With its collection of thatched roof farmhouses, stone-lined walking paths, and terraced farm plots that climb up the mountainside, Ochiai Village is an enduring example of a traditional Iya Valley hamlet.For anyone who has traveled around Japan, they will certainly know that the country is a land full of mountains. Actually, over 70% of the country is made up of mountains, and due to the steep inclines, inaccessibility, and other difficulties such places harbor, these areas are considered essentially uninhabitable (hence why most Japanese cities seem so densely packed). And while the Japanese…