Ainokura is the most remote gassho-zukuri village in Gokayama region, 45-minute car/bus ride from Ogimachi.

Ainokura village is a 5 minute walk from this stop. All gassho-zukuri village offer a unique atmosphere; Ogimachi is big and lively with many shops and tourists, Suganuma sits peacefully by the river bank, Ainokura is up up on a hill often covered in mist.

It has around 20 gassho-zukuri farmhouses. When I went for a walk at night, I only spot a couple of other tourists. In the morning, tourist buses start rolling in after 10am.

I was like ‘What is this cute building?’ and it turned out to be a toilet haha.

The original gassho-zukuri house with roofs that reach the ground. The roofs are built in this slanting manner to withstand the region’s heavy snow.