You may keep your eyes closed in horror movies, but better to keep them open here as there was a bear attack in recent weeks.

And avoid getting poked by a passing umbrella as this small village of less than 2,000 permanent residents receives 2 million visitors per year.

In these historical homes, entire families lived on several floors, heated by fireplaces located in the center of the ground floor (both to spread the heat and to limit the risk of fires ). On the top floor, under the rafters, the family worked together in silkworm rearing.

The covering straw on the roofs must be changed every twenty years, at which time you can see craftsmen working on these roofs.

This amazing area reminds us of our own wild and forested home and the “soaking” rain only added to that memory

However unlike our home this area can easily accumulate 2-3 meters of snow so the risk of that weight crushing any house is very real.

Peaked roofs help prevent that disaster and the traditional material used for the roof was a local grass.

A great day trip that also side stepped to visit Government House which used to be both the residence and the seat of government offices. Now a museum