Shirakawa白川村

Shirakawa-mura. The name ends in 村 (mura), the word for village.

Shirakawa (白川村, Shirakawa-mura) is a village in Gifu Prefecture. Population 1,511 (2020 census), area 356.64 km². Borders 4 places.

A village (村) of about 1,500 people, known for its steep thatched roofs. It is a full municipality with an elected mayor and assembly, on the same tier as Yokohama.

村, the character for village, is read son or mura depending on the name, and there is no rule that predicts which. Shirakawa-mura and Yomitan-son in Okinawa use the same character.

Open Shirakawa on the map

Facts

Japanese name

白川村

Reading

Shirakawa-mura

Kind

Village (村): a local government

District (郡)

Ōno District 大野郡, a name in the address, not a government

Prefecture

Gifu 岐阜県

Region

Chūbu 中部

Population

1,511 (2020 census)

Change since 2015

-6.1% from 1,609

Area

356.64 km²

Density

4 people per km²

Households

580

Under 15

13.3%

65 and over

33.1%

Foreign residents

29 (1.9%)

Code

21604 (団体コード, the municipality code)

Website

www.shirakawa-go.org

Wikipedia

English / 日本語

Neighbouring municipalities

4 places share a land border with Shirakawa. Borders across water are not counted.

• Nanto City南砺市(Toyama)
• Hakusan City白山市(Ishikawa)
• Takayama City高山市
• Hida City飛騨市

Questions about Shirakawa

Is Shirakawa a city, a town, or a village?

Shirakawa (白川村) is a village (村, mura) in Gifu Prefecture. A village is a municipality on the same tier as a city, with its own mayor and assembly. The difference is size: a municipality generally needs 50,000 residents to become a city. Its address puts it in Ōno District (大野郡), which is a name for a group of towns and villages, not a government.

Where is Shirakawa?

Shirakawa is in Gifu Prefecture (岐阜県), in the Chūbu region of Japan. The prefecture is a government; the region is a customary grouping of prefectures and elects nothing.

What is the population of Shirakawa?

1,511 at the 2020 census, down 6.1% from 1,609 in 2015. The area is 356.64 km², which is 4 people per km². 580 households. 33.1% of residents are 65 or older and 13.3% are under 15.

Which municipalities border Shirakawa?

Four: Nanto City (南砺市) in Toyama, Hakusan City (白山市) in Ishikawa, Takayama City (高山市), and Hida City (飛騨市). These are the municipalities that share a land border with Shirakawa in the boundary data. Borders across water are not counted.

How is Shirakawa written in Japanese?

白川村, read Shirakawa-mura. The last character, 村 (mura), is the word for village, and the name is often used without it in English.

How does an address in Shirakawa begin?

岐阜県大野郡白川村… (Gifu-ken, Ōno-gun, Shirakawa-mura, …). The prefecture name is written first, then the district name, then the village name. The district name is written but the district is not a government. After that are written the named area, the chōme, the block, and the building number.