Historic Villages of Shirakawa-gō and Gokayama
Japan UNESCO World Heritage Site
The Historic Villages of Shirakawa-gō and Gokayama are a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Japan. This architectural ensemble consists of a group of settlements built in the gasshō-zukuri style.
Planning a visit
The weather is warmest in August with a high of 25 °C and a low of 17 °C. July and September are the wettest months, with July seeing about 362 mm of rain. The coldest period is between January and February, when daily highs stay near or below 0 °C.
Komatsu Airport is the nearest airport, located 47 km away. The site is 258 km from Tokyo. Travelers can combine a visit with the Japanese Alps, which are about 30 km away, or Kanazawa Castle, located about 41 km from the area. This site is one of the 115 sights in Japan listed on this website and is ranked 56th in popularity by English Wikipedia lookups among the country's sights.
Weather by month
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 25 °C. Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average high, °C | -1 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 17 | 20 | 24 | 25 | 21 | 15 | 9 | 2 |
| Average low, °C | -9 | -8 | -5 | 1 | 7 | 12 | 17 | 17 | 13 | 6 | 0 | -7 |
| Rainfall, mm | 271 | 199 | 210 | 186 | 219 | 276 | 362 | 247 | 339 | 221 | 245 | 255 |
| Rainy days | 24 | 17 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 16 | 24 |
Temperatures and rainfall: 1981–2010 averages for this spot (4 km grid), from CHELSA. Rainy days: 2015–2024, NASA POWER.
