Sightseeing in Gokayama and Inami

This weekend, I enjoyed visiting sites in Gokayama and Inami in Nanto City.  I have not spent much time at these places since I was little.

Yesterday, I strolled around Gokayama - famous for Gasshozukuri buildings - part of a World Heritage site.  The buildings are actually used - as homes, museums, and Minshuku.

Here are Gasshozukuri buildings of a lovely community of Ainokura.

The roof structure does not use any nails but ropes.

Silk was an important trade for the residents - below is the silkworm housing.

Old raingear.

Musical instruments.

The local shrine.

Today, I visited Inami, a town famous for an old temple - Zuisenji and fantastic woodcarving culture that survived with preservation of the temple art.

Zuisenji Temple was established in 1390.

The street leading to the temple has many old stores - mostly woodcarving shops.

A bus stop sign close from the temple.

The sign for the woodcarving museum near by.

A fantastic Ranma featuring the 12 Zodiac Animals on the wall of the museum.

A shop by the museum had a traditional woodcarving shop - the owner artist is working on a Ranma.

But the artist's true love seemed to be chainsaw woodcarving for he mainly talked about that.

Here he is proudly posing next to his Godzilla sculpture he made with his chainsaw.  The dark color was made with a burner, he said.

Gokayama and Inami are fantastic places to visit!