Japan Trip 2018/2019 Part 6 : Shirakawago (guest post)

Hello, I will be making a guest post for this day of the trip spent in Shirakawago. This is my first blog post, so please be gentle!

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Shirakawago is a rural village tucked away in the Gifu prefecture, and has been a must-go-to on my list for quite some time. Fans of the visual novel Higurashi no Naku Koro ni may recognise this place as it is the setting for Hinamizawa. 

Although Shirakawago is more famously known for its Summer scenery, the snow does not take away from its beauty.

Upon arrival after a 50-minute bus ride from Kanazawa we were immediately met with a stunning snowscape, with snowfall following shortly thereafter.

The crowds dispersed from the bus terminal and like many others our first stop was this food stall and souvenir shop. 

 

The area’s regional specialty is its beef – each skewer set us back ¥600 (approx. $8) and was worth every cent. Only seasoned with a little salt, the meat was plenty flavourful and incredibly soft. Yes, we even went back for more!

Rugging up.

Continuing the walk.

A little ways down a hanging bridge needed to be crossed in order to access the first viewing area. A little congested, we eventually made it through.

Certainly no shortage of funny snowmen. 

Amazed at how any vegetation manages to survive in this weather.

Stopping by one of the shrines. Here I thought tori covered in moss was the best it could get.

What is most unique about this village is the style of roof adorning each of the houses and shops.

We even got a chance to enter one of the houses and explore its entirety, with pieces of crockery and tools on display.

 

Despite the fairly sharp angle, snow piles up and proves quite a nuisance. We came across this one particular owner in a t-shirt, nonchalantly sweeping it off. Mind you it was about -6C at the time.

Pillow-y, fresh snowfall. Just magical…

…and all too tempting to jump in.

 

 At about halfway through the journey we stopped at a rest area to defrost and sample a beef croquette [oops, forgot to take a photo] accompanied by a warm yuzu drink. Sadly the croquette was not really comparable to the aforementioned skewers. 

Waiting in line before us was, to my amazement, a Hanyu cosplayer! I was a little too shy to ask for a photograph with him. I was just happy to know another Higurashi fan was also visiting during Winter! True dedication as he must have been so cold.

The sun kindly came out as we ascended to the main outlook.

Getting hit with a snowball won’t hurt if it’s made with love, right?

View from the summit. Even in Winter I could still picture Rika and Akasaka here.

 

It was a little slippery - the umbrellas did not go to waste after it stopped snowing.

Snow-covered mountains we were in awe at on the way there.

Pretty persimmon tree spotted on the way back.

Sadly, due to the amount of snowfall, a lot of the village was sectioned off and I was unable to visit a few of the key areas from Higurashi – such as Rika and Satoko’s house. However, I will definitely make the pilgrimage again in the Summer months to tick all locations off.

Apologies for the longevity. Really, no photo could capture how enchanting Shirakawago is. You will need to see it for yourself! Everyone we passed had a smile on their face.

Thank you for reading!