is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

located in Ōno District,

Gifu Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Gifu Prefecture has a population of 1,910,511 () and has a geographic area of . Gifu Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture to the north; Ishikawa Prefecture ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. 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 in Nanto, Toyama, it is one of

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage Sites World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...

. , the village had an estimated

population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...

of 1,630 in 588 households and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...

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 is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu island. Ishikawa Prefecture has a population of 1,096,721 (1 January 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,186 Square kilometre, km2 (1,616 sq mi). Ishikawa Pr ...

and

Toyama Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Toyama Prefecture has a population of 993,848 (1 January 2025) 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. 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 Nanto, Toyama. 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 cit ...

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

Neighbouring municipalities

** Hida ** Takayama *

** Hakusan *

** Nanto

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 cold ...

(

Koppen Koppen is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Dan Koppen (born 1979), American football offensive lineman * (1929–1990), German literary scholar * (1855–1922), German author * Otto C. Koppen (1901–1991), American aircraf ...

''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 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, 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. 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 Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

cadastral reforms, the area was organised into

Ōno District, Gifu is a Districts of Japan, 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 ...

. 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 * *

Sister cities

Alberobello Alberobello (; literally "beautiful tree"; Bari dialect, Barese: ) is a small town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia, southern Italy. It has 10,237 inhabitants (2022) and is famous for its unique ''trullo'' buildings. The ...

Apulia Apulia ( ), also known by its Italian language, Italian name Puglia (), is a Regions of Italy, region of Italy, located in the Southern Italy, southern peninsular section of the country, bordering the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Strait of Ot ...

, Italy, since March 3, 2005

Local attractions

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

onsen In Japan, are hot springs and the bathing facilities and Ryokan (inn), traditional inns around them. There are approximately 25,000 hot spring sources throughout Japan, and approximately 3,000 ''onsen'' establishments use naturally hot water ...

") * 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 is software created by Japanese Fan-made, hobbyists or hobbyist groups (referred to as "dōjin circle, circles"), more for fun than for profit. The term includes digital , which are essentially the Japanese equivalent of Independent video game de ...

visual novel A visual novel (VN) is a form of digital interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with static or animated illustratio ...

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

Gosho Aoyama is a Japanese manga artist best known for his manga series ''Case Closed'' (''Detective Conan'', 1994–present). As of 2017, his various manga series had a combined 250 million copies in print worldwide. Educational background Aoyama was tal ...

's ''

Detective Conan ''Case Closed'', also known as , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Gosho Aoyama. It has been serialized in Shogakukan's manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' since January 1994; its chapters are collected in 107 ...

'' manga series, 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 (character), Wolverine and his X-Force team f ...

Vol. 1 opens with

Wolverine The wolverine ( , ; ''Gulo gulo''), also called the carcajou or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species, member of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscular carnivore and a solitary animal. The w ...

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 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