Shirakawa-gō, formally Shirakawa-mura, is a historic village in Gifu. Together with Gokayama in Toyama, it was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on December 9, 1995.

The village is famous for its farmhouses, which are built in a unique architectural style known as gasshō. The name means "hands together" as in prayer, referring to the steep roofs that keep the snow off in the winter. Underneath the roofs, the large attic area was used to house silkworms.

Another feature which has brought fame to the village is the Japanese game series Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (2002) and the anime series that followed. 

- Wikipedia