Shirakawa-go Gasshō-zukuri Village in Japan 🌟

The Gasshō-zukuri village in Shirakawa-go was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1995. 🏆 🌸🍃 The name “Gasshō” comes from the steep 60-degree gable roofs of the buildings, which resemble hands folded in prayer (called “Gasshō” in Japanese). This is a traditional Japanese wooden architectural style. 🌿 What makes the “Gasshō-zukuri” architecture unique? First, the houses are built without nails, relying only on mortise-and-tenon joints and straw ropes for binding, making them highly earthquake-resistant. 🏠 Second, the roofs are thatched with thick layers of straw, up to 50 centimeters deep, which can withstand snowfall of 2–3 meters. 🌸🍃 The entire village works together to replace the thatch every 30–40 years. 🌟 Third, the high-pitched roofs allow for lofts to be built inside, where silkworms are raised. The top space is fully utilized, and smoke from stoves is used to repel insects, making the houses multifunctional. 🕸️ Shirakawa-go has almost perfectly preserved the village layout from the Edo period (17th–19th centuries), untouched by modernization. 🌸🍃 Some residents still live by sericulture and rice farming, a perfect example of harmony between humans and nature. 🌿 The photo was taken in June 2016. 📸 #WorldHeritageSite 🌇