Shirakawago: Family Day!

It's Sunday! 

My last day before the studying begins for my final....bummer. 

Anyways, today's plan for the last hurrah: Shirakawago!

But first, some breakfast: 

salad, ham, an egg with some soy sauce, Chinese vegetable soup, and some cherries! 

Puts a smile on mah face. 

Shirakawago is located about an hour drive away from home in Kanazawa. 

It was such a beautiful day so I really enjoyed being outside! I've gotten really lucky with the weather.

 Not hot and humid like everyone warned me...yet. 

The bridge to get to the main village. Cool right? yes. 

One of my favorite things about Japan is the greenery in the mountains. 

The only way I can really describe it is just green. so green. green everywhere. Love it. 

Tada! The village of Shirakawago! 

It was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1995, and is famous for the "gassho-zukuri" farmhouses with the steep thatched roofs. 

"Gassho-zukuri," meaning "constructed like hands in prayer" are meant to resemble Buddhist monk hands pressed together during their prayer. 

Some of the houses are 250 years old. They remind me of the Three Little Pigs...except just the house in the story that is made out of straw. Looks like a fairy tale! 

We only walked around for about 15 minutes when Haruki had a sudden urgent craving for shaved ice. So morning snack time was of utmost importance! 

It was so different to travel around with my host family, in comparison to my real family. When I travel with my real family, we are constantly moving. ALL DAY. And we're not just moving. We walk fast. Well actually, my dad walks at a fairly fast pace, leaving me, then my sister and mom to trail behind. 

With my host family, we were just strolling, stopping every once in a while...it was very pleasant. 

Some of the houses are 250 years old. They remind me of the Three Little Pigs...except just the house in the story that is made out of straw. Looks like a fairy tale! 

Strolling and rolling.

We then walked up the hill to see the entire village from the top!

The houses look like tiny little toy models. So idyllic. 

 Family photo! Kaho and Haruki are both looking at the camera, so one worth framing, I'd say...

We had lunch on this main street that I saw from the top

Nameko mushroom chilled soba

After lunch, we walked around a bit more, before....

Snack time #1!

In the Hida region, the beef is well-known for being high-quality, so my mom and I shared a couple of snacks: a Hida beef steamed bun and a potato croquette. Hot out of the steamer and fryer!

While mom and I were walking around and eating our snacks, the kids found a little play ground! My dad finally got a chance to sit down after carrying them around all day! phew! 

Let's get a good look at Kaho, shall we? hmmm....she is a bit wild.

Snack time #2: Mitarashi Dango: grilled mochi skewers with soy sauce. 

The girl is goin' for it. beware. 

Time to cross back over the bridge!

Next up: Gokayama, just a short drive away...

Gokayama is a more quaint version of Shirakawago, also known for the gassho-zukuri houses. 

Even though it was very small (just one main road), I really enjoyed strolling through with barely any other tourists around. Very peaceful. I wanted to take a nap in the field. 

 I was super tired from not sleeping that much the whole week, so this relaxed day trip was perfect.

 Reminds me of the Sound of Music! Though all really lush, green hills remind me of the Sound of Music....we will probably see this comparison again. 

So beautiful, amirite? I really had no idea that Japan was this green. Every side trip that I've gone to has surprised me with amazing landscapes. wowowowowow. 

The lack of sleep from the week finally hit me today. I slept on the way to Gokayama, on the way home, and then I fell flat on my futon when we got back home! Yikes.

 Gotta get on a better sleep schedule....yeah probably not. 

I couldn't nap very long because I had studying to do. wa wahhhhh. 

At least this dinner softened the blow! 

Temaki sushi tonight! 

We made our own sushi hand rolls with: sweet shrimp, negi toro, natto, tamago yaki, cucumber, and krab. Fun fun stuff. 

Now some not so fun stuff. As always, quiz tomorrow. Study time. Let's go.