Shirakawago

After the already amazing adventures over at Takayama, the best was yet to come. A long bus ride took us to Gifu where the traditional Gasshozukuri houses lay in wait over at Shirakawago.

Our first order of business was to get some grub as our stomachs were grumbling. It was hard to find a place that didn't serve any meat but we ended up over by a street vendor and got some dango which was enough for now. We also had a smoke sesh before finally crossing over the long icy bridge to the village.

A totally different vibe than Takayama's folk village. Shirakawago was huge, with plenty of people. It was as Arvin described: a winter wonderland. The traditional brown houses blended seamlessly with the snow, it was as if it was meant to be seen only in this season. We walked on the main trail, taking in the sights and taking our shots. The place was simply photogenic, with small ponds showing us the reflections of the houses and snow.

Having to do a hike up to the observatory, we were able to see the scale of the area. Surrounded by white mountains as far as the eye could see, it felt unreal we were actually here. Up at the top, we got some ice cream and got to see some of the best views. But was this it? Arvin and Roy thought it was, but I wasn't convinced. I urged them to follow the main road further and we saw a cafe that had access to the other side of the observatory with perhaps the best views. I bought another ice cream while Arvin and Roy got some amazake based on my recommendation after I remembered getting some over at Ashigakubo when I was viewing the icicles.

It had started to snow heavily now and we were able to see another side of Shirakawago. As we went down, the clouds parted ways instead revealing the sun. We got all sorts of weather today which made the photographs so varied. We went off the beaten path to see another snow-covered shrine and continued towards the famed Three Houses. At this point, we were running a bit out of time but still wanted to push one last stop which was another shrine a bit pass the bridge.

As we were crossing the bridge, I got a call from the tour operator saying that we were the only ones left they were waiting for but we were kind of stuck in the bridge traffic. In any case, we made it back, and just when we thought the day was over. There was still one last stop: Matsumoto Castle.Weiterlesen