Shirakawa 白河市, Fukushima Prefecture

Shirakawa (Japanese: 白河市) is a city on the southern part of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. It covers 305 sq km (118 sq mi) and has a population of 64,000 people (2012 estimate). The present city limits date to 2005, when it expanded with the merger with a number of neighboring villages.

Before the Meiji Restoration, Shirakawa was regarded as the gateway to the Mutsu Province of Japan. Due to its strategic location, it developed into a prosperous town controlled by the Shirakawa clan. The town of Shirakawa was created in 1889 during the Meiji Restoration, and was given city status in 1949.

The local speciality of Shirakawa is its noodle, or ramen. The city celebrates a lantern festival, Chochin Matsuri, in summer every year, while every three years the festival is staged at a grander scale over three days.

Komine Castle in Shirakawa, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan

Planning your trip to Shirakawa

Both the high-speed Tohoku Shinkansen and the regular Tohoku Main Line trains make a stop at Shinshirakawa station from Tokyo. The Shinkansen covers the distance in 90 minutes and costs about ¥6000 one way. There are also buses from the Shinjuku Highway Bus Terminal in Tokyo. The bus takes three hours and costs ¥3400 one way.

Shinto shrine in Shirakawa

Places of Interest in Shirakawa

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