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Higurashi: When They Cry
Hinamizawa is Shirakawa-go — a World Heritage village where people still live.
The village of Hinamizawa is **Shirakawa-go** in Gifu, a UNESCO World Heritage site of steep thatched *gassho-zukuri* farmhouses in a mountain valley. The viewpoint above the village, the shrine, the suspension bridge over the Shogawa river and the houses themselves all appear in the series, and none of it has been changed for tourism because none of it could be. **This matters more here than anywhere else on this site: people live in these houses.** They are homes, not exhibits, and the village has had to introduce rules — no drones, no parking on the verges after 17:00, no entering private ground — because of visitor numbers. Go, but go as a guest.
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Where in Japan?
Pick a city and we show you what is there for Higurashi: When They Cry — the places, and what is on while you visit.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Routes
Tested walking orders, with travel times between every stop.
Common questions
Is Hinamizawa a real village?
It is modelled on Shirakawa-go in Gifu, a UNESCO World Heritage village of thatched farmhouses. The layout, the shrine and the suspension bridge all appear in the series.
What are the rules for visiting?
People live in these houses. No drones, no parking on the verges after 17:00, and no entering private ground, gardens or farm plots. Do not photograph residents or through windows.
When does it look most like the series?
Winter, when the roofs are under snow. Early morning and evening are also much quieter than the middle of the day.