SHIRAKAWA-GO, Japan 4K Travel Walk 白川村 with Captions Hello friends! Today, we are in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Shirakawa-go, Japan. This charming mountain village is known for their historic traditional homes built in the style known as gasshō-zukuri which means 'praying hands construction' due to the characteristic steep roofs. The thatched roofs are designed to shed the heavy snow that the valley receives. The orientation of the large attic windows maximize sunshine and reduce windload on the roofs. These type of houses were built from 1800 to 1900. The village flourished from silk cultivation and gunpowder production during