Shirakawa
Shirakawa (白川村 Shirakawa-mura?) is a village located in Ōno District, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. It is best known for being the site of Shirakawa-gō, a small, traditional village showcasing a building style known as gasshō-zukuri.
As of July 2011, the village has an estimated population of 1,734. The total area is 356.55 km2 (137.66 sq mi).
The village is located near Takayama, in Gifu. Together with Gokayama in Nanto, Toyama, it is one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites.
History[edit]
In 1875, Japan's municipal system was being carried out, and a number of small villages were combined with Miboro village. The river basin in Hida Province was called Shirakawa-gō, and eventually the north side was called Shirakawa, and the upper side (south side) was called Shōkawa, Gifu. It is now called Takayama.
All of the villages and towns in the Hida region participated in the "Hida Area Union Promotion Conference" (飛騨地域合併推進協議会), but due to Nanto and other places connected with the World Heritage sites not wanting the image of Shirakawa-gō to be harmed, as well as domestic and foreign voices, Shirakawa withdrew from the conference and formed its own system. Now, the north part of Gifu prefecture that was in Hida Province has become one unified village; the others were merged into either Takayama, Hida, or Gero.
Due to the income from the tourists who came to see the gassho-zukuri villages, the financial condition was greatly improved. Although the area was famous as a tourist site, once it became a UNESCO site, the area greatly grew as tourists visited. Although this success from tourism helped the income of the area, on the other hand, there was an outbreak of damage to the area from tourists entering people's homes to see how they lived, taking pictures and other such manners. The people who lived in the villages turned their homes into gift shops and parking lots, so it has yet to be seen whether or not the area will lose its World Heritage record (UNESCO has a purpose of protecting and preserving its sites, and becoming a tourist trap is against their goals). There is also a fear growing that the change to catering to tourists will harm the charm of the area's simplicity and fundamental Japanese scenery.
As of July 2011, the village has an estimated population of 1,734. The total area is 356.55 km2 (137.66 sq mi).
The village is located near Takayama, in Gifu. Together with Gokayama in Nanto, Toyama, it is one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites.
History[edit]
In 1875, Japan's municipal system was being carried out, and a number of small villages were combined with Miboro village. The river basin in Hida Province was called Shirakawa-gō, and eventually the north side was called Shirakawa, and the upper side (south side) was called Shōkawa, Gifu. It is now called Takayama.
All of the villages and towns in the Hida region participated in the "Hida Area Union Promotion Conference" (飛騨地域合併推進協議会), but due to Nanto and other places connected with the World Heritage sites not wanting the image of Shirakawa-gō to be harmed, as well as domestic and foreign voices, Shirakawa withdrew from the conference and formed its own system. Now, the north part of Gifu prefecture that was in Hida Province has become one unified village; the others were merged into either Takayama, Hida, or Gero.
Due to the income from the tourists who came to see the gassho-zukuri villages, the financial condition was greatly improved. Although the area was famous as a tourist site, once it became a UNESCO site, the area greatly grew as tourists visited. Although this success from tourism helped the income of the area, on the other hand, there was an outbreak of damage to the area from tourists entering people's homes to see how they lived, taking pictures and other such manners. The people who lived in the villages turned their homes into gift shops and parking lots, so it has yet to be seen whether or not the area will lose its World Heritage record (UNESCO has a purpose of protecting and preserving its sites, and becoming a tourist trap is against their goals). There is also a fear growing that the change to catering to tourists will harm the charm of the area's simplicity and fundamental Japanese scenery.