Located in northwestern Gifu Prefecture, Shirakawa Village is known for the beautiful Gassho-style houses and natural environment. It was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995 along with Gokayama of Toyama Prefecture as “Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama”.
The village represents “the hometown of Japan”, where visitors are able to get a true sense of the traditional Japanese rural culture, lifestyle and living. Enjoy the scenery of the four seasons of cherry blossoms in spring, fresh green rice fields in summer, autumn leaves and snow in winter.
Shirakawa Village, located in the Hida region, was founded where the Shogawa River flows through the steep slopes along the river. This region has one of the heaviest snowfalls in Japan, and although weather in summer is cool and comfortable, winters covered with a blanket of snow, as deep as 170cm in February.

Access to Shirakawa Village

by Highway bus
-From Nagoya Meitetsu Bus Center: Approximately 2 hours and 35 minutes

-From Takayama Station: 50 minutes

-From Kanazawa Station: Approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes

-From Toyama Station: Approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes

Points of Interest

Nestled in the wilderness of sacred Mt. Shirakawa, Shirakawa Village has onsen [hot springs] and ski resorts in favor of bountiful nature, offering numerous activities for visitors to enjoy the seasonal scenery. At "Gasshozukuri Minkaen Outdoor Museum", take a chance to make a pair of traditional Japanese straw sandals, soba [buck wheat] noodles, and natural dyeing by yourself. The National Important Cultural Property "Wada House", is the largest gassho-zukuri style house in Shirakawa-go. In the Edo period, the Wada family served as a head of village and guard officials, and traded silk products and gunpowder ingredients, which were an important source of income in Shirakawa-go at that time. The 1st and 2nd floors of the house are open to the public, to observe the artifacts and folk tools used to create the gassho-style.

Shirakawa-go / 白川郷 (Gifu)

• Shirakawa-mura
• Gifu
• Onsen
• Cultural Experience
• World Heritage
• Historical Sites
• Beautiful Places

Renowned for its gassho style and unique buildings perfect for the local climate, Shirakawa-go and Gokayama Gassho style Village were designated as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Tra...

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