Shirakawa

Shirakawa occupies a mountain valley in central Japan. In northwestern Gifu Prefecture, the settlement lies along the Shōgawa River, where heavy winter snow has long shaped local building traditions and daily life. Its best-known quarter, Ogimachi, forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage property Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama, inscribed in 1995. The gasshō-zukuri farmhouses, with sharply pitched thatched roofs designed for snowy conditions, preserve a distinctive rural architectural tradition. Forested slopes and rice fields surround a community where historic homes remain part of the lived-in landscape. Continue with other webcams from the area to see how this part of Gifu Prefecture connects regionally.

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