Kinda Shifty

Nothing Broke

Well, it's day two and everything seems to be running just fine. Always a little worried when launching that something will inevitably go wrong and break. There's always that little Jurassic Park "oh no the electric fences are down" fear, but all is good, and you came back for day two, so thank you!

Today's Photo - Kinda Shifty

When I was originally planning my trip to Japan, I was going to keep things pretty simple and focus on Tokyo & Kyoto, with a side trip to Mt. Fuji. I went to go buy a rail ticket in advance, and while riffling through a tour book came across these amazing looking, traditional thatched roof Gasshō-zukuri (合掌造り) houses. Next thing you know, I ended up booking this multi-day guided tour through the country primarily so I could visit this village, Shirakawa-gō and see it in person.

You might be wondering a bit about these roofs. Having a thatched roof would seem to be really flammable by modern standards, and no surprise it is! In other parts of the world, I know that people apply some fire retardants to thatched roofs, but I'm not sure if they're used in Shirakawa-gō. They do have a special irrigation and sprinkler system along with other preventative measures. Every year there is a test of the sprinkler systems, and from the photos I've seen, it's quite the spectacle.

The historic village of Shirakawa-gō, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In miniature form.