is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

located in Kamo District, Gifu 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 ...

. , the town 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 8,288 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 36 persons per km², in 3159 households. The total area of the town was .

Geography

Shirakawa is in the lower reaches of the Japanese Alps in southern Gifu Prefecture. It lies nestled in valleys formed by several rivers, which combine to form the Shirakawa river at one end of the town. The rivers, though substantially developed and altered, remain a source of '' Ayu'', a sweet river fish. The low mountains surrounding the town are heavily forested, primarily with evergreen trees.

Japanese macaque The Japanese macaque (''Macaca fuscata''), also known as the snow monkey, is a terrestrial Old World monkey species that is native to Japan. Colloquially, they are referred to as "snow monkeys" because some live in areas where snow covers the g ...

s, bears, and wild boar are known to live in the local forests. The town has a climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and mild winters (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''Cfa''). The average annual temperature in Shirakawa is 11.4 °C. The average annual rainfall is 2238 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.5 °C, and lowest in January, at around -0.9 °C.

Neighbouring municipalities

*Gifu Prefecture ** Ena ** Gero ** Hichisō ** Higashishirakawa ** Nakatsugawa ** Yaotsu

Climate

The town has a climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and mild winters (

''Cfa''). The average annual temperature in Nakatsugawa is . The average annual rainfall is with July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around .

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,Shirakawa population statistics
/ref> the population of Shirakawa has declined steadily over the past 50 years. Shirakawa Town Hall 2021-12 ac

History

The area around Shirakawa was part of traditional Mino Province. During the

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

, it was largely controlled by Owari Domain under the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...

. 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 Mugi District, Gifu. The village of Sakanohigashi was formed on April 1, 1897 with the establishment of the modern municipalities system. In 1953 the hamlet of Nishi-Shirakawa separated out to form the town of Shirakawa and joined Kamo District., and the following year Shirakawa annexed the remainder of Sakanohigashi village. In 1956, Shirakawa annexed the villages of Kurosawa, Sami, and Sahara.

Economy

The local economy is dominated by forestry and agriculture. Shirakawa is noted for its production of ''Hinoki'' wood, and also of

green tea Green tea is a type of tea made from the leaves and buds of the '' Camellia sinensis'' that have not undergone the withering and oxidation process that creates oolong teas and black teas. Green tea originated in China in the late 1st millenn ...

Education

Shirakawa has five public elementary schools and three public middle schools operated by the town government. The town does not have a high school.

Transportation

Railway

Central Japan Railway Company is the main railway company operating in the Chūbu (Nagoya) region of central Japan. It is officially abbreviated in English as JR Central and occasionally as JR Tokai (). The term ''Tōkai'' refers to the southern portion of Central Japan, ...

- Takayama Main Line ** -

Highway

* *

Sister cities

* Pistoia,

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

, Italy, since October 30, 1994 * Songyuan,

Jilin ) , image_skyline = Changbaishan Tianchi from western rim.jpg , image_alt = , image_caption = View of Heaven Lake , image_map = Jilin in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_al ...

, China, friendship city since 1981

References

External links

*
Shirakawa official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shirakawa, Gifu (Town) Towns in Gifu Prefecture