Snow fell intermittently on the Hida region of Gifu Prefecture throughout January. In Shirakawa-go, a village with about 100 traditional gassho-zukuri thatched roof houses, around 30 centimeters ...

Shirakawa-go in Gifu Prefecture is one of Japan's snowiest regions. It's famous for its traditional thatched-roof Gassho-style homes. The triangular roofs distribute the weight of heavy snow ...

But that’s Shirakawa-go, or “Shirakawa Village.” The place we’re talking about today is Shirakawa-ko, “Lake Shirakawa” in the town of Iide, Yamagata Prefecture. The surrounding mountains are covered ...