In the Shirakawago area, over 100 traditional thatched roof houses of various sizes remain, and even today people live here. The beautiful scenery of the traditional thatched roof village is considered to be one of Japan's most attractive landscapes, and in 1995 it was registered as a Unesco World Heritage site. The "Gassho-zukuri" of the houses is an architectural style unique to Japan in which wooden beams are arranged in the shape of a mountain.