Shirakawa, Gifu (village)

Shirakawa is a mountain village located in far northern Gifu Prefecture, bordering Ishikawa Prefecture and Toyama Prefecture on the Ryōhaku Mountains. Mount Hakusan is the highest elevation at {{convert|2172|m|ft}}. 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 compared to the earlier three hour drive, and only an hour to Nanto in Toyama.

• Gifu Prefecture
• Hida
• Takayama
• Ishikawa Prefecture
• Hakusan
• Toyama Prefecture
• Nanto

Shirakawa Village has a humid continental climate (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 {{convert|10|m|in|sp=us}} 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.

{{Weather box

|width = auto

|collapsed = Y

|single line = Y

|metric first = Y

|location = Shirakawa Village (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1978−present)

|Jan record high C = 15.5

|Feb record high C = 16.5

|Mar record high C = 22.5

|Apr record high C = 29.9

|May record high C = 31.6

|Jun record high C = 33.8

|Jul record high C = 36.3

|Aug record high C = 36.5

|Sep record high C = 34.8

|Oct record high C = 29.8

|Nov record high C = 24.5

|Dec record high C = 19.6

|Jan record low C = -16.4

|Feb record low C = -15.8

|Mar record low C = -15.5

|Apr record low C = -8.3

|May record low C = -0.7

|Jun record low C = 4.2

|Jul record low C = 10.8

|Aug record low C = 11.7

|Sep record low C = 3.6

|Oct record low C = -1.8

|Nov record low C = -8.3

|Dec record low C = -14.9

|Jan high C = 2.8

|Feb high C = 3.8

|Mar high C = 8.3

|Apr high C = 15.6

|May high C = 21.8

|Jun high C = 24.9

|Jul high C = 28.2

|Aug high C = 29.6

|Sep high C = 25.1

|Oct high C = 19.2

|Nov high C = 12.9

|Dec high C = 5.9

|Jan mean C = -1.0

|Feb mean C = -0.8

|Mar mean C = 2.5

|Apr mean C = 8.8

|May mean C = 14.9

|Jun mean C = 19.0

|Jul mean C = 22.7

|Aug mean C = 23.6

|Sep mean C = 19.4

|Oct mean C = 13.2

|Nov mean C = 7.1

|Dec mean C = 1.7

|Jan low C = -4.4

|Feb low C = -5.0

|Mar low C = -2.3

|Apr low C = 2.7

|May low C = 8.6

|Jun low C = 14.1

|Jul low C = 18.6

|Aug low C = 19.2

|Sep low C = 15.2

|Oct low C = 8.8

|Nov low C = 2.8

|Dec low C = -1.7

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 281.8

|Feb precipitation mm = 204.5

|Mar precipitation mm = 195.8

|Apr precipitation mm = 151.6

|May precipitation mm = 128.8

|Jun precipitation mm = 187.1

|Jul precipitation mm = 277.7

|Aug precipitation mm = 190.5

|Sep precipitation mm = 214.5

|Oct precipitation mm = 167.9

|Nov precipitation mm = 181.6

|Dec precipitation mm = 282.8

|year precipitation mm = 2458.2

|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 22.2

|Feb precipitation days = 17.1

|Mar precipitation days = 16.7

|Apr precipitation days = 13.2

|May precipitation days = 11.7

|Jun precipitation days = 11.8

|Jul precipitation days = 15.0

|Aug precipitation days = 11.4

|Sep precipitation days = 13.2

|Oct precipitation days = 12.6

|Nov precipitation days = 15.4

|Dec precipitation days = 21.2

|Jan snow cm = 340

|Feb snow cm = 251

|Mar snow cm = 149

|Apr snow cm = 19

|May snow cm = 1

|Jun snow cm = 0

|Jul snow cm = 0

|Aug snow cm = 0

|Sep snow cm = 0

|Oct snow cm = 0

|Nov snow cm = 12

|Dec snow cm = 201

|year snow cm = 972

|unit snow days = 3 cm

|Jan snow days = 20.6

|Feb snow days = 16.5

|Mar snow days = 14.6

|Apr snow days = 2.7

|May snow days = 0.1

|Jun snow days = 0

|Jul snow days = 0

|Aug snow days = 0

|Sep snow days = 0

|Oct snow days = 0

|Nov snow days = 1.3

|Dec snow days = 12.3

|Jan sun = 41.2

|Feb sun = 62.1

|Mar sun = 105.0

|Apr sun = 160.8

|May sun = 196.9

|Jun sun = 150.6

|Jul sun = 149.4

|Aug sun = 175.1

|Sep sun = 125.0

|Oct sun = 121.3

|Nov sun = 88.8

|Dec sun = 47.0

|year sun = 1417.8

|source 1 = Japan Meteorological Agency{{cite web

| url = https://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/nml_amd_ym.php?prec_no=52&block_no=1306&year=&month=&day=&view=h0

|script-title=ja:気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値）

| publisher = JMA

| access-date = May 30, 2022}}{{cite web

| url = https://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/rank_a.php?prec_no=52&block_no=1306&year=&month=&day=&view=h0

|script-title=ja:観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値）

| publisher = JMA

| access-date = May 30, 2022}}}}

Per Japanese census data,{{Cite web |title=Shirakawa (Gifu , Japan) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map, Location, Weather and Web Information |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/japan/gifu/_/21604__shirakawa/ |access-date=2023-10-25 |website=www.citypopulation.de}} the population of Shirakawa has decreased over the past 50 years, with a small uptick around the year 2000.

{{Historical populations

| 1970 | 2,525

| 1980 | 2,132

| 1990 | 1,892

| 2000 | 2,151

| 2010 | 1,733

| 2020 | 1,511

|align = none

| footnote =

}}

The area around Shirakawa was part of traditional Hida Province. During the post-Meiji restoration cadastral reforms, the area was organised into Ōno District, Gifu. The village of Shirakawa was formed on July 1, 1897, with the establishment of the modern municipalities system.

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.

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

• Shirakawa village does not have any passenger railway service.

• {{RouteBox|E41||#008766}} Tōkai-Hokuriku Expressway
• {{jct|country=JPN|Route|156}}
• {{jct|country=JPN|Route|360}}

• {{flagicon|Italy}} Alberobello, Apulia, Italy, since March 3, 2005

• {{nihongo|Amau Pass|天生峠|Amau tōge}}, 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")
• Shirakawa Hachiman Shrine, where every October 14–15, the Doburoku Festival, famous for its Nigorizake, is held

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

• The village of Hinamizawa in {{Nihongo|Higurashi When They Cry|ひぐらしのなく頃に||lit. When the Cicadas Cry}}, a popular Japanese murder mystery dōjin soft visual novel series, is heavily based on Shirakawa, with many local landmarks clearly recognizable.
• In Gosho Aoyama's Detective Conan manga series, Onizawa village from episodes 348–349, is modeled from real life Shirakawa.
• The final issue of Uncanny X-Force Vol. 1 opens with Wolverine visiting Shirakawa.
• The village of Minasato in the kemono visual novel Morenatsu (summer vacation) is based heavily off of Shirakawa.

• Kaetsunō Bus Shirakawa-go Bus Terminal

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

• Gokayama
• Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Shirakawa, Gifu (village)|Shirakawa, Gifu}}

{{wikivoyage|Shirakawa-go}}

• [http://shirakawa-go.org/ Shirakawa official website] {{in lang|ja}} (some English content)
• [https://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31&id_site=734 UNESCO entry on Shirakawa-go and Gokayama]
• [http://travel.kankou-gifu.jp/en/see-and-do/2/ Information related to Shirakawa-go on the official Gifu tourism website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502202055/http://travel.kankou-gifu.jp/en/see-and-do/2/ |date=2019-05-02 }}
• [http://shirakawa-go.gr.jp/en/seetypes/hotsprings/ shirakawa-go.gr] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610192138/http://shirakawa-go.gr.jp/en/seetypes/hotsprings/ |date=2020-06-10 }}

{{World Heritage Sites in Japan}}

{{Gifu}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:World Heritage Sites in Japan

Category:Villages in Gifu Prefecture