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. 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.
Shirakawa Village has a humid continental climate. 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 with snowbanks developing well over 2 meters tall. As a consequence of the frequent heavy snow, characteristically thick thatched roofed gasshō-zukuri 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 40 years.
Census Year
Population
1970
2,525
1980
2,132
1990
1,892
2000
2,151
2010
1,733
2020
1,630
History
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.
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 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.
* Wadake Home—the largest gasshō-zukuri in the area
Shirakawa-gō Hirase Onsen
Miboro dam, Lake Miboro
Hida Tunnel
Hakusan Rindō
Amau Pass, 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
In popular culture
The village of Hinamizawa in ''Higurashi When They Cry, a popular Japanese murder mysterydōjin softvisual novel 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.
