Toyama

Warm Welcome in a Small Village

Local delicacies served in front of a irori fireplace!

Takako Sakamoto Feb 17, 2015 - 1 min read

<p>After 5 p.m. snow fell continuously! I felt like I was looking at a scene in a fairy tale.</p>

<p>Red fire in black charcoal! The irori fireplace reminds me of long-gone memories. I felt like I was a boy again!</p>

<p>Beginning of a silent night with snow falling from the sky endlessly</p>

<p>The hostess of the traditional inn told me a story while grilling fish over the charcoal fire in the irori fireplace</p>

<p>Impressive wooden wall clock! It was ticking regularly but I wished time would stop this night!</p>

<p>When I looked out a window I saw this!</p>

<p>The gorgeous dinner served for me in a small village between mountains didn't disappoint my expectations! Familiar, nostalgic tastes encouraged me to drink many glasses of sake, and happiness filled my heart.</p>

<p>A flash of red in a black and white world. By morning it would be buried in snow, too!</p>

<p>Snow enhanced my appreciation of the wonderful warm hospitality I received on this night!</p>

Gokayama in Toyama Prefecture is one of the rare places with really heavy snow in Japan. You can't experience snow like this every day, can you? Seated at an irori fireplace, I listened to a story of how Ainokura village changed from a small, isolated, unknown village into a World Heritage Site, as told by the traditional inn's friendly host and hostess while they served me a cup of tea and cake. It was an interesting story! Later, I enjoyed a dinner which consisted of local delicacies, accompanied by many glasses of sake. I was filled with contentment... I wished time would stop on that night, by the warm irori fireplace, with cell-phone and TV gone forever.

World Heritage Site: Ainokura Gassho-zukuri Villages 1. Winter in Small Village of Toyama 2. Warm Welcome in a Small Village 3. Good Old Japan in Toyama

Ainokura Gassho-zukuri Villages

Takako Sakamoto @takako.sakamoto

I was born in and grew up in Tokushima prefecture, and have lived in many places since then: Nishinomiya, Kyoto, Nara, Mie, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Fukuoka and Fukui. I am currently living in Yokohama City. All the places I lived, all the places I visited, I have loved dearly. The histor...