, the entire view was covered by a thick blanket of fog. We spent a lot of time up there, waiting for the fog to lift to get a decent view. Somehow I was reminded of the "thick as pea soup" fogs I read about in British books. I vaguely remember that the descriptions somehow don't capture the damp chill. The fog lifted enough for us to get a somewhat clear-ish view, but it soon fogged over again, accompanied by a persistent drizzle. We caught the shuttle bus back down, and decided to flee back return to our invitingly warm ryokan room and the onsen bath.

Guess this means another trip back is due? Next time, we'll try reserving a gassho-zukuri home stay, and maybe getting up to Ainokara and Suganuma. And when the landscape is green!!!

Japan with Peko-chan, Chubu-Kansai-Kyushu, Nov & Dec 2017 🚗 Suwa, Nagano • Lake Suwa • Suwa Glass Museum • Seiko Shiojiri 🚗 Hida Mountains • Shirakawa-go • Takayama • Hida Furukawa 🚗 Tokyo • Nakiryu & Kagari • Akihabara • Nippori Textile Town • Wadakura Fountain Park & Kokyo Gaien • Gundam Unicorn, Odaiba • National Art Centre (Kimi no Na wa. exhibition) • Nezu Museum • Kimi no Na wa. ✈️ Nagasaki Part I & Part II • Glover Garden • Old Chinese Quarter • Chinatown • Dejima • Sakamoto International Cemetery • Oura Cathedral • 26 Martyrs Memorial & Museum • Atomic Bomb Museum • Hypocentre Park • Nyokodo • Sanno Shrine ✈️ Osaka • Atelier to naniIRO • Junie Moon Osaka 🚗 Awajishima • Yumesenkei Besso Amahara • Senzan Senkoji • Izanagi Jingu • Onokorojima Shrine • Sumoto Castle • Eshima • Hokudan Earthquake Memorial Park (Nojima Fault) • O-naruto Bridge & Naruto Whirlpools • Akashi Kaikyo Bridge • Awaji beef & Awaji Burger 🚗 Kobe • Kobe Luminarie 2017 • Port of Kobe Earthquake Memorial • Kitano Ijinkan