The winter "Shirakawa-go light-up" event started on January 13 at a settlement listed as a UNESCO World Heritage in the village of Shirakawa, Gifu Prefecture. This is the 39th time it has been held. At 5:30 p.m., 108 lights lit up 32 thatched roofs, and the beautiful gassho-zukuri style houses emerged. Visitors were amazed by the enchanting scene in the white, snowy landscape.

Note: Gassho is the act of joining a pair of hands in prayer.

Japanese original

Easy Japanese news is taken from the Mainichi Shogakusei Shimbun, a newspaper for children. This is perfect material for anyone studying Japanese who has learned hiragana and katakana. We encourage beginners to read the article in English followed by Japanese, or vice versa, to test their comprehension.

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Intermediate learners who do not need English assistance can directly access the Mainichi Shogakusei Shimbun site here. Furigana (hiragana) is added to all kanji in the text.