Wada House, Shirakawa-mura

Once a rich family farmhouse built in 1790, and now a museum, Wada House stands out as the largest thatched-roof building in the area. Learn about the Wada family and the labor intensive economy of their large household set in an entire section of a preserved traditional village. The upper floor clearly shows how the 60-degree, "gassho"-style roof joins together like a pair of clasped hands. The house, covering 110 sq m (1,184 sq ft) features lacquer ware, sericulture tools, and manuscripts. Part of the small exhibition on the silk worm industry displays around 500 of the insects, both in the form of larvae and cocoons. Make sure you get a brochure in English as you enter the museum. Work out when and for how long to visit Wada House and other Shirakawa-mura attractions using our handy Shirakawa-mura route maker tool.