Green and red mountains backdropped billowing arches of water as they flowed over the historic village of Shirakawa-go during its annual water spraying drill on Sunday.
Once a year, the exercise is carried out to ascertain that the water cannons at the traditional mountain village in Shirakawa, Gifu Prefecture, are in top form.
Registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1995, Shirakawa-go is known for its 114 gassho-zukuri style farmhouses -- unique to the region -- with distinctive steeply angled thatched roofs named for their resemblance to hands joined in prayer (gassho, or "praying hands").
Sunday's exercise, which started from 8 a.m., was the first drill since a fire destroyed two huts in November last year. Residents were especially thorough in checking that the water cannons were working well.
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