Winter of Old Japanese Alpine Villages 日本アルプス Nihon Arupusu by Kari Gröhn karigrohncom Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Prelude and Fugue in E flat minor, Well-Tempered Clavier, Edwin Fischer (1886-1960) Gassho-Zukuri Villages 合掌造りの村 Shirakawago 白川郷 Gokayama 五箇山 Ainokura 相倉 In the three villages of Ogimachi, Ainokura, and Suganuma there are groups of gassho-zukuri houses, which are much larger than farmhouses in most other regions. The thatched gassho-zukuri roofs are tall and steep. The term gassho-zukuri literally means praying hands. As it snows heavily in this region, the roof helps the snow to slip off and prevents the house being crushed. No nails or clamps are used in the attic to withstand the weight of heavy snow. The roof structure also minimises the sun's heat absorbed in summer. The space inside is divided into three or four levels, which were used for raising silkworms and making hemp and washi paper. The ground floor was occupied by daily work, and silkworms were moved from one floor to another, because they require varying amounts of heat and light in their growth. Such in-house works during winter provided an important source of income in the remote and mountainous region with limited agricultural products. Each house was used to keep smouldering embers to control humidity, deter insects, and keep the thatch dry. The oldest houses were built 400 years ago. In earlier times, the gassho-zukuri villages were so isolated that even birds did not fly there, so they say. Ainokura was also a place of exile. A banishment hut used for unfortunate persons labelled as politically dangerous remains in Kaminashi. Until relatively recently the villages had little contact with outside world. This isolation helped preserve a local way of life and extended families of many generations. Indigenous styles of performing arts have also evolved and been preserved intact in this way. When Prince Akishino visited Ainokura in 1992 he said that the village is one of the three places in the world he likes most. He told that for the first time he was in Ainokura by himself alone taking part in the summer training of geography. The prince said that now I visit with my spouse but next time I wish to visit with my children

• published: 14 Mar 2014
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