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snow-covered hamlet Shirakawa-go

The famous thatched-roof homes of World Heritage designated site Shirakawa-go, Gifu, in gassho-zukuri style. Gassho means to place your hands together in prayer. The steep rooftops resemble hands in prayer. This hamlet deep in the mountains of central Japan receives heavy snow in winter. In the past silkworms were raised on the upper stories of the larger homes.