Shirakawa-go (白川郷) is a small village in Gifu prefecture which has World Heritage status due to its famous thatched houses. I went there several years ago, when it was covered in snow, but this was the first time I've actually seen the ground.

We got there and (as opposed to the generally good weather we had been having with our guest) it was grey and wet, as you can see.

It is often said that bad weather can make for interesting shots. This certainly held true on this day; I got some quite atmospheric pictures.

The rain started to let up after a while, although it was always hanging around threatening to come back. We climbed up to Shirakawa's most popular and well-known photo spots.

Some shots from on the way down and from the (now rain-free but still cloudy and dark) village...

Japanese sense of humour:

Not sure what they are, but they're cute

Thanks for looking! The travel shots will continue with a set (quite possibly two or three posts' worth) from Taiwan, in a week or so.