[Request Reservation: Private Tour] UNESCO World Heritage Shirakawago: Learn the Secrets of Gassho-zukuri Architecture

08:30- Meet-up Takayama Station East Exit (in front of Tourist Information Office)
10:00-10:20 20(min) Tenshukaku Observatory This observation deck offers views of the entire village of Shirakawago. Here, visitors can clearly see the village surrounded by towering peaks, and the mountainous forests accounting for 95.7% of the village's area.
This is the spot that everyone coming to Shirakawago wants to visit.
10:40-11:20 40(min) Tajima House - Museum of Silk Culture There is a reason why the distinct thatched roof architecture is used in Shirakawago. It is related to sericulture and the making of explosives. The museum director will explain more in detail. Look forward to proper explanations along with a video.
11:30-12:00 30(min) Kanda House See what it's like inside a thatched roof house. With a history of over 160 years, this house is said to have taken 10 years to build. Feel free to enjoy tea prepared with water boiled over the hearth. Looking at displayed articles that were actually used, visitors can feel the locals' way of life in a thatched roof house.
12:10-12:30 20(min) Wada House This is the largest thatched roof house in Shirakawago. It is an important cultural property built around 300 years ago. It may be surprising to some that people still actually live in this house. Families living in the Kanda House visited earlier and the Wada House are related.
12:45-14:05 20(min) Gasshozukuri Minkaen Outdoor Museum While Shirakawago has become a World Heritage Site where people continue to live to this day, there are nearby settlements that have disappeared. This open-air museum has preserved the structures of such extinct villages. On exhibit are newspaper articles and videos about how life was like in ancient times and the declining population.
14:20-15:00 40(min) Okuzaemon House, built in 1914 While without the thatched roofing, this structure features Japanese-style architecture and was built over 100 years ago. Craftsmanship impossible to recreate today can be found throughout the building, which is one of Japan's designated traditional buildings.