Event Calendar
In March, as the temperatures rise in Shirakawa-go, the snows begin to melt. Some years, we must wait until April for the snows to completely disappear, and they may persist into May a little further up the mountain. The warmth of spring arrives little by little.
Last Updated:October 14, 2016

Shirayumi Ski Resort is closed for business
The Shirayumi Ski Resort usually operates from late December until early-March, though it depends on how much snow falls each year.
Shirakawa-go welcomes the spring thaw.
Around early march, it is possible to see the gassho style houses with snow on their roofs. Snow remains here and there around the village until around April.
Horsetail
This plant can be seen growing in various places around the village in April. The spore bearing stems are eaten in an egg bound soup or boiled in soy sauce.
Butterbur Sprouts
These sprout in sunny spots. Eaten as tempura or dressed with a sesame sauce.
Steam rises from a thatched roof
Just as in fall, this white steam-like vapor can be seen rising from the thatched roofs of gassho style houses.
Cherry trees in bloom
The village is bathed in gorgeous colors as the cherry trees flower from mid-April to early May.
Skunk cabbages
Large skunk cabbages bloom in the Okubo Pond from mid-April through to mid-May.
Japanese trout lily
In spring, the flowers bloom from lilac to pink. It is eaten boiled or cooked as tempura.
Gassho style houses reflected on the surface of a rice paddy.
In mid-May, the paddies are filled with water but the rice has not yet been planted, and the gassho style houses are reflected on the water’s surface.
Rice planting festival
At the rice planting festival, Shirakawa-go’s young women plant rice accompanied by the sounds of traditional rice planting songs. The festival is held around the end of May.

Shirayumi Ski Resort is closed for business
The Shirayumi Ski Resort usually operates from late December until early-March, though it depends on how much snow falls each year.
Shirakawa-go welcomes the spring thaw.
Around early march, it is possible to see the gassho style houses with snow on their roofs. Snow remains here and there around the village until around April.
Horsetail
This plant can be seen growing in various places around the village in April. The spore bearing stems are eaten in an egg bound soup or boiled in soy sauce.
Butterbur Sprouts
These sprout in sunny spots. Eaten as tempura or dressed with a sesame sauce.
Steam rises from a thatched roof
Just as in fall, this white steam-like vapor can be seen rising from the thatched roofs of gassho style houses.
Cherry trees in bloom
The village is bathed in gorgeous colors as the cherry trees flower from mid-April to early May.
Skunk cabbages
Large skunk cabbages bloom in the Okubo Pond from mid-April through to mid-May.
Japanese trout lily
In spring, the flowers bloom from lilac to pink. It is eaten boiled or cooked as tempura.
Gassho style houses reflected on the surface of a rice paddy.
In mid-May, the paddies are filled with water but the rice has not yet been planted, and the gassho style houses are reflected on the water’s surface.
Rice planting festival
At the rice planting festival, Shirakawa-go’s young women plant rice accompanied by the sounds of traditional rice planting songs. The festival is held around the end of May.