This morning, head to Shirakawa-go by bus (approx. 50mins). Located in the beautiful and remote Shogawa River Valley, Shirakawa-go was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995 and is famous for its unique ‘gassho-zukuri’ (thatched wooden farmhouses), some of which are more than 250 years old. Gassho-zukuri means ‘constructed like hands in prayer’, as the steep thatched roofs resemble the hands of Buddhist monks pressed together in prayer. This architectural style is designed to withstand the large amount of heavy snow that falls in the region