Shirakawa-go
白川郷
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Gassho-zukuri Village in the Mountains
Shirakawa-go is a scenic viewpoint in Shirakawa, Gifu. Travel through its seasons and highlights across 10 on-location videos before you visit.
Deep in the mountains of Gifu, Shirakawa-go is a UNESCO World Heritage Site famous for its gassho-zukuri farmhouses — built with steep thatched roofs shaped like hands pressed together in prayer to shed the region's heavy snow. Some of these timber houses are over 250 years old. The Ogimachi village, set among rice paddies and ringed by mountains, offers a rare glimpse of traditional rural Japan, especially magical when blanketed in winter snow and lit up on select evenings.
Best Season
- JanSnow & Light-up
- MayFresh Green Paddies
- AugSummer Greenery
- OctAutumn Mountains
Winter, when the steep roofs are buried in snow and the village glows during evening light-ups, is the most iconic season (light-up dates are limited and require reservation). Spring greenery and autumn colour are equally beautiful and far less crowded.
History & Culture
Houses Built for Snow
The distinctive gassho-zukuri form developed to withstand the region's heavy snowfall, with large attic spaces once used for raising silkworms.
World Heritage Listing
Shirakawa-go and the nearby Gokayama villages were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995, recognised as a living example of traditional human settlement.
Ogimachi, Shirakawa Village, Ono District, Gifu 501-5627
- Bus from Takayama or Kanazawa to Shirakawa-go
Open village
Village free (some facilities charge)
Hours and fees are a guide and may change — please check official information before your visit.
