Boarding a train for Gifu Station with guide.

Kinkasan is a 329-meter-high mountain and a symbol of Gifu City. The ropeway will take you up to Gifu Castle, which was the residence of Nobunaga Oda and Michizo Saito, famous warlords in the Warring States period. Kinkasan is also home to a variety of plants from the foot of the mountain to its summit. It is also recommended for those who enjoy nature walks. Of particular note is the view of the Nagara River from the observatory. The sight of the narrow, winding river disappearing beyond the horizon will take your breath away.

Gifu Castle was once called Inabayama Castle. In August 1567, Nobunaga Oda, an unparalleled hero, conquered the castle and conquered the entire region, renaming the place “Inokuchi” to “Gifu” and making it his headquarters for the unification of Japan. We hope you will enjoy the extraordinary space from the Tenshukaku Pavilion, where you can view the scenery as seen by the warlords who made the Warring States Period a whirlwind.

Take a stroll through the streets of Kawaramachi, a town that has flourished as a place for merchants to pass through since the Warring States Period. You will feel as if you have stepped back in time to old Japan as you walk through quaint alleys with latticework townhouses, red round mailboxes, and alleyways flanked by tall black walls of warehouses. The townscape, with its narrow frontage and deep, old-fashioned Japanese houses, is dotted with many stores that have been renovated from machiya and warehouses, keeping the good old taste of the past. The number of shops is increasing every year, and they offer a wide variety of food, from Italian and Chinese cuisine to cafes, sweets, and sundries. Another attraction is the selection of traditional Gifu souvenirs such as grilled sweetfish, sweetfish snacks, and Gifu fans.

Have you ever heard of kaiwai, a traditional Japanese fishing method? Cormorant fishing is a fishing method in which cormorants are skillfully manipulated to catch fish in the river. In Gifu, records of cormorant fishing date back to about 1,300 years ago, and it is still alive today as a traditional culture since Nobunaga Oda first adopted cormorant fishing as a method of hospitality by “showing (=attracting)” it. The Nagara River Cormorant Fishing Museum is a facility that “protects,” “conveys,” and “promotes” the profound world of Nagara River cormorant fishing, including its history, techniques, and true delights, allowing visitors to experience its charm even during the off-season of cormorant fishing, which runs from late spring to summer.

Gifu City is the capital of Gifu Prefecture, only 30 minutes away from Nagoya. On the other hand, Gifu City is a place where history is still being written as the stage of unification of the country since the Warring States Period, as a city of merchants, and as a town protecting traditional fishing industry. We hope this tour will be enjoyable for those who are interested in Japanese history, nature lovers, and those who are interested in the townscape and culture that is uniquely Japanese.