Trip to Gifu & Shiga Prefectures
- October 7-10, 2005 (Japan)
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| The Shokawa Valley is located in Gifu Prefecture and contains three small towns that were declared World Heritage Sites by Unesco in 1995. Yuka and I are here blocking a very picturesque view of Ogimachi. | Ogimachi and the other villages are mainly known for their specially preserved houses, one of which can be seen in this picture behind Yuka. The houses are built entirely of wood and are thatched with rice plants that are changed every five years. |
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| This is taken from inside one of the old houses, and I was pleased to see that it had not been turned into a gaming hall. Most cities in Japan have been rebuilt numerous times, and little remain of architecture from the past. Once you have visited one Japanese town, you have pretty much seen them all. Ogimachi, however, is fortunately an exception. | Another view of Ogimachi, and this time I am not blocking the view. The most beautiful time to visit the area is apparently wintertime, though all the snow in the area makes it difficult. |
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| The main reason for visiting Gifu Prefecture was to attend the first wedding of my friend, Yotam, who got married to his Japanese girlfriend of many years. Both Yotam and I are competing to get married the most times, and I am sorry to see him get a head start. | The families were gathered to celebrate Yotam's wedding, and it was all done in an informal Japanese style. While in Gifu, we also got to experience cormorant fishing, but this happens after sunset and it was impossible to take pictures. |
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| The day after the wedding, we drove to the city of Nagahama, which is located by Biwa-ko (Japan's largest lake). On the way, we stopped by Sekigahara, where Tokugawa Ieyasu won a major battle in 1600. James Clavell's fabulous masterpiece "Shogun" leads up to just this battle. | While lakes can be beautiful, they do not necessarily make for great tourist attractions. Biwa-ko is Japan's largest freshwater lake, but I am pleased to say that I am rarely impressed by large bodies of water. In any case, Biwa-ko pales in comparison to for instance lake Baikal, which is not only larger but also much more beautiful. |
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Nagahama is situated northeast of Biwa-ko, and is famous for its old storehouses. The town offers some nice walks, but I would not go out of my way to visit the town. Some random festival took place while we were in town, with one of the main features being samurai guys wearing glasses. |
