In Japan, there is a village surrounded by mountains, crossed by rivers, interspersed with rice paddies, and scattered with buildings with thatched human-shaped roofs.

This is the village of Shirakawago in Japan.

Shirakawa-go is located in the northwestern part of Gifu Prefecture.

The most distinctive feature of the village is its sharp roofs, as the thatched roofs on both sides look like an open book and like the palms of Japanese people clasped together in prayer.

This is why they call the village is called Gassho-zukuri.

The Gassho-zukuri is an all-wooden structure, and no nails were used in the construction process.

In order to prevent snow from collapsing the house, the roof was designed in a herringbone shape and thatched to protect it from the harsh winter cold.

The cedar is usually used for the columns of the Gassho-zukuri building, mostly in the north-south direction.

The reason for this is that the wind direction of Shirakawa is taken into consideration to reduce the amount of wind and to regulate the amount of sunlight so that the weather can be warm in winter and cool in summer.

The village holds a lighting event in late January and early February every year, which is the most popular time of the year.

A fairy tale world of fantasy slowly emerges.

Many people travel day and night to Shirakawa-go just to see this healing wonderland.

Every year, the local tourism association selects a specific day as the "lighting day".

On the lighting day, when the sky is getting dark in the evening, the already beautiful village of snowy plains looks even more beautiful and warm in the orange light.

The fairy-tale lighting season in the overly famous Hapucho Village has caused serious traffic jams in the village and prevented tourists from entering the village and the observation deck.

Therefore, from 2019, the lighting event will be held online by reservation.

To participate, visitors must first register and draw lots on the official website of the Shirakawa-go Tourism Association.

Those who win the lottery will be able to enter the village and visit the observation deck during the lighting event and stay overnight in the silvery white fairy tale world to experience the simple village life at night.

The village of Hopping is a world leader in the preservation and transmission of cultural heritage and has created a series of unique measures to preserve local culture.

Today, it is called "a beautiful village with the traditional flavor of Japan".

To this day, the village still retains the old ways of cooperation. When someone's house is renovated, everyone helps out.

The scene of a hundred people standing on the roof is spectacular and heartwarming.

In December 1995, at the 19th UNESCO World Heritage Committee held in Berlin, Germany, Hapo Village was listed as a World Heritage Site.

The village was recommended by German architect Bruno in his Rediscovery of Japanese Beauty, and travelers came to visit the village, which gradually developed a tourist industry.

The success of Shirakawa-go is inseparable from the unremitting efforts of the local farmers to preserve the local culture and the ecological environment of the mountain village.

Their experience is a positive reference for the construction of new rural areas around the world.

If you go to Japan in winter, you may want to pay attention to this annual lighting event, which is the most important event not to be missed.