Ditch in front of Residence of Wada Family.JPG
Article

21604 / しらかわむら

Gifu Prefecture 大野郡

Shirakawa Village

Stone ditch to melt snow on the estate.

Wada House, snow-melting ditch

Photo by そらみみ (CC BY-SA 4.0)

01 / Former Toyama House

A four-level thatched house built by Noto carpenters,where up to 48 relatives are said to have lived.

旧遠山家住宅.jpg
Photo by Mikkabie (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The Former Toyama House at Miboro, the village explains, was built around 1827 (the tenth year of Bunsei) by carpenters from Noto. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as a multi-level farmhouse of one roof and four levels; the ground floor was for living and the upper three for silkworm rearing. The village's English commentary says that around the turn of the twentieth century up to 48 family members lived together there. It became a national Important Cultural Property in 1971.

  • One roof, four levels
  • Built around 1827
  • Up to 48 family members
  • Important Cultural Property, 1971

02 / Yui-cho

A booklet that records thatching help,even the sake bottles; one from 1792 survives.

Rethatcing of folk house in Shirakawago.jpg
Photo by Indiana jo (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Roofs are re-thatched through yui, in which villagers help one another. The yui-cho records each person's contribution, from work and thatching materials to the number of sake bottles at the feast, and the village says this helps keep things fair and reciprocal. The oldest surviving one dates from 1792, which the village calls proof of more than two centuries of cooperative work.

  • Oldest surviving, 1792
  • Cooperative work through yui
  • Even sake bottles recorded

03 / Shiramizu Falls

On a cliff of columnar joints formed by lava,a vertical waterfall hangs.

Shiramizu Falls.jpg
Photo by Alpsdake (CC BY-SA 3.0)

The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes Shiramizu Falls, at Oshirakawa in the Hirase district, as a straight-dropping fall hanging on a cliff of columnar joints formed by a lava flow, and it was designated a national Place of Scenic Beauty on February 21, 2024. The village's tourism guide gives about 70 m in height and 8 m in width. Its English commentary says the falls have been considered a sacred site among Buddhist ascetics since at least medieval times.

  • About 70 m high, 8 m wide
  • Scenic Beauty, February 21, 2024
  • Sacred site since medieval times

Living here

96% mountain forest, and no railway station.

  • about 2,000 people
  • Rural district town

The village lies in the northwest of Gifu Prefecture, adjoining Toyama Prefecture, and to the west borders Ishikawa Prefecture across the Hakusan mountains. Surrounded by steep mountains, 96% of it is forest and 0.4% farmland, the village says. Public transport is by bus from rail stations such as Nagoya and Kanazawa, and the gateway is Shirakawa-go Bus Terminal in Ogimachi.

People living here
1,511people
19952020

−6.1% since 2015

1,893 → 1,511

Area
356.64km²

78.15km² of it habitable

2024

Households
580households

2.6 people per household

2020

Rent (average for rentals)
—
Healthcare
0 hospitals / 3 clinics

19.9 per 10,000 people

2023

Area356.64km²Habitable land78.15km² / 22%
Area and habitable land at the same scalee-Stat B1101 / B1103
Children waiting for childcare
—2 nurseries and similar
Home purchase subsidy
—
Average annual temperature
—

These 3 items are waiting on a nationwide data source. We do not fill them with estimates.

ACCESS

Where you can go from here.

Shirakawa Village in Japan36.271°N 136.899°E
TokyoOsakaShirakawa Village
Shirakawa-go Bus Terminal
白川郷バスターミナル2021
  • to NagoyaHighway bus160min
  • to KanazawaHighway bus75min

Travel times follow 名鉄バス公式「名古屋⇔白川郷⇔金沢」の時刻表(2026-10-15 に読んだ。運行は名鉄バス・岐阜乗合自動車・北陸鉄道の共同運行)。北陸鉄道公式「白川郷・名古屋線」(2025年4月1日改正)と、白川村公式「白川村発着路線バス等時刻表(令和8年4月1日時点)」の PDF が同じ時刻 (checked 2026-10-15). They vary by time of day.

Shape

Borders 4 municipalities across 2 prefectures.

Territory of Shirakawa Village
Boundaries: National Land Numerical Information (N03)

North to south

30.5km

Gifu Prefecture
高山市, 飛騨市
Toyama Prefecture
南砺市
Ishikawa Prefecture
白山市

Shirakawa Village isthis kind of town.

  1. 01In Ogimachi, the Wada family served as village headmen and checkpoint officials in the Edo period, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that the grounds are well preserved, including a stone ditch for melting snow
  2. 02At Miboro, the Former Toyama House is a four-level thatched farmhouse; roofs are re-thatched through yui, in which villagers help one another, and a yui-cho recording their contributions survives from 1792
  3. 03The gassho-style village of Ogimachi is a World Heritage Site together with Gokayama in Toyama Prefecture, and Shiramizu Falls at Oshirakawa in the Hirase district was designated a national Place of Scenic Beauty in 2024

See the town as it is now.

Source: Wikidata (P2002, P2003, P2013, P2397)

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.