GujoHakusan Chukyo Jinja
The Mino-side starting point for the climb up Hakusan. Great cedars stand in rows.
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Gifu
Journey into timeless mountain life.
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TajimiEihoji
Both the Kannon hall and the founder's hall are National Treasures. The garden, attributed to Muso Soseki, is a Place of Scenic Beauty.
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GifuSofukuji
The funerary temple of Oda Nobunaga and Nobutada. A blood-stained ceiling survives.
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FEATUREGifu now (autumn)Brilliant foliage surrounds Shirakawa-go and the mountains of Okuhida.See the feature Sanjo · CC BY-SA 4.0Recommended information
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It is not only the big cities. The regions are full of charm, and special experiences you can only have in each place are waiting.
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Regional culture, tradition, food, sightseeing, nature and people. A directory that delivers the appeal of each to the whole world.
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THINGS TO DO / 6
Things to do in this prefecture
Choose from what you can only do here.
01Walk Shirakawa-goExplore a World Heritage mountain village of traditional gassho-style houses.See related entries →lienyuan lee · CC BY 3.0
02Stroll Old TakayamaVisit sake breweries, merchant houses and morning markets in the old town.See related entries →大野 一将 · CC BY-SA 4.003Watch Cormorant FishingWatch the centuries-old fishing tradition from a boat beneath blazing torches.See related entries →大野 一将 · CC BY-SA 4.004Ride the Shinhotaka RopewayAscend by ropeway for sweeping views of the Northern Japan Alps.See related entries →大野 一将 · CC BY-SA 4.005Soak in Gero OnsenRelax in celebrated hot-spring waters beside the Hida River.See related entries →大野 一将 · CC BY-SA 4.0
06Discover Seki BladesDiscover the craft traditions of Seki, a city renowned for fine blades.See related entries →AI-generated reference imageNEED TO KNOW
At a glance
- AirportNearest: Chubu Centrair International Airport (Aichi)
- ShinkansenGifu-Hashima Station
- From TokyoAbout 2 hours to Gifu Station by shinkansen and local train
- Best seasonApril–May and October–November
- Local specialtiesHida beef · Hoba miso · Kurikinton chestnut sweets
- Typical temperatureSummer: around 28°C / Winter: around 5°C
BEST TIME TO TRAVEL
What each season brings
Alpsdake · CC BY-SA 4.0Spring
MAR–MAYCherry blossoms and the Takayama Spring Festival enliven the historic streets.
See recommendations for this season →.jpg){kind=link}
JLDAUSSY · CC BY-SA 4.0Summer
JUN–AUGEnjoy cormorant fishing on the Nagara River and hiking in the Hida mountains.
See recommendations for this season →
Sanjo · CC BY-SA 4.0Autumn
SEP–NOVBrilliant foliage surrounds Shirakawa-go and the mountains of Okuhida.
See recommendations for this season →
迷惘的人生 · CC BY-SA 2.0Winter
DEC–FEBSnow-covered Shirakawa-go becomes an enchanting mountain village.
See recommendations for this season →
LOCAL FOOD / 12
Local food
What people have long eaten in this place. We collect the dishes themselves, not restaurants.
Hoba Miso (Magnolia Leaf Miso)
A dried magnolia leaf is placed on a grill, and local miso with green onion and shiitake is cooked on top of it and eaten as it grills. The aroma of the leaf passes into the miso.
Area：Hida-Takayama area
Source：Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), "Our Regional Cuisines"
Keichan
Bite-sized pieces of chicken marinated in a sauce of miso, soy sauce, sake and garlic, then stir-fried with cabbage, carrot and green pepper.
Area：Gujo, Gero and southern Takayama
Source：Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), "Our Regional Cuisines"
Gohei-mochi
Cooked white rice is mashed until sticky, put on a skewer, shaped like a waraji straw sandal and given a first grilling. It is then brushed with a sauce of peanuts, walnuts, ground sesame, soy sauce and sugar simmered together, and grilled again.
Area：Tono and Hida areas
Source：Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), "Our Regional Cuisines"
Hoba zushi
Sushi rice mixed with vinegar dressing, topped with simmered ingredients such as carrot, burdock and dried shiitake, then wrapped in a magnolia leaf and pressed.
Area：From the southern Hida region to the Chuno area
Source：Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), "Our Regional Cuisines"
Ayu no Shioyaki (Salt-grilled Sweetfish)
Sweetfish lightly salted all over and left to rest, with extra salt applied to the fins and tail, then grilled on both sides.
Area：Chuno area in the Kiso River basin, the Nagara River basin, and the Seino area in the Ibi River basin
Source：Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), "Our Regional Cuisines"
Kuri Kinton (Sweet Chestnut Paste)
A sweet made by scooping out the flesh of boiled chestnuts, combining it with sugar and salt, working it in a pot, then wrapping it in a dampened cloth and twisting it into a pouch shape.
Area：Tono district centred on Nakatsugawa and the surrounding area
Source：Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), "Our Regional Cuisines"
Mizu Manju (Water Sweet Mochi)
A sweet made by dissolving kudzu starch and bracken starch in water, adding sugar, heating the mixture into a translucent paste, wrapping it around bean paste, steaming it and then chilling it in well water.
Area：Ogaki
Source：Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), "Our Regional Cuisines"
Akakabu-zuke
Pickles made by washing Hida red turnips and packing them in many layers with salt into a barrel filled with brine, then placing a weight on top and letting them ferment.
Area：Hida area centred on Takayama and Hida
Source：Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), "Our Regional Cuisines"
Carp Miso
Crucian carp with the scales and innards removed, grilled plain, then simmered slowly for a long time with soybeans rehydrated in water, with bean miso, coarse brown sugar and sake added and cooked down until very soft.
Area：Seino area
Source：Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), "Our Regional Cuisines"
Fermented Sweetfish Sushi
Sweetfish caught in autumn as they swim downstream are salted to draw out the water, desalted and dried, then stuffed with cooked rice, layered with more rice in a tub under a weight, and fermented for several months.
Area：Gifu
Source：Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), "Our Regional Cuisines"
Komo Dofu (Tofu Cooked in Woven Straw)
Drained tofu wrapped in a straw mat and boiled in plenty of water for about an hour until small holes form, then simmered in dashi with sugar, soy sauce and mirin until the flavor soaks in.
Area：Hida area centred on Hida and Takayama
Source：Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), "Our Regional Cuisines"
Karasumi
A rice flour sweet made by kneading rice flour with boiling water and steaming it, working in sugar, brown sugar and mugwort, shaping it in a mold and steaming it again.
Area：Tono area
Source：Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), "Our Regional Cuisines"
MICHI-NO-EKI / 55
Michi-no-Eki roadside stations
RestInformationLocal links
Rest facilities registered by Japan's national government. Each has parking and toilets open 24 hours, and by definition includes a facility that sells local products. This is where the making and the food of this prefecture can actually be bought.
- Pascal KiyomiTakayamaRegistered April 1993Official site
- MeihoGujoRegistered April 1993Official site
- MinamiGujoRegistered April 1993Official site
- Mino ShirakawaShirakawa, Kamo DistrictRegistered April 1993Official site
- Hanakaido TsukechiNakatsugawaRegistered April 1993Official site
- Rasuten HoradoSekiRegistered March 1994Official site
- Hakusan Bunka-no-Sato NagatakiGujoRegistered March 1994Official site
- Okuhida Onsengo KamitakaraTakayamaRegistered April 1994Official site
- ShizumoNakatsugawaRegistered August 1994Official site
- Rock Garden HichisoHichiso, Kamo DistrictRegistered April 1995Official site
- Hoshi-no-Furusato FujihashiIbigawa, Ibi DistrictRegistered April 1995Official site
- Shirakawa-goShirakawa, Ono DistrictRegistered April 1995Official site
There are 55 stations in this prefecture in all (national registry).
LOCAL ACCOUNTS / 2
People posting this area
Japanese-language accounts that post about this area.
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CITIES & TOWNS / 22
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INTERESTS / 14
Find by interest
Only the interests found in this prefecture.
Where locals eat!1 entries
To the listNangu Taisha · 大野 一将 · CC BY-SA 4.0Shrines & Temples31 entries
Nangu Taisha ／ Inaba Jinja
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Nagaragawa Ukai · Asturio Cantabrio · CC BY-SA 4.0Nature & Scenery64 entries
Nagaragawa Ukai ／ Wadake
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Gero Onsen · 663highland · CC BY-SA 4.0Hot Springs8 entries
Gero Onsen ／ Shin-Hotaka Ropeway
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Shirakawa-go · Tyutyanya · CC BY-SA 4.0Historic Districts1 entries
Shirakawa-go
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Kinkazan · KKPCW · CC BY-SA 4.0Castles & History2 entries
Kinkazan ／ Gifu-jo
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Magome-juku · Chensiyuan · CC BY-SA 4.0Architecture20 entries
Magome-juku ／ Takayama Jinya
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Gifu City Museum of History · z tanuki · CC BY 3.0Museums11 entries
Gifu City Museum of History ／ Tajimi Mosaic Tile Museum
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Nagaragawa Ukai · そらみみ · CC BY-SA 3.0Art & Crafts48 entries
Nagaragawa Ukai ／ Seki Cutlery
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Site of Reversible Destiny, Yoro · Kikuhiko Mizusaki · CC BY 3.0Contemporary Art3 entries
Site of Reversible Destiny, Yoro ／ Usuzumi Cherry of Neodani
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TSUCHIYA Headquarters · 運動会プロテインパワー · CC BY-SA 4.0Craft Experiences36 entries
TSUCHIYA Headquarters ／ Gifu Auto Body
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Igawa Komichi · gundam2345 · CC BY 3.0Culture & History5 entries
Igawa Komichi ／ Tenku no Yuho-do (Gifu no Machu Picchu)
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Gujo Odori · tsuda · CC BY-SA 2.0Festivals2 entries
Gujo Odori ／ Takayama Matsuri
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Hida Dairy Agricultural Cooperative · 先従隗始 · CC0Food & Markets23 entries
Hida Dairy Agricultural Cooperative ／ Tenryo Shuzo
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Itadori Campsite · Earthboud1960 · CC BY-SA 4.0Experiences26 entries
Itadori Campsite ／ KAKAMIGAHARA PARK BRIDGE
To the listHIGHLIGHTS
Highlights of this prefecture
From entries with clearly licensed photos.
Shrines & TemplesTarui
Nangu Taisha
The head shrine of Kanayamahiko, the deity of metal. This series has passed through blade and metal country again and again: Sakai, Echizen, Kochi, Tsubame-Sanjo, Takaoka. This is where those people come to put their hands together. An industry carries a faith that holds it up.
Castles & HistoryGifu
Kinkazan
The mountain castle from which Nobunaga proclaimed rule over the realm. It looks down on the cormorant fishing of the Nagara river.
ArchitectureNakatsugawa
Magome-juku
A post town along a paved slope, and the birthplace of Shimazaki Toson.
Nature & SceneryGifu
Nagaragawa Ukai
A fishing method that has run for more than 1,300 years. The masters hold office under the Imperial Household Agency.
Historic DistrictsShirakawa
Shirakawa-go
Gassho-zukuri houses. The roofs stand at 60 degrees to shed snow, and silkworms were raised beneath them.
FestivalsGujo
Gujo Odori
Thirty-two nights of dancing, four of them through till dawn over Obon. Anyone may join the circle.
SMILE NEWS / 136
Smile news from Japan and the world
Stories that lift your spirits a little, collected with their sources.
Autumn Rose Festival at Gifu World Rose Garden
Gifu World Rose Garden in Kani City will hold its Autumn Rose Festival from October 17 to November 15. Visitors can enjoy autumn roses with deeper colors and scents, along with events such as talks with rose breeders and fragrance guides.
source: GifuChukyo High soft-ball baseball team reports fifth straight national title
Gifu's Chukyo High School soft-ball baseball team, which won the National High School Soft-ball Baseball Championship for a fifth year in a row, reported the victory to Governor Ezaki at the prefectural office on September 17. The captain said local support made the win possible.
source: GifuWomen rangers return Darwin's rheas to the wild in Chile
In Chile's Patagonia National Park, a women-led ranger team returned 13 Darwin's rheas to the wild in April 2026. Working with the Rewilding Chile Foundation, they care for the birds around the clock; surveys once estimated only about 11 to 15 remained.
source: MongabayINSTAGRAM / SHRINES & TEMPLES / 1
Shrine & temple posts
Posts by shrine and goshuin creators. Posts whose hashtags match a VV entry also appear on that entry's page.
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Hashtags often used for this area. Each opens the tag page on Instagram.
SEASONS & EVENTS
Seasons & events
Autumn Takayama Festival (Hachiman Festival)
2026-10-09 ～ 2026-10-10
Seki Cutlery Festival
2026-10-10 ～ 2026-10-11
Shirakawa-go Light-up (41st)
2027-01-11 ～ 2027-01-31
Takayama Matsuri
Takayama
Nagaragawa Ukai
Gifu
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