Last week, I went with a couple of friends to the northwest. After almost 6 hours of bus trip, we crossed the impressive Japanese Alps (yes, that’s the official name), which were covered by the snow and the clouds…

and arrived to Takayama, a small boring town in a still traditional japanese area, which helped us to feel some relaxation, especially if you compare it with the always noisy Tokyo.

But it was not just nature. We could also visit traditional japanese houses

… very traditional inhabitants, with their big japanese flags in the door of the shops …

… a nice street reminding the Gion quarter in Kyoto (no geisha, though) …

But that was not enough for us, and we decided to go to Shirakawago, a small town in that area, and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The advantage of going in Winter is the pleasure of seeing all this covered by the snow.