Ainokura Village is located in Toyama Prefecture among the mountains, surrounded by natural beech woods. Ainokura gassho-zukuri houses were officially designated as a World Heritage site. Gassho-zukuri architecture is the result of wisdom and ingenuity of villagers who built the houses with sharply angled roofs to prevent heavy snow accumulation, a serious problem of this region. The houses logs were joined only with straw or ivy ropes rather than nails or iron clamps. Such ropes help preserve the house for a long time since they accumulated soot from the smoke of the irori and become as hard as steel. Thus they developed insect-repellent as well as preservation effects. The quality of natural woods, work of the builders and rational constructions were so high that in 400 years the future generation continue to live in gassho-zukuri houses. The tourist could stay there too and feel a unique life-style which maintain by gassho dwellers carefully. The historical picture of villager’s life that was based on the principle of self-sufficiency is reflected in two museums: Ainokura Folklore Museum and Ainokura Traditional Crafts Museum.
