Road Station Shirakawa-go and Gassho Museum

This highway rest stop at Shirakawa-go pairs a food and souvenir hall with the Gassho Museum, where the main exhibit is a half-scale cross-section of a traditional gassho-style farmhouse. Sections of the roof are thatched while others are left bare, showing how the straw layers attach to the roof frame using witch hazel sapling bindings called neso. Mannequins illustrate the different roles of the thatching crew. Near the exhibit, a human-powered pile driver of the type historically used to set foundation stones stands on display. The museum also carries explanatory panels on the construction and history of Shirakawa-go's distinctive steep-roofed architecture.