Hiroshima Shukkeien garden pavilion with thatched roof

Thatched roofs were used in Japan ever since the old times. Even today, the top craftsmen are gathered in the Japan Thatching Cultural Association, and using traditional methods are restoring thatched roofs of valuable, cultural heritage buildings and gates.

This small but great looking pavilion in the Shukkeien garden in Hiroshima was last restored 48 years ago, because such a roof lasts a lot longer than it seems, about 40 to 50 years...