Sightseeing & Things to Do
in Gifu/CHUNO Region
Gifu
Mt. Kinka (金華山) & Gifu Castle (岐阜城)
It’s pretty hard to escape the gaze of Gifu Castle, perched on top of the 329m tall Mount Kinka. It’s historically significant and you will likely hear much about its history during your time here. In the 16th Century, Warlord Oda Nobunaga used it as his base from which he attempted to unify all of Japan.
Admission to the castle is ¥200. There’s a small museum on the inside with old weaponry, armor, and paintings, but the real reason to go inside is for the beautiful, panoramic view from the top! Don't miss the super cute squirrel park next to the top of the ropeway where you can touch and feed squirrels for a ¥300 admission!
To get to the castle, take one of the following buses from JR or Meitetsu Gifu station to Gifu Park (岐阜公園), they take about 15 minutes and cost ¥230:
- N80 towards Takatomi
- N32 to N86 bound for Gifu Park /Takatomi direction
- City Loop-line, Counterclockwise direction
Once you’re in Gifu Park, there’s two ways to get to the castle:
1. Hike up
The ropeway goes from Gifu Park to nearly the top of Mt Kinka, leaving you with a leisurely 5-10 minute walk to the castle.
The prices are:
Admission to the castle is ¥200. There’s a small museum on the inside with old weaponry, armor, and paintings, but the real reason to go inside is for the beautiful, panoramic view from the top! Don't miss the super cute squirrel park next to the top of the ropeway where you can touch and feed squirrels for a ¥300 admission!
To get to the castle, take one of the following buses from JR or Meitetsu Gifu station to Gifu Park (岐阜公園), they take about 15 minutes and cost ¥230:
- N80 towards Takatomi
- N32 to N86 bound for Gifu Park /Takatomi direction
- City Loop-line, Counterclockwise direction
Once you’re in Gifu Park, there’s two ways to get to the castle:
1. Hike up
- The harder route:馬の背 (Uma No Se) – Horseback trail
- The easier route:めい想の小径 (Meiso No Komichi) – Meditation Path trail.
- There are two other minor trails that start near the Nawa Insect Museum, the Hyaku-magari trail (100 turns) and the Nana-magari trail (7 turns).
The ropeway goes from Gifu Park to nearly the top of Mt Kinka, leaving you with a leisurely 5-10 minute walk to the castle.
The prices are:
- One way ¥630
- Round trip ¥1100 (or ¥900 after 6pm if you want to see panoramic night views - only open on certain days of the summer)
Cormorant Fishing (Ukai 鵜飼)
Ukai on the Nagara River has a 1300 year history which is the longest unbroken stretch of this kind of fishing in Japan. It’s an immense source of pride for people here and one of the only things about Gifu region you can find in the guidebooks!
The fishing starts around 7:30pm every night from May 11 to October 15. To experience the wonderment of ukai yourself you can book a spot on a boat for about ¥3000. The boats leave at about 6:30pm and you’re allowed to bring your own food and drinks on board. If you’re feeling frugal, you can enjoy the view for free from the Nagaragawa Bridge.
Gifu AJET usually holds an Ukai event in September/October, either in Gifu City or Seki City. Keep an eye out for the event!
The fishing starts around 7:30pm every night from May 11 to October 15. To experience the wonderment of ukai yourself you can book a spot on a boat for about ¥3000. The boats leave at about 6:30pm and you’re allowed to bring your own food and drinks on board. If you’re feeling frugal, you can enjoy the view for free from the Nagaragawa Bridge.
Gifu AJET usually holds an Ukai event in September/October, either in Gifu City or Seki City. Keep an eye out for the event!
Big BuddhaGifu is home to a very impressive Daibutsu (Big Buddha), but you would never know it was there because it’s hidden away in a building near Gifu Park.
To get there, catch the same bus that you would catch to get to Gifu Park (岐阜公園) and get off a stop early, or just walk the 600m walk from Gifu Park. You can see where it is on the map (on the right) |
Gifu City Tower 43 (岐阜シティ・タワー43)
Located near Gifu JR station, this is the tallest building in the prefecture with 43 floors, reaching a height of 163 meters (535 ft). While it can hardly be called a skyscraper, Tower 43 offers 360-degree views of Gifu city from the top-floor observatory, ‘Sky Lounge’. Take the free elevator from the shopping area on the first and second floor
FC Gifu
Check out a soccer game! The local team, FC Gifu, plays at home every second Sunday or so from December through to July. The team brings in loyal fans during home games, and it doesn’t hurt that admission comes with all-you-can-drink!
Motosu
Malera (モレラ岐阜)
The biggest shopping mall in Gifu prefecture! Be warned, it gets pretty crowded on weekends. Shops found in the mall include, but are certainly not limited to:
- Edion (エデイオン) for electrical appliances
- Nitori (ニトリ) for home goods
- Toho Cinemas
- H&M, Uniqlo, Berksha, Zara, Gap, GU, Old Navy and much more for fashion
- Lush, for beauty supplies
- Daiso ¥100 store
- Bowling, Pool Hall, and Arcade
- Freshness Burger, Saizeriya (cheap pasta, pizza and wine), Baskin-Robins, KFC, Starbucks, Café Lani, the food court, and many other fancier restaurants.
- Valor Supermarket
- Kaldi import food store
Usuzumi Onsen(淡墨温泉)
Relax in the public baths in Neo with water from natural hot springs for a ¥800 entrance fee. There are both indoor and outdoor baths. If you’re the lucky Neo JET, make sure to show them your residence card with your address for the Neo local discounted ticket!
Earthquake Fault Observation Museum (地震断層観察館)
A museum about the 1891 Mino-Owari earthquake. It was one of the largest earthquakes to ever hit Japan and had its epicenter right in Neo.
Neo Camping Park
Spend a night in the mountains camping right by the river and enjoying picturesque nature.
Kitagata
Rice Field Art
Every June in Kitagata, elementary and junior high school students work together to plant rice fields with different kinds of rice to create images in the rice fields that appear when the rice grows in August.
Kakamigahara
Kakamigahara Aeon Mall
A large mall with almost everything you could want! It’s a rival mall to Motosu’s MALera. Some of the shops it has are:
- Aeon Cinema and Namco Arcade
- H&M, Berksha, Uniqlo, Urban Outfitters and much more for fashion
- Kaldi foreign import store.
- KFC, Subway, Starbucks, Burger King, Mr.Donut, Baskin-Robbins, and Krispy Crème.
- Seria ¥100 Store
Murakuniza
A Japanese traditional entertainment theater built in 1877 in Kakamigahara. Traditionally used for Kabuki, but will also host other performances.
Seki
Oze Ukai
Although less famous than the Cormorant Fishing in Gifu city, the fact that it is farther from city lights and has lower attendance sets the stage for a very mystical feeling as you watch the cormorants catch the Ayu sweet-fish. Ukai runs in Seki from May until October.
Gujo
Waterfall Limestone Caves
Stroll through the limestone caves.
Skiing and Snowboarding
Gujo has a multitude of different resorts where you can participate in winter activities. The most popular of these are:
- Takasu (One of the larger resorts, with good slopes for all levels)
- Dynaland (One of the larger resorts, with good slopes for all levels)
- Meiho (The longest continues beginner run in the area)
- Whitepia (Small and good for beginners)