Exploring Rural Japan by Van- Takayama and Shirakawa Traditional Thatched Houses

We spent 18 days on the road traveling from Kagoshima, Kyushu up through central Honshu and back over our spring break. We drove about 3,300 km (2,000 miles). We spent every night in our simple van conversion with our Alaskan Husky, Taku. Rural Japan is where our heart is and seeing the famous traditional thatch houses in the snow country of central Japan was a delight. Seeing them up close and being able to get inside to see the incredible workmanship exceeded expectations. Getting up into the attic area was a favorite. Takayama had some tourists, but was pretty quiet overall and the open air museum really allowed you to take your time and explore the homes in all of their beautifully maintained detail. Shirakawa was a much bigger tourist spot. We arrived as things opened and it was somewhat quiet but quickly became busy as tour buses poured in. It was still an amazing experience. It is an active town so people are living in most of the homes or they are used for hotels or restaurants. Some have been restored as museum pieces to go inside. Although there were many tourists here, the town did not feel ‘touristy’ and maintained a very traditional feel. Both locations are totally worth visiting. Since we drive ourselves, next time I would go to some of the other tiny nearby villages that still have these thatched roof houses but only a tiny fraction of the visitation and are off the tourist circuit.