Gassho house fire-screen
This photograph was taken in a traditional 'gassho' house (thatched A-frame house) in the Shirwaka-go World Heritage Site.
The view is looking down from the stairs, to the top surface of the screen which is suspended over the open hearth. This forces the heat back down into the ground floor.
In Japanese houses, visitors remove their outdoor shoes before stepping onto the wooden floors in slippers. These slippers are then taken off before stepping onto the tatami mats - such as those which surround the fire.
Gassho house fire-screen
This photograph was taken in a traditional 'gassho' house (thatched A-frame house) in the Shirwaka-go World Heritage Site.
The view is looking down from the stairs, to the top surface of the screen which is suspended over the open hearth. This forces the heat back down into the ground floor.
In Japanese houses, visitors remove their outdoor shoes before stepping onto the wooden floors in slippers. These slippers are then taken off before stepping onto the tatami mats - such as those which surround the fire.