Gifu Prefecture

Japanese often talk about the majesty of their four seasons (conveniently forgetting the fifth, the rainy season). Still, if you live in a city like Nagoya, you could be forgiven for thinking that summer generally slides into winter and spring into summer with barely a by your leave. If you head up to Shirakawa-go in northern Gifu Prefecture, you can slip back into a time when those four seasons are more pronounced in a land that time has almost entirely forgotten. Historical, natural beauty Nestled between the remote mountains above the  Shogawa River Valley that meanders from Gifu Prefecture to Toyama Prefecture, the villages of Shirakawa and Gokayama are areas of such natural beauty that they were  Designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1995. As well as stunning valley views, the area is best known for its traditional gassho-zukuri farmhouses, some of which originate from the late eighteenth century. The term ‘gassho-zukuri’ means “constructed like hands in prayer,” a reference to their steepled thatched roofs, which take on the appearance of a Buddhist monk’s hands held together in prayer. It is an architectural style not dissimilar to that found in the mountainous regions of northern Europe, developed over the generations…