Shirakawa-Village, The World Heritaqe Shirakawa-qo

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Shirakawa Village was listed as one of TheWorld Heritage at the 19th UNESCO that is held in Berlin on December 1995. This was the 6th World Heritage that Japan Heritage in Japan. The village was being preserved hundreds of years and because it was preserved so well so the UN put it in the list of The World Heritage.
And guess what, I did acutally went to see the village, to acknowledge the life style of Japanese hundreds of years ago and the difference between now and then. When I first arrive at the village I didn't see any difference between the houses in the city and the Shirakawa Village. But when i look closer, i found out that the roofs were different. The houses in the Shirakawa Village has roofs made by straws! STRAWS~ yes it is straws, you may ask what if it rains! Well, because there are many layers of straws that is able to stop the water from leaking into the house.





















Imagine how thick will the straws need to be to, it's at least 100 layers! Using straws and woods to build a house will make inside cool in summer and warm in Winter. The shape of the house are just like the houses that we draw in primary. A triangle shape at the top and a square at the bottom. (^口) If you look carefully on the roof, you'll see that it looks like a book opening on top of a wooden box. Because the straws can't last long, so every year the workers in the Shirakawa Village will have to change each one of the house's roof. It is a very big construction that have to be made each year.
















If you think there's only houses to look at then you're wrong, the enviroment had made the village much more beautiful. With the seasons changing, the appearence of the village changes also. In spring, the village will be green and fresh, in summer, the trees stands straight up waving their leaves to the tourist, in fall, the surroundings was painted red again showing the romantic tone of the village, in winter, snow falls turning the atmosphere into a white canvas. Each seasons have different theme. I feel that it will be better to visit the Shirakawa Village in winter because when the landscape turns white, it feels like the time will past slower and you could enjoy your breath breathing the fresh air from hundreds of years ago.













Japan is an awesome place to go, the big bath, the TATEYAMA Mountains, the culture of it, the tone of the Japan really effects us. It is even one of the longest living people countries in the World! Many things to see in Tokayama and souvenir that are not "made in China". If you have a chance you may want to take a walk through Japan, better to bring a partner to feel the romantic and the softness of Japan!!!

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