Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama

These villages are well known for their houses constructed in architectural style known as gasshō-zukuri (合掌造り). The Gassho-zukuri, "prayer-hands construction" style is characterized by a thatched and steeply slanting roof resembling two hands joined in prayer. The design is exceptionally strong and, in combination with the unique properties of the thatching, allow the houses to withstand and shed the weight of the region's heavy snowfalls in winter.
The houses are large, with three to four stories encompassed between the low eaves, and intended, historically, to house large extended families and an highly-efficient space for a variety of industries. The densely-forested mountains of the region still occupy 96% of all land in the area, and prior to the introduction of heavy earth-moving machinery, the narrow bands of flat lands running the length of the river valley limited the area available for agriculture and homestead development. The upper stories of the gassho houses were usually set aside for sericulture, while the areas below the first floor were often used for the production of nitre, one of the raw materials needed for the production of gunpowder.

Longing for a Tear Bringing Sky

"Six Stories of Fascinating Toyama"

Two animation studios, Toyama City's P.A.Works and the flash anime creation team The BERICH from Uozu City, have created short works based on the theme "Tear Bringing Toyama Prefecture." They feature animated versions of Tateyama, Toyama Bay, and Gokayama as well as real footage shot by Toyama Television Broadcasting, presenting to you the many fascinating sides of Toyama Prefecture! here