Today we were
going on the excursion we thought we were going on yesterday. We boarded the coach
around 9.40am and were soon on our way, heading to the nearby mountainous area.
Again, we had a very informative, male guide to assist us. After travelling for
approximately 75min. through many rice paddies and small villages and then a
couple of long tunnels cut through the mountains, we arrived at our destination,
the Ainokura Gassho-zukuri Village, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The village
itself was settled 3,000 years ago and some of the houses there are nearly 400
years old. In fact, it was difficult to reach the village until a main road and
tunnels were constructed in 1985. It was one of the most picturesque places we
had visited with the many ancient wooden homes with thatched roofs nestled among
the mountains. The current population of the village is around 50. The houses
are all timber and have a pin-connected structure, in that no nails were used,
only ropes. The buildings had high pitched roofs because in winter the area receives
up to several metres of snow. Luckily for us it was very warm with beautiful blue
skies. We were taken into one of the homes which has been set up as a museum to
show us the building. We had a delightful talk given by a woman who lived in the
house, with her father who owned the house. He would have been about 80 years old.
There were many aspects of the house that fascinated us. The fact that the main
room had an open fireplace in the middle of it and no chimney, apparently the
smoke just dissipates into the roof. The house had three levels and there were
excellent displays of some of the main industries around the area like silk
production and the making of rice paper. The owner had also been a photographer
and many of his photos of the area were on display. After this we were given
time to wander through the village. From here we were driven to another small
village, to visit the Inami Betsuin Zuisenji Temple, the Inami Wood Carving Museum
and the surrounding streets. The surrounding streets are full of amazing woodcarvings
on shopfronts and other buildings. When we visited the temple, we were met by
another guide who told us the history of the temple from the 1300’s onwards.
This temple was made from wood and had been burnt several times over the years but
after each fire it was rebuilt. Woodcarving is taught at the temple, and we met
a lovely young man from Germany who was staying in this village to learn more
about the art of Japanese wood carving. He had already lived in several other
parts of the world that were famous for woodcarving and had come here to extend
his skills. He was busy working away on a piece, using camphor wood. The piece he
was working on would take him about six months to complete. We thoroughly enjoyed
this excursion and arrived back on the ship ready for a very late lunch.
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