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 to ...

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 1,991,390 () and has a geographic area of . Gifu Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture to the north; Ishikawa 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 are vernacular houses constructed in any one of several traditional Japanese building styles. In the context of the four divisions of society, were the dwellings of farmers, artisans, and merchants (i.e., the three non-samurai castes). This c ...

''. Together with Gokayama in Nanto, Toyama, 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. I ...

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 h ...

. , 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 ...

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 is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu island. Ishikawa Prefecture has a population of 1,140,573 (31 October 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,186 km2 (1,616 sq mi). Ishikawa Prefecture borders Toyama Prefectu ...

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 th ...

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 ...

. 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, 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 city ...

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

Neighbouring municipalities

** Takayama ** Hida *

** Nanto *

** 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 freez ...

( Koppen ''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

(合掌造り) houses were created. With the

Hakusan National Park is a national park in the Chūbu region of Honshū, Japan. Established in 1962, it spans the borders of Fukui, Gifu, Ishikawa, and Toyama prefectures. Its main geographical feature is Mount Haku. In 1980 an area of 480 km² corresponding to ...

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 r ...

cadastral reforms, the area was organised into

Ōno District, Gifu is a district located in Gifu Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Gifu Prefecture has a population of 1,991,390 () and has a geographic area of . Gifu Prefecture borders Toyama ...

. 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 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 In Japan, are the country's hot springs and the bathing facilities and traditional inns around them. As a volcanically active country, Japan has many onsens scattered throughout all of its major islands. There are approximately 25,000 hot ...

") * 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 Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...

dōjin soft is software created by Japanese hobbyists or hobbyist groups (referred to as "circles"), more for fun than for profit. The term includes digital , which are essentially the Japanese equivalent of independent video games or fangames (the term " ...

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

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) is a major interchange railway station on the Ainokaze Toyama Railway Line in Takaoka, Toyama, Japan, operated by Ainokaze Toyama Railway. Lines Takaoka Station is situated on the Ainokaze Toyama Railway, and is also the starting point of the ...

via

Shin-Takaoka Station is an interchange railway station on the high-speed Hokuriku Shinkansen line and Jōhana Line in Takaoka, Toyama, Japan, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). It opened on 14 March 2015, coinciding with the opening of the Hokuriku S ...

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