Today we are going to a world heritage unesco site in the Japanese Alps. The mysterious village of Ogimachi in Shirakawa-go. From Takayama the bus ride is about 50 min. I was very suprised to see how many tunnels we went throught. The last tunnel was apparently the second longest in Japan (about 2 km). You can already feel that we are going to a remote area which is exiting. I was imagining how difficult it was to get there back in the time without the roads and tunnels. How cut from everything these villages were not a long time ago.
Ogimachi is home to several dozen well preserved gassho-zukuri farmhouses, some of which are more than 250 years old. Let’s discover this unique site.
Gassho-zukuri farmhouses.
Many of the farmhouses are now restaurants, museums or minshuku, where you can stay overnight. Okay this place has a really unique energy. You are basically in a very remote area in the heart of the Japaneses Alps. The time has completely stopped here. To me this village feels like from a fairy tale story. It reminded me a lot of the french comic “Asterix et Obelix”.
Shirakawa-go is a very popular destination amongs tourists therefore expect to walk next to many selfie sticks. I wanted to be smart on that one so I went on a monday instead of week end which turned out to be okay. The main paths will be busy but If you explore the backstreets you’ll get a quiet feel of that village.
My favorite part was at the far end of the village. You could access an “open air museum” which has many well preserved houses. The entrance was 600 yen (4.5 euro) and totally worst every yen. Pictures talk louder than words.
I have no words to describe how magical was this place. To me it felts like a dream village surrounded by beautiful nature. A place that the modern world did’nt touched. But the reality is that living in thoses houses was actually tought , especially in winter time. You could visit a few houses in the village and I got to realize how cold it was inside. This is the price to pay to live in remote areas.
Living room.
The roof of a house.
The farmhouses were designed to withstand the harsh winters while providing a place to work and live. It must be even more magical to see thoses houses with the snow covering them. I heard from a staff today that winter was apparently the most crowded seasons (for that reason).
You can find many restaurants in the farmhouses but also souvenirs shops were you can try the local foods.
Wasabi crackers. Very nice taste but be prepared for the “nose kick”.
Black sesame dango in one of the farmhouse. Black sesame is such a good idea for cooking. The taste goes so well with sweets.
Shrine in Shirakawago.
You could access a view point from the village. After a short 10 min walk there we are.
Ogimachi village from higher. Feels like an utopic land isn’t ?
In Japan you’ll often come across advertisements that will make you smile. They all make a lot of sense but it’s often fun to see them especially coming from differents countries.
“How to use this toilet”. I wonder who will think about using toilet this way ^^ Maybe there is a country that does that. This is funny.
After a super interesting day in that village I wanted to relax for a while. Shirakawa go actually have an Onsen. This is perfect , let’s get naked.
Shirakawa go Onsen. I was alone at the beginning hence the picture. This was the outdoor bath with had a great view over the river and the mountains around.
In Japan outdoor bath are called “Rotenburo”. The Japanese Alps are known for having many of them. In that Onsen you could find a bigger indoor bath and even a sauna. I have almost spend 2 hours inside. Onsen’s are wonderful place to recharge and indulge nature. Japan being a volcanic island you’ll find many onsens therefore onsen culture is something big here. Japanese people are known to work hard but they are also good at taking care of themselves. The Onsen is a great example to me.
I had such a good day in Shirakawa go. This village is a must go place if you plan to visit the Japanese Alps. The village retained an authentic energy from the past. Everything about it is unique and therefore deserves a stop. You could also experience a nightstay in some farmhouses. It must be really cool to be there at night without the tourists.
I took the return bus to Takayama and went to my favorite place for diner. Tonight will be the 4th time i’m having diner in “Heianraku”. I went there for my first evening in Takayama and simply felt in love with the food and the people.
Heianraku is a small but very warm restaurant. The owners of that place really makes it special. They always have little attentions toward each of the guests.
When you travel alone you might eat alone in restaurants but here it was never the case. The way the table is makes it very conviviale. Just like sitting in a bar. Every evening I had different people next to me which creates great opportunities to meet them.
What’s on the menu here?
Eating weapons ready for the meal.
Heiaranku have pages of vegetarian / vegan food but also meat options. Everyone can be satisfied here. The prices were very cheap regarding the hight quality of the service and the food.
Vegetable gyoza.
The best of the best. The Hoba Misa ramen. I have no words to describe how good was this vegan ramen. The chef used a kombu (seaweed) stock instead of fish. Inside you’ll find tofu ,miso , mushrooms, spinach , soy. It was the best dish I’ve tried in Japan. I had it 3 times actually ^^ If you fancy meat no problem you can have it with too.
They even have dessert.
Black sesame soy milk pudding. This used agar agar seaweed for the texture. The taste was incredibly good and suprising. All the product of that dessert were from Japan.
This restaurant will be one of my best memory in Takayama. The owners were fantastic and the people I met were so sweet. The food was delicious and fresh / local for the most part. Dont miss this gem in Takayama. You’ll leave the table with the belly happy and the heart warmed up. Thanks you.
This is the end of my stay in Takayama but not in the Japaneses Alps. Tomorrow I’m going higher to a hot spring village which have some of the biggest outdoor baths (“rotenburo”). Takayama was such a good place to integrate my previous adventures. Takayame felt slow , spacious and hearty. I will come back here one of theses days.
See you for the next episode in onsen land.
Peace
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