Ainokura Village in Gokayama (Nanto-shi, Toyama Prefecture)
While lesser known than it’s ultra famous neighbor Shirakawago in Gifu Prefecture, Gokayama offers a bit more of a relaxed atmosphere with arguably just as beautiful scenery. Like Shirakawago, Gokayama was also certified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995 for it’s well-maintained gassho zukuri houses. Gokayama has two villages of gassho zukuri houses, the larger being Ainokura and the smaller Suganuma.
I found out about Gokayama through an advertisement on a train in Tokyo (in Japanese). Since I had known about Shirakawago for a while, I was intrigued as to why Gokayama wasn’t as popular. While still somewhat of a tourist destination, Gokayama has received less media exposure and tourism resources geared to foreign travelers are still more limited compared to Shirakawago. After some research I found that this is mostly due to the fact the gassho zukuri villages of Gokayama are significantly smaller than Ogimachi, the village in Shirakawago popular with tourists. Gokayama also offers less in terms of accomodation, restaurants, and things to do in general.
Despite its smaller size compared to Shirakawago, I prefer the atmosphere of the Ainokura village in Gokayama. Don’t get me wrong. Shirakawago is breathtaking and I would argue the panoramic view of Ogimachi is far more superb than the one in Ainokura. However, Shirakawago can get congested with tourists taking photos which can take away from the natural atmosphere. If you have more than a day to spend in the area, I would recommend visiting both because the villages of Ogimachi in Shirakawago and Ainokura in Gokayama are within an hour’s bus ride. Thankfully my fiance and I had a weekend to spend and we got to enjoy both areas in all their beauty.
Let me know if you have been or are planning to go to either Shirakawago or Gokayama and what you think!
For more info and pictures of Shirakawago check out my Shirakawago post.
The estate might have been ruined by some dated 70s residential blocks, but the mansion The Knowe is still standing strong. Designed by Alexander Greek Thomson, the gate and lodge remains but not well maintained.
Brutalist architecture is quite common in Glasgow. Many dislike their ‘brutal’ appearance but Langside Estate to the south of Queen’s Park is rather attractive under the wintry sun.
