Shirakawa-go (Day 3)

This is definitely the post with the most Japans' photos. The places that I visited on day 3 was simply out of this world! The sights were so breath-taking that it looks exactly like it's taken right out from a scenic poster. I was completely in awe with Mother Nature.

Checked out from hotel early in the morning & setting off. (Needless to say I missed breakfast again :p)

Taking in the sights along the bus routeHappy that we've reached destination
I dunno why I'm in that squatting position :p It's a cold cold day!Shirakawa-go is a small village with a population of only 1900 people. It's Gassho style settlement (joined-hands farmhouses) has been registered as a 'world culture heritage'.

I looove the thick blanket of snow everywhere!

Hee~ caught me falling down :p

A Gassho styled private house is roofed with thatch. The re-roofing is done in group work by local people. The thatched roofs took hundreds of people to construct and this is one of the only place in Japan (& the world) to have this type of structure.

A really ugly snowman

Snowball fight

Kok Ying's imprint

Are there any other words that can substitute breath-taking? I think I've overused it already :p

A frozen stream

Crossing the bridge to get to the other side of the village that's inhabited , for shopping & lunch

Settling down to lunch in a traditional restaurant in the village

The rest had beef

While I had this

Erm..... I think it's 1 mushroom & 1 slice of carrot. In the end, I was so unfulfilled that I went to the shop & bought a whole box of souvenir biscuits & ate them for lunch instead.

Went up to Shirakawa-go Shiroyama Observatory so that we can have a bird's eye view of the village

Yeah...... reached our hotel for the night - Hotel Gujo Hachiman

Meat!!!

This is also a traditional onsen hotel. I have learnt that onsen hotels are really expensive.

The tour guide brought us to watch a local dance/ song performance in the hotel. Apparently a renowned actor (poster below) is performing for the night. 'She' is a man by the way.

The locals will come to the hotel to watch the performance as well

After the performance, the tour guide brought us to learn a traditional Japanese dance but we were much more interested in onsen instead.

Onsen here we come! I love this onsen here because it really huge & there's 1 outdoor where you can soak in the hot spring & enjoy the view below. You can even see the trains go past. It's really an amazing feeling to soak in the near-scalding water & yet the air around you is freezing cold. It was snowing after I completed the bath. Which is such a pity cos if not I would be soaking in the hot spring with snow swirling around me.

Snuggling nice & warm in the futon while wearing my favourite jammies