also: はくへき
noun
white plaster wall
Refers to a wall finished with white plaster, typical in traditional Japanese architecture.
古い町並みには白壁の蔵が並んでいる。
In the old townscape, storehouses with white plaster walls stand in a row.
noun
tofu; bean curd
Only with reading しらかべ
Slang or jargon for tofu, likening its appearance to a white plaster wall. Restricted to the reading しらかべ.
居酒屋で「白壁」と注文したら冷奴が出てきた。
When I ordered 'shirakabe' at the izakaya, I got chilled tofu.
Compound of 白 (しら, 'white') and 壁 (かべ, 'wall'). The tofu sense is a metaphorical extension based on visual similarity.