JAPAN


W


e venture farther into the Japanese Alps as dusk falls, a thick band of pastel pink setting behind the spiky mountain peaks. Sunset casts a warm hue over the swathes of February snow, which has piled up in thick wedges along the side of the road. The winding track eventually arrives at Ainokura, the


largest and most remote village in the Gokayama region of Japan’s western Toyama prefecture. Traditional gassho-zukuri houses with steep, thickly thatched roofs pierce the snow-covered landscape – the characterising factor that led to Ainokura, and neighbouring villages Suganuma and Ogimachi, achieving Unesco World Heritage status in 1995. The houses were built more than 200 years ago, primarily for silk production. Their distinctive triangular roofs were designed not only for storage, but to help the run-off of snow, which falls by its droves in the winter. But today, some have a different purpose. Of the 20 gassho-zukuri houses in Ainokura, six are available as guesthouses – and we’re lucky enough to call one home for the evening. Owner Yoshikimi is waiting


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Our multi-dish feast is an immersion into times gone


by, with our host Yoshikimi preparing ingredients in the same way his ancestors might have done


for us when we arrive. The 64-year-old was born in this house and has lived here ever since, in more recent years opening up his home to curious travellers keen to immerse themselves in this tight-knit mountain community. He doesn’t speak much English, but he radiates warm hospitality. We’re handed yukatas – casual-style kimonos for lounging around in – and given a guided tour of the property. It’s one of only a few that is heated, which we’re grateful for considering it’s -12C outside. The heart of the home is a minimalist living room anchored by a smouldering hearth. We }>ÌhiÀ >ÀoÕn` iÌ on yooÀ VÕÃhionà for dinner: a multi-dish feast celebrating the preservation methods of fermenting and pickling.


It’s an immersion into times gone by; `iëiÌi ƂinokÕÀ> noÜ LiniwÌin} vÀom a nearby supermarket, Yoshikimi prefers


to prepare ingredients in the same way his ancestors might have done when the nearby river was the only source of trade and transportation. Afterwards, we take it in turns to use the property’s private onsen – the ritual of bathing is integral to all


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FACING PAGE, FROM LEFT: FIRST ROW: Traditional gassho-zukuri house, Ainokura; Kenrokuen Garden SECOND ROW: Wood carver in Inami, Nanto City; Erica Bush; geisha in Nagamachi, Kanazawa THIRD ROW: Hida-Takayama in Gifu prefecture FOURTH ROW: A traditional meal at a guesthouse in Shirakawa-go; temple in Takayama Credits: -hÕÌÌiÀÃÌoVkÉÌÛVÕon}nn9Ó] />nÞ> oniÃ] o}>n ÕÃh] VoÜ>À`lion]


Õni`-oÃÜiiÌ] -i>n *>Ûoni] 1ÀL>n >«yin] LiiLoÞÃ 64 ASPIRE JUNE 2023 aspiretravelclub.co.uk


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