Gokayama (Toyama Prefecture)
Welcome to Gokayama.
Gokayama regions line the Shogawa River Valley in the remote mountains that span from Gifu to Toyama Prefectures.
Declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1995, famous for their traditional gassho-zukuri farmhouses.
Gassho-zukuri means “constructed like hands in prayer”, as the farmhouses steep thatched roofs resemble the hands of Buddhist monks pressed together in prayer.
The architectural style developed over many generations and is designed to withstand the large amounts of heavy snow that falls in the region during winter.
The roofs, made without nails, provided a large attic space used for cultivating silkworms.
It is a great alternative for Shirakawago village.