CD2-27 Shirakawa-go in Gifu and Gokayama in Toyama are famous for thatched houses. In the Gokayama district, there's an old tradition. It is said the survivors of the Heike clan came to live there in the 12th century. So some villages use the name of “Taira” from “Heike." 5 There were once over 1,800 thatched houses. Each house usually has two or three separate floors, so about 40 to 50 people lived in a house as a big family. However, there are less than 150 houses now.