December 2016, it was really dark and cold when my family finally arrived at a small village hidden in an unfamiliar valley and flanked by the mountains of Gifu. A small village known for its harsh and rough winter climate.
A severe blizzard with strong winds hit really hard that night. It took us more than 30 minutes until we were able to walk to our lodging in simple hut called gassho-zukuri, a very undemanding yet steady and multifunctional houses to live at.
Along the snow-capped road, there were only lone trees and farm houses that our eyes could catch. Also a closed laundry shop outside the traditional crafts store and some distinctive Tanuki Statues at a souvenir shop.
The village looked very desolate as if there were no signs of life, nothing except for the warm colored lamps that can be seen from the windows of the villager's huts.
Amid the quietness, we could almost hear the snowflakes falling.
The snow continued through out the night as we slept in our lodge and awoke at dawn to a sunlight peeking through the white cozy clouds. We exited our inn with slow steps and our eyes shined brighter than any dazzling gold. There it was, the most ravishing scenery we've only been dreaming of this whole time.
It was freezing out there, yet our heart were warmer than we've ever felt before. Shirakawa-go and its beauty looked very easy on the eye. No words could ever describe how magnificent and how amused this small village could made us feel. Oh, how we wish we knew about this majestic kind of place sooner.
It was too bad that we didn't bring any camera with us back then. But the truth is, we just used it as a reason to come back again and again to this amazing little place.
I do really want to write more about this admirable moment, but it'll be a huge spoiler for the readers. Just go and visit if you have time, you will see it for yourself. Well, let's just say, it was the most incredible and remarkable short getaway.