Shirakawa, Gifu (town)

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Location of Shirakawa in Gifu Prefecture

This article is about the town in Gifu Prefecture, Japan. There are other places with this name including a village in Gifu that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, see Shirakawa, Gifu (village), and a Japanese city, see Shirakawa, Fukushima.

Shirakawa (白川町, Shirakawa-chō^?) is a town located in Kamo District, Gifu, Japan.

As of 2005, the town has an estimated population of 12,655 and a density of 47.82 persons per km². The total area is 237.89 km².

Shirakawa-chou is located in the Chuno region of Gifu Prefecture. Famous primarily for the locally grown green tea, Shirakawa also boasts a maker of Pipe organs, who apparently produced the organ used at McGill University. The town is affiliated with Pistoia, Italy, which is the reason behind the Italian origins of the names of several stores.

[edit] Geography

Shirakawa is in the lower reaches of the Japanese Alps. It lies nestled in valleys formed by several rivers, which combine to form the Shirakawa river at one end of the town. The rivers, though substantially developed and altered, remain a source of Ayu, a sweet river fish. The low mountains surrounding the town are heavily forested, primarily with evergreen trees. Japanese Macaques, bears, and wild boar are known to live in the local forests.