Japan’s rare heavy snow zone

Gasho Village is a small village in Baichuan Township, Gifu County。Gifu County is located in the center of the main island of Japan，Legend has it named by Oda Nobunaga，Taking the meaning of King Wen of Zhou Dynasty in Chinese history who "rises from Qishan and determines the world"。The altitude of Gifu County spans a lot，There is a plain，There are also mountainous areas of more than 3,000 meters。Gasho Village is located in the mountainous area in the west，Cold climate in winter，Famous for one of Japan’s leading snow areas，Snow can reach 2 meters deep。

"Gasho-made" adapted to the local conditions

Gasho-zukuri (Gasho-zukuri) is a special Japanese style of private house，The pointed roof with an inclination of 45 to 60 degrees resembles the shape of an inverted "V" or "herringbone" formed by putting hands together，Quite eye-catching and with local characteristics，Cannot be seen in other areas of Japan。

And this "put your hands together" design，What is presented is the spiritual symbol of local residents fighting against nature。Because it snows heavily here every winter，A steep roof prevents falling snow from accumulating，To prevent heavy snow from crushing the roof。

The reason why this design is “reasonable”，In addition to its appearance, it can avoid the danger of snow，It is also reflected in the wide working space inside it，Provide sericulture for local villagers。Agriculture is the main local economic activity，The agriculture here is mainly sericulture。Under the towering roof of "Gasho-zukuri"，Can be separated into two、The third floor is made into a sericulture workshop。A resident started a fire 188bet Online Sports Betting and Casino and cooked rice on the first floor，Heating rising，The sericulture rooms on the second and third floors can also be kept warm。

Mysterious historical legend

“Gasho Village” is an ancient village。Legend of the political situation in Japan at the end of the 12th century，The two major families of the Genji and Heira clan are competing for a game，Last，The Ping family lost，The descendants of the Heike family were trying to avoid persecution by those in power，Escape into the deep mountains and valleys。Later，These descendants are called "the Taira people"。It is said in Japan that there are "three secret places" related to the descendants of the Taira family，Shirakawago is one of the "three secret places"。

The residents of Gassho Village until the early Showa period，Still living a big family life like a matriarchal society，About 40-50 people per family，When it is known to the outside world，Also shocked。

The ancient village has a unique system - knot。“Knot” is a system of labor exchange。Both men and women must provide labor force，Help each other。This system also makes the relationship between people in the village very close。

Japan’s “Utopia”

Due to the inconvenience of transportation in "Gasho Village" in the past，And the winter is long，It often snows，There are few opportunities for communication between the village and other places，It can be described as “secret”，This also preserves the original style of the ancient village。Hundreds of local villagers raise sericulture and farm，Live the same "isolated" life as before。

Until 1995，After "Gasho Village" was named a World Cultural Heritage，It has just become an A-level tourist attraction，Build the highway slowly，To this day it can be said that the transportation is very convenient。

The mysterious temperament of "Gasho Village"、Rare snow、A unique building that gathers people’s wisdom、Legendary history and other characteristics，Attracted many foreign tourists to come and find out。No matter from architecture、History、Humanities Research、Which angle is the hobby of photography or returning to nature?，"Gasho Village" has its own unique charm，And it will give people the illusion of traveling through time and space。

Renovate the old and restore the original ecological life

There are actually 5 Gassho villages in Shirakawa Township，The most famous one is Ogimachi with 114 "Gasho-zukuri" buildings。The village is surrounded by mountains，There is a Zhuangchuan River flowing from south to north in the village。A main road runs through the village，A riverside valley about 1 km long where the stream meanders，Various sizes、Gassho-zukuri of different heights are scattered in an orderly manner，Quite spectacular。There are only more than 600 native residents left here，In addition to farming，Living a simple country life，Also undertakes work in the tourism industry。

The entire village is dominated by restaurants、Souvenir Shop、B&B、Mainly visiting facilities。No modern posters here，No feasting。Visitors come here，Must be adapted to 188bet Online Sports Betting and Casino the local sunrise、Life routine after sunset。It gets dark，On the street except for the faint lights in the houses，It was completely dark。The villagers basically turn off the lights and go to bed at 9 o'clock，Morning 5、Get up at 6 o’clock for activities。This return to primitive and simple life may make people feel ordinary，But the short break of these two days is enough to enrich the soul，This is also the journey of spiritual relaxation that more and more urbanites are pursuing now。

Under the Gassho-zukuri building structure，Not a single nail was used，All with tenons、Knotted knot，Thatched roof。In order to protect the original ecological architecture，Even this traditional thatched building is strong and practical，But every 30、Thatch must be replaced every 40 years。The roof is sloping and large，Every replacement is a huge project，It is difficult for one family to complete it。So whenever the roof is replaced，Almost the whole village helped complete it。

Introduce rules and regulations to effectively protect ancient villages

This area of ​​Shirakawa Township was first planned for the construction of a dam，But with the occurrence of villagers’ resistance，The government began to pay attention to the necessity of preserving Gassho-zukuri。Let’s take a look at some important points in time:

1967: the earliest existing，The 400-year-old "Wada Family" residence is the centerpiece，Move Gassho-zukuri from various places here。

1971: "Shirakawa-go Ogimachi Village Natural Environment Protection Association" was established，This is a self-governing association spontaneously established by the villagers，Established resident regulations to protect cultural assets。

1976: Driven by the Cultural Property Protection Act，Comprehensive protection of Ogimachi Gassho Village as an "Important Traditional Building Group Protection Area" in accordance with the law。

Tourism resources and supporting facilities

Let’s take a look at this tour map of Gassho Village。The tourism resources of Gassho Village are besides the building itself，There are also temples、Art Museum、Museums, etc.。The entire village is based on the premise of not destroying the lives of the villagers，Renovated some of the gassho houses into B&Bs、Catering and specialty shops，To meet the increasing needs of tourists。

The rightmost entrance of the map，There is a bridge called Meeting Bridge，After crossing the Encounter Bridge，There are three neatly arranged huts on the left side of the road，This is the famous photo spot "Three Huts"。The thicker main street in the middle is the main road of Ogimachi，Vehicles can also pass。As shown on the map，Most B&Bs and restaurants are clustered on both sides of the main road。

Mingshan Temple

Built in 1806，Took 20 years to build，It is a rare gassho-style temple in Japan。

Meiran YUMROMU Hall

Originally the ruins of ancient Ogimachi Castle，Is the commanding heights of the entire Ogimachi Gassho Village，The perfect base for a panoramic view of the entire Ogimachi Gassho Village。

Wada Family

The earliest existing gassho-zukuri in the village has a history of 400 years.

Kanda family

Nagase family

Every house in Gassho-zukuri will have a fire on the first floor，There is an iron plate covering the top of each stove，To prevent sparks from flying，Cause a fire。

Exhibition hall that recreates the grand event of the Mokushu Festival through doll models and more。Located inside Shirakawa Hachiman Shrine。

This is a Gassho-zukuri Museum，Preserved 25 Gassho-zukuri buildings that were moved from various places in Shirakawa Township。Restore the style of ancient Japanese countryside，The planning and preservation of the landscape are all configured according to the previous living space，Every Gassho-zukuri building is surrounded by rivers、There are fields in front and behind the house，There are fish and shrimps in the stream，Let tourists fully experience the labor and life of Gassho Village。The style of the entire museum is also combined with Japanese gardens，Waterfall、Waterwheel、Stream、Jingshi、Flower beds and so on are interspersed，Quite interesting。

local specialty snacks

What deserves attention，“Internet celebrity milk tea” that is the same as the ancient towns in China、“Grilled Sausage” etc.，Gasho Village products focus on local specialties，Like wine、Hida Beef、Persimmon、Hida milk ice cream, etc.。

3、Gasho Village shows the core of Japanese aesthetics - the beauty of wabi-sabi

Wabi Sabi，Transliteration (wabi-sabi)，It is one of the traditional Japanese aesthetic concepts，Very closely related to Zen Buddhism。The original meaning of wabi is simple。In Zen，Simplicity is regarded as a kind of beauty。sabi means silence，In Japanese，Also interpreted as "old" or "rusty"。Rough explanation，Wabi-sabi is an acceptance of transience、Flow、Japanese aesthetics with imperfection as its core。A kind of love for nature caused by the loneliness of the years、Defect、The yearning for simple aesthetics。Usually embodied in simplicity、Quiet、Incomplete、Inconspicuous、Rough、Among the declining things。

In Gassho Village，Visitors experience a short-term secluded life like the "Taira family" back then。Return to the countryside，Eat simple seasonal foods，Return to the life routine of the ancients，Understand the simple things in life，Pay attention to the inner feelings that are ignored in the usual busy life。Isn’t this the essence of wabi-sabi？

And the entire Gassho Village itself，Also shows images of traditional Japanese aesthetics。

Retro dolls can be seen everywhere.

A restaurant sign rendered in calligraphy font.

The appearance of thatched house，There is a delicate and warm atmosphere inside。This also highlights the connotation of "Wabi Sabi": rough appearance，Inner perfection。

In the coffee shop，Wooden stool，Added thatch texture cushion。Comfortable and warm，At the same time, it allows tourists to roam freely in the city and countryside。

“Gasho Village” has become popular in mainland China in recent years，A big 188bet Online Sports Betting and Casino reason is due to the annual "lighting ceremony"，The local government did not stop at one festival，In order to allow "Gasho Village" to have tourists all year round，They dig deep into the local culture，We also created a "Maojiu Festival" and an open-to-visit "Fire Drill Day"。

Lighting ceremony

Every winter，Gasho Village will hold a seven-day lighting ceremony。When the color of the sky gradually darkens，The cold white snow and warm lights begin to interweave into a beautiful scenery，Gasho House under the snow，Gradually surrounded by orange light，Like the "gingerbread house" in the childhood world，Full of romantic and warm atmosphere。

Due to the capacity of Gassho Village itself and the limited opening days，Making the Lighting Festival extremely popular，It is said that B&Bs in the village must be booked one year in advance。And due to the increasing number of tourists，The Lighting Festival in 2018 will be open for only 4 days，Limited to 900 people/day，Announce the time and open ticket sales on the website。However，This practice in Gassho Village，It’s not “hungry marketing”，To protect the ancient village，Let the traditional landscape survive。This makes the opportunity to see the beauty of the cabin in the snow extremely precious，It also increasingly arouses tourists’ willingness to visit。

Doujiu Festival

Shirakawago in October，When autumn is getting stronger，layers of dyeing、Beautiful red leaves，Perfectly contrasting with thatched roof，Growing warmth。The Doujiu Festival also started with great excitement。Japanese mountain people believed in mountain gods in ancient times。They use ancient methods to make wine，This white, turbid rice wine brewed in deep snow cellars every winter is also called sacred wine，Next autumn，Meet and drink with the villagers，Celebrating Autumn Harvest，Worship the Mountain God，Pray for a good harvest。

During the Moshijiu Festival，There will be various activities。Villagers wearing traditional Chinese clothes，Parade，Follow the main road until you reach the Shirakawa Hachiman Shrine，Dancing lion dance，Traditional ethnic song and dance performance，Invite ordinary tourists to drink white wine，Quite lively。

This lively atmosphere continues into the night，You can even bring your own snacks，Three or five friends will not return until they are drunk。The current composition of tourists in Gassho Village，Mostly one-day tours are used for sightseeing，The Dojijiu Festival can effectively make tourists stay here overnight。

Actually，In addition to the hard-to-get "Lighting Ceremony"，Golden Autumn’s “turbid wine festival”，You can also come to Gassho Village to watch fire drills。

This historical building made entirely of wood and thatch，What I fear most is fire，There are many fire hydrants and water spray gun equipment in the village，There is a fire hydrant next to every gassho house。Fire drills are held regularly。During fire drill，Several water pillars shot into the sky，It is also a magnificent landscape，Attracting countless 188bet Online Sports Betting and Casino tourists to come here to watch。

Famous German sociologist Ferdinand Tönnies believes: “The countryside ‘is a natural community’。It is both a production space for people，It is also people’s living space。In this community，Based on people and people、Man and nature、The long-term interaction and mutual unity between people and society form a unique rural culture，And regulate people、The basic relationship structure between nature and society，Maintaining people’s normal production order and life order。”

Gasho Village has now become one of Japan’s major tourist attractions，The numerous tourists did not damage this ancient village。The villagers will not live an uncomfortable life because of tourists。Promote local culture、Improving living standards has always been the goal of villagers’ joint efforts。There are modern living service facilities needed by villagers。At the same time，Tourists can also integrate well into the local area，Experience the working life of villagers。This is an attempt by local villagers to preserve their unique traditional culture、The efforts made by the traditional building complex。

Looking at China，We also have many ancient towns、Ancient Village，Lijiang、Double corridor、Hongcun, etc.，Also developed。But the biggest difference from Gassho Village is，Gasho Village is self-operated，All B&Bs、The shops are run by the villagers themselves，Although it lacks in richness of business formats，But there is no better way to preserve the traditional village temperament than through spontaneous protection by villagers。

I think this is an open topic，Completely retaining the indigenous people will also cause various problems such as the inability to upgrade the business，This is an issue that needs to be fully considered when doing top-level design before town development planning，It also needs to be combined with local policies。Developing and protecting ancient villages is a paradox，This is not the scope of our discussion，Under existing conditions，Maintain the balance between tourism and ancient villages as much as possible，Go out for a walk more，See what others are doing，Expand your ideas，Communicate with colleagues，Maybe we can also collide with different sparks，Why not?？

*Source of this article: WeChat public account "Real Estate Observer”(ID: realestatereview)，Author:Dai Xiaoxi, Zou Yi,Original title: "Japan’s most characteristic cultural village—Gasho Village》.