Gokayama in Toyama Prefecture is one of the rare places with really heavy snow in Japan. You can't experience snow like this every day, can you? Seated at an irori fireplace, I listened to a story of how Ainokura village changed from a small, isolated, unknown village into a World Heritage Site, as told by the traditional inn's friendly host and hostess while they served me a cup of tea and cake. It was an interesting story! Later, I enjoyed a dinner which consisted of local delicacies, accompanied by many glasses of sake. I was filled with contentment... I wished time would stop on that night, by the warm irori fireplace, with cell-phone and TV gone forever.
World Heritage Site: Ainokura Gassho-zukuri Villages 1. Winter in Small Village of Toyama 2. Warm Welcome in a Small Village 3. Good Old Japan in Toyama
