Shirakawa-go



Shirakawa-gō (白川郷), formally Shirakawa-mura (白川村), is a historic village in Gifu. Together with Gokayama in Toyama, it was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on December 9, 1995.

Understand
The village is famous for its farmhouses, which are built in a unique architectural style known as gasshō (合掌). The name means "hands together" as in prayer, referring to the steep roofs that keep the snow off in the winter. Underneath the roofs, the large attic area was used to house silkworms.

Another feature which has brought fame to the village is the Japanese game series Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (ひぐらしのなく頃に, 2002) and the anime series that followed. Although the village residents are not too thrilled that an anime series depicting large levels of violence has based itself on their village, it has brought the tourists nonetheless. Some locations from the anime series can be visited in Shirakawa, the most prevalent site being the Hachiman Shrine, the major shrine of the village where Rika Furude met an unfortunate end.

Tourist information site
The local tourist association has a trilingual guide site (ja, en, zh).

By car
One good option is to rent a car in Takayama and drive to Shirakawa-go. By expressway it's about an hour drive. A car is highly recommended if you wish to access the many different areas around Shirakawa-go&mdash;areas such as Hirase Onsen or Kawai Village and various mountainous areas. However, in the winter many mountain roads close due to snow.

By train
Catch the Shinkansen bullet train to Nagoya, take a local train to Takayama, and take a bus from the Takayama Bus Station to Shirakawa-go. The train ride from Nagoya to Takayama is particularly enjoyable for city dwellers, with much of the mountainous beauty that Japan has to offer.

By bus
Shirakawa-go can be reached by highway bus from Takayama, Kanazawa, Toyama, and Nagoya. The center bus stop of Shirakawago is ．

Do
There are several beautiful natural landmarks nearby. One is Mount Haku (Hakusan), one of Japan's Three Famous Mountains, surrounded by a virgin forest at its foot.

Another is the Three Amo Waterfalls: Taka falls, Naka falls, and Ki falls, which can be seen along the pass leading to the Amo highlands.

Another waterfall, Hakusui Falls, pours from the artificial Hakusui Lake, which was created by a dam at an elevation of 1,260 m. To take a rest from hiking and relax a little, the area also has several hot springs, such as the Hirase hot spring bathhouse.

Buy
Shirakawa-go has numerous tourist shops with a variety of souvenirs available. One of the unique items of the area is the Sarubobo doll. The doll is a faceless red monkey which is intended for a person to imagine the face of one of their children or grandchildren, then pray for the well-being of said child whilst you imaging the face.

Eat
The actual Shirakawa Gassho village has a couple of places to eat. Look out for ramen restaurants and the like. These will only be open during daylight hours. The village, being mainly day tourist oriented, will close down after the sun sets.

Drink
The Hachiman Shrine at Shirakawa-go prepares their own brand of sake which is available both through the shrine and through most of the tourist shops in the area. This sake is mainly used for their matsuri (festival) celebrations. This sake is characterized by the large amount of rice which is still in the bottle. Shirakawa-go also produces a local blend of distilled sake which is quite proof (60% approx). This is available through the various Ryokans and tourist shops in the area. It is a nice drop and one does not understand its strength until it 'hits home' so-to-speak.

Sleep
Shirakawa-go offers numerous ryokan based Japanese inns for overnight stays. Most of these inns are gassho based inns and offer both dinner and breakfast in the accommodation fee. Dinner is generally traditional Japanese dishes consisting of river fish and exquisite mountain vegetables; you will almost certainly sleep on a futon on a tatami mat. One such establishment is Magoemon, next to the river in Ogimachi.

Stay safe
As Shirakawa-go's buildings are mainly produced of highly flammable traditional materials, smoking is heavily regulated in the village. If one must smoke they must do so at a designated position within the village (indicated by bench seats, a sign and a 1-m-high large ashtray). Please refrain from smoking unless in a designated area. Shirakawa-go has a backup village fire suppression system, however, triggering it via a burning cigarette butt would be a foul end to a good holiday, including police involvement.

Respect
Although this is a moderately popular tourist destination, some people do live in some of the traditional houses. Keep this in mind as you tour.

Go next

 * Takayama
 * Kanazawa
 * Hida
 * Takaoka
 * Gujo
 * Oku-Hida
 * Nanto
 * Tonami
 * Hakusan