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.
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.
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!
3 comments:
welcome! hopefully u can write more blog posts this place can help with a more female touch :P
nice pictures, the place is beautiful. makes me want to go to japan this year and drag my wife. is it easy traveling to that small village and to kanagawa without being able to read or speak japanese? can you read and speak japanese like mike?
@dgundam - Thank you! Yes, I can also read and speak Japanese. Actually, Shirakawago and Kanazawa are both fairly popular spots, and there were plenty of people there that did not speak Japanese. Provided that you do your research beforehand (as you may need to do some pre-booking of transport depending on the time of year) you should be fine!
Thanks (´・ω・`) ! Nice to meet you, heh.
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