Shirakawa-go

Attraction > Area

Shirakawa-go (in Japanese: 白川郷, which means "White River Old-District") is a town near Takayama in Gifu Prefecture Japan and is best known for its houses that are built in the traditional Japanese style known as *Gasshou Zukuri (see below). The little village called "Ogimachi" (in Japanese: 荻町) within Shirakawa-go contains many of these Gasshou Zukuri homes/farms some of which are more than 250 years old. The town was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1995. However, after becoming a UNESCO World Heritage site, tourism greatly grew and some people who lived in the village homes turned their homes into gift shops and parking lots... threatening the status of a UNESCO World Heritage site. Shirakawa-go is now extremely popular with Japanese and guests from overseas who come to see this beautiful little town that looks like something you might see in a fairy-tale movie.