Shirakawa-go & Kanazawa

UNESCO Heritage Site: 白川郷 Shirakawa-go  

We continued our self-drive journey from Nakamurakan onsen to the picturesque village of Shirakawago, famous for its gasshō-zukuri (合掌造り) houses.

These houses are unique for their architectural style which is characterized by a thatched and steeply slanting roof resembling two hands joined in prayer, known as the 'prayer-hands construction'. 

This design allows the houses to withstand and shed the weight of the tremendous snowfall.

Stretching across the Gifu and Toyoma prefectures, this area resides within the Japan Alps region hence, experiences heavy snowfall and ski resorts with their acclaimed powdery slopes are in the vicinity. 

An ideal place for a 3D2N stay during winter! 

Shirakawa-go covered in a thick white blanket! Isn't it lovely?
Picture courtesy from Japan Ski Experience. 

I'm not sure how or when did we get addicted to the idea of self-drive trips. Perhaps its the freedom we get planning our time & route. Language barrier can form the bulk of reason people usually join tour groups, or maybe the hassle of planning the route (I planned this for a few mths. But it's my interest so I don't really mind it).

But getting lost is part of the fun isn't it? 

You get to speak to the locals and meet some really nice ones, able to travel at your own pace (no angsty tour mates to give you the death stare when you're just a min late) and the best part, no more blurry shots from the moving vehicle cause' you get to at least slow down, and snap away at the random pretties! 

In Japan, it can be a lil' tough as the GPS is in Japanese (I can't remb if they have Eng) and don't expect  the locals to speak in English especially if it's the countryside. My sister and I left the communication piece entirely to sharkie. 

Nonetheless, with the road signs, designated highways, and abit of inference skills with common sense, you won't drive to Rome ;)

Every turn on the freeway deserves an exclamation- WOWWW! 

What's better than a rainbow to start our journey for the day? :)

The jubilant display of vivid rustic colours greeted us at the entrance!

These rice fields provide the villagers' staple, and the straw collected after harvest were used to build these unique houses. Such ingenious idea :) Yes, Japanese ~

Neatly stacked straw roof. Some of these houses have been converted into souvenir shops or restaurants. There are still natives living in the villages and they provide lodging for foreigners who wish to experience rural living.
A night during winter would prove to be a magical experience!
Hope to be back there again~

After a few hours stop at the village, we continued our journey to Kanazawa for lunch. All because I read the blog post by女王 and got enticed by all the seafood pics that I simply had to visit, even though if it's just for that few hours!! i can be quite irrational when it comes to food, especially the crustaceans. Now, you know my stomach controls my brain. 

Look at that galore!! Everything was so fresh, it's as if these creatures were still alive! 

Entrance to my wonderland: The Omi-cho Market! It is a huge market with about 170 stores selling fresh fish and seafood caught in the Sea of Japan, vegetables, fruits. We were right smack in the season of the crabs, sweet shrimps and fish. 

If I were to have my last meal on this Earth, take me to Japan and give me these cholesterol meanies!