Victoria Ugarte, Shirakawa-go, Japan (Travel 2019)

Shirakawa-go (Shirakawa Village) is a Japanese mountain settlement in what was once considered to be a wild and unexplored region. Its distinctive large roofed gassho style houses, named for their resemblance to hands joined in prayer, are a characteristic feature of the village's traditional architecture and ideally suited to withstand the great weights of snow deposited annually. With an estimated population of only 1630 in 588 households, it is registered as a World Cultural Heritage Site.

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