is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

located in Ōno District, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. It is best known for being the site of Shirakawa-gō, a small, traditional village showcasing a building style known as '' gasshō-zukuri''. Together with

Gokayama is an area within the city of Nanto in Toyama Prefecture, Japan. It has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List due to its traditional ''gasshō-zukuri'' houses, alongside nearby Shirakawa-gō in Gifu Prefecture. The survival of this ...

Nanto, Toyama is a city in Toyama Prefecture, Japan. It is in a mountainous area in the south-west corner of the prefecture just north of Gifu Prefecture. It is home to the Gokayama UNESCO World Heritage site. , the city had an estimated population of 51,669 ...

, it is one of

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Sites A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

. , the village had an estimated

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of 1,630 in 588 households and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

of 4.6 persons per km². The total area of the village was .

Geography

Shirakawa is a mountain village located in far northern Gifu Prefecture, bordering Ishikawa Prefecture and

Toyama Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Toyama Prefecture has a population of 1,044,588 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,247.61 km2 (1,640.01 sq mi). Toyama Prefecture borders Ishikawa Prefecture to the ...

on the

Ryōhaku Mountains The are a mountain range spanning Gifu, Toyama, Ishikawa, Fukui and Shiga prefectures in Japan. It is divided into the Kaetsu Mountains (加越山地 ''Kaetsu Sanchi''), whose major peak is Mount Haku, and the Etsumi Mountains (越美山地 ''Et ...

. Mount Hakusan is the highest elevation at . The village's area is 95.7% mountainous forests, and its steep places are characteristic. In between the mountains flows the

Shō River The has its source in Mount Eboshi (烏帽子岳 ''Eboshigatake'') in the Shōkawa-chō area of Takayama, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. After flowing for through the northern part of Gifu Prefecture and the western part of Toyama Prefecture, it emp ...

, which continues to the north into

. Most of the population is in its river valley. Since the opening of Hida Tunnel, Shirakawa can be reached within 50 minutes from

Takayama, Gifu Takayama City Hall is a city located in Gifu Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 88,473 in 35,644 households, and a population density of 41 persons per km2. The total area of the city was making it the largest city ...

compared to the earlier three hour drive, and only an hour to Nanto in Toyama.

Neighbouring municipalities

* Gifu Prefecture ** Takayama ** Hida *

** Nanto * Ishikawa Prefecture ** Hakusan

Climate

Shirakawa Village has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(

Koppen Koppen is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Dan Koppen (born 1979), American football offensive lineman * Erwin Koppen (1929–1990), German literary scholar * Luise Koppen (1855–1922), German author * Wladimir Köppen (1846� ...

''Dfa''). It features four distinct seasons with winter being its most recognised. Shirakawa is noted as one of the snowiest places in Japan. Yearly average snowfall amounts average out in excess of 10 meters (415.4") with snowbanks developing well over 2 meters tall. As a consequence of the frequent heavy snow, characteristically thick thatched roofed gasshō-zukuri (合掌造り) houses were created. With the Hakusan National Park mountain ranges as a background, these sites are major tourist attractions.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,Shirakawa population statistics
/ref> the population of Shirakawa has decreased over the past 50 years, with a small uptick around the year 2000.

History

The area around Shirakawa was part of traditional

Hida Province was a province of Japan in the area that is today the northern portion of Gifu Prefecture in the Chūbu region of Japan. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Wakasa''" in . Hida bordered on Echizen, Mino, Shinano, Etchū, and Kaga Provin ...

. During the post-

Meiji restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

cadastral reforms, the area was organised into

Ōno District, Gifu is a district located in Gifu Prefecture, Japan. The district is in a mountainous region near the geographic centre of Japan. Prior to February 1, 2005, the district comprised seven small communities, but on that day six of them merged into the ...

. The village of Shirakawa was formed on July 1, 1897 with the establishment of the modern municipalities system.

Economy

The local economy is dominated strongly by seasonal tourism. Due to the income from the tourists who came to see the ''gassho-zukuri'' villages, the financial condition of the village has been greatly improved, and tourist traffic increased further once the village became a UNESCO site. However, the increasing number of visitors has resulted in damage to the area from pollution, and by local inhabitants turning their homes into hostels, gift shops and parking lots, which in turn has endangered its World Heritage status. There is also a fear growing that the change to catering to tourists will harm the charm of the area's simplicity and fundamental Japanese scenery.

Education

Shirakawa has one combined public elementary/junior high school operated by the village government. The town village does not have a high school.

Transportation

Railway

*Shirakawa village does not have any passenger railway service.

Highway

Tōkai-Hokuriku Expressway The is a national expressway in the Chūbu region on the island of Honshū in Japan. It is managed by Central Nippon Expressway Company. The route is signed E41 under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's "2016 Proposal f ...

* *

Sister city relations

* -

Alberobello Alberobello (; literally "beautiful tree"; Barese: ) is a small town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia, southern Italy. It has 10,735 inhabitants and is famous for its unique '' trullo'' buildings. The ''trulli'' of Alberob ...

, Apulia, Italy, since March 3, 2005.

Local attractions

* The Historic Villages of Shirakawa-gō and Gokayama are designated UNESCO World Heritage sites ** Wadake Home—the largest gasshō-zukuri in the area * Shirakawa-gō Hirase Onsen (designated as a "national recuperation onsen") * Miboro dam, Lake Miboro * Hida Tunnel * Hakusan Rindō (hiking path) * , famous for its fall colors; 30 minutes away by foot is the Kōsō wetlands, also famous * Shirakawa Hachiman Shrine, where every October 14–15, the Doburoku Festival, famous for its Nigorizake, is held

Gallery

File:Ogimachi Village-01.jpg, Ogimachi village in Shirakawa-gō File:SHIRAKAWA GOU.JPG, Shirakawa File:Shirakawago Japanese Old Village 003.jpg, Traditional housing in Shirakawa-gō File:Shirakawago.jpg, Shirakawa

In popular culture

* The village of Hinamizawa in , a popular Japanese murder mystery dōjin soft

visual novel A , often abbreviated as VN, is a form of digital semi-interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with and used in the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with sta ...

series, is heavily based on Shirakawa, with many local landmarks clearly recognizable. *In Gosho Aoyama's

Detective Conan ''Case Closed'', also known as , is a Japanese detective manga series written and illustrated by Gosho Aoyama. It has been serialized in Shogakukan's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' since January 1994, with its cha ...

, Onizawa village from episodes 348-349, is modeled from real life Shirakawa. *The final issue of

Uncanny X-Force ''Uncanny X-Force'' was a comic book ongoing series published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Rick Remender and artist Jerome Opeña, the first volume of the series continued the story of Wolverine and his X-Force team from the series '' X- ...

Vol. 1 opens with

Wolverine The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for " glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscul ...

visiting Shirakawa. *The village of Minasato in the kemono visual novel Morenatsu (summer vacation) is based heavily off of Shirakawa.

Access

* Kaetsunō Bus

Shirakawa-go Bus Terminal is a bus terminal at Shirakawa, Gifu (village) in Japan. Besides, the bus terminal is used by the Kaetsuno Bus・Nohi Bus・Gifu Bus and so on. Outline The bus terminal is located near Ogimachi Crossroad on the Japan National Route 156 which is ...

World Heritage Site Bus is run by this company from Takaoka Station (Toyama) via Shin-Takaoka Station.

References

External links

Shirakawa official website
(some English content)
UNESCO entry on Shirakawa-go and Gokayama

Information related to Shirakawa-go on the official Gifu tourism website

shirakawa-go.gr
{{Authority control World Heritage Sites in Japan Villages in Gifu Prefecture