With its thatched-roof houses, the storybook village is a winter delight.

Put Shirakawa-go, a charming Japanese village, on your fantasy travel list if you enjoy relaxing by the fire with hot cocoa while watching beautiful white flakes softly swirl outside and creating snow angels in deep drifts.

One of the world’s and Japan’s snowiest places is this mountain village. Literally meaning “white river village,” Shirakawa-go receives over 400 inches of snow a year, or about 33 feet. By contrast, Syracuse, New York, which is consistently ranked among the snowiest cities in the US, gets closer to 120 inches of snowfall each year.

It’s interesting to note that Japan experiences “ocean effect” snow, which intensifies the “lake effect” snow that occurs in the Great Lakes region of North America. Clouds containing a lot of moisture are produced when weather patterns blow across the (relatively warm) Sea of Japan from Siberia. All of the precipitation that these clouds have accumulated in the shape of snow is released as they ascend towards the Japanese Alps.

From early December to at least late February, the area usually receives snowfall, according to the Shirakawa-go Tourist Association.

The village is well-known for its snow-covered mediaeval houses that are illuminated at night in January and February. This weekly series of “light-ups” is especially beautiful during certain Sunday nights, when buildings are lit up in unison for a few hours, creating an especially dreamy image for the winter snowglobe.

Shirakawa-go’s climate was actually a factor in the village’s designation as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, along with nearby Gokayama. Some of the settlements’ thatched-roof, steeply pitched homes are as old as 250 years, and were built with large snow loads in mind.

There are currently about 100 of these Gassho-style structures standing, and according to UNESCO, they are the only ones in Japan. Families used to reside in the oddly formed lower-level houses centuries ago, and they would breed silkworms for commerce up in the rafters. “The Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama are outstanding examples of traditional human settlements that are perfectly adapted to their environment and their social and economic raison d’être,” according to the UNESCO website.

The isolated settlement here, cut off from the outside world by modern transportation and encircled by mountains on all sides, gave rise to a unique architectural style as well as a strong sense of camaraderie among the locals.

Visit Shirakawa-go, 100 kilometres north of Nagoya, to feel the warmth of the locals. Major cities offer bus and train service to the area. When visiting this enchanted, mediaeval village in the winter, remember to bring warm clothes and comfortable shoes. If layering up isn’t your thing, the area is equally charming in the spring, summer and autumn when it bursts with pink cherry blossoms, verdant foliage and changing foliage.

With its thatched-roof houses, the storybook village is a winter delight.

Put Shirakawa-go, a charming Japanese village, on your fantasy travel list if you enjoy relaxing by the fire with hot cocoa while watching beautiful white flakes softly swirl outside and creating snow angels in deep drifts.

One of the world’s and Japan’s snowiest places is this mountain village. Literally meaning “white river village,” Shirakawa-go receives over 400 inches of snow a year, or about 33 feet. By contrast, Syracuse, New York, which is consistently ranked among the snowiest cities in the US, gets closer to 120 inches of snowfall each year.

It’s interesting to note that Japan experiences “ocean effect” snow, which intensifies the “lake effect” snow that occurs in the Great Lakes region of North America. Clouds containing a lot of moisture are produced when weather patterns blow across the (relatively warm) Sea of Japan from Siberia. All of the precipitation that these clouds have accumulated in the shape of snow is released as they ascend towards the Japanese Alps.

From early December to at least late February, the area usually receives snowfall, according to the Shirakawa-go Tourist Association.

The village is well-known for its snow-covered mediaeval houses that are illuminated at night in January and February. This weekly series of “light-ups” is especially beautiful during certain Sunday nights, when buildings are lit up in unison for a few hours, creating an especially dreamy image for the winter snowglobe.

Shirakawa-go’s climate was actually a factor in the village’s designation as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, along with nearby Gokayama. Some of the settlements’ thatched-roof, steeply pitched homes are as old as 250 years, and were built with large snow loads in mind.

There are currently about 100 of these Gassho-style structures standing, and according to UNESCO, they are the only ones in Japan. Families used to reside in the oddly formed lower-level houses centuries ago, and they would breed silkworms for commerce up in the rafters. “The Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama are outstanding examples of traditional human settlements that are perfectly adapted to their environment and their social and economic raison d’être,” according to the UNESCO website.

The isolated settlement here, cut off from the outside world by modern transportation and encircled by mountains on all sides, gave rise to a unique architectural style as well as a strong sense of camaraderie among the locals.

Visit Shirakawa-go, 100 kilometres north of Nagoya, to feel the warmth of the locals. Major cities offer bus and train service to the area. When visiting this enchanted, mediaeval village in the winter, remember to bring warm clothes and comfortable shoes. If layering up isn’t your thing, the area is equally charming in the spring, summer and autumn when it bursts with pink cherry blossoms, verdant foliage and changing foliage.