Hida beef飛騨牛
Richly marbled wagyu from Gifu, often served as skewers or sushi in Takayama.
Where to try it: Takayama Old Town (Sanmachi Suji), Miyagawa Morning Market
Chubu
Gifu Travel Guide
Local tips, regional food and places off the tourist trail
A mountainous prefecture north of Nagoya. Highlights are the old town of Takayama, the thatched farmhouses of Shirakawa-go, and cormorant fishing on the Nagara River in Gifu City.
Open Gifu on the map45 places on the map · 21 local favourites
Local tips
- TipThe Hida limited express runs from Nagoya to Takayama via Gero Onsen through a scenic river valley.
- TipShirakawa-go is reached by highway bus from Takayama or Kanazawa; reserve seats in busy seasons.
- Heads upHotels in Takayama fill up quickly around the spring and autumn Takayama Festivals; book early.
- DoWatch ukai (cormorant fishing) on the Nagara River on a summer evening from a viewing boat.
- TipGujo Hachiman, a canal-side castle town, is a quieter stop known for its long summer dance festival.
What to eat
Hoba miso朴葉味噌
Miso mixed with leeks and mushrooms, grilled on a dried magnolia leaf over a small burner — a Hida classic.
Ayu (sweetfish)鮎
A small river fish grilled whole with salt, a summer speciality of the Nagara River area.
Local favourites
Places mostly visited by people who live here — quieter, and often the highlight of a trip.
Chiune Sugihara Museum, Yaotsu
Nature & SceneryA small museum in Sugihara's hometown honoring the diplomat who issued visas that saved thousands of refugees in WWII.
● Mostly localsSeki City (Sword Smithing)
ShoppingNature & SceneryJapan's blade-making capital for centuries, still producing knives and shears. The Seki Sword Tradition Museum runs smithing demonstrations on scheduled days.
● Mostly localsYoro Park & Site of Reversible Destiny
Nature & SceneryA waterfall park paired with an experimental art installation of tilted, disorienting terrain by Arakawa and Gins. Genuinely unusual and largely unknown to foreign…
● Mostly localsTsukechi Gorge
付知峡 Nature & SceneryGorge of emerald-blue water, granite boulders and waterfalls in the cypress forests of northern Nakatsugawa. A trail links several falls; glorious in autumn.
● Mostly localsHida-Furukawa
Nature & SceneryShoppingA smaller, calmer alternative to Takayama — white-walled storehouses along a carp-filled canal, about 15 minutes further up the line.
● Mostly localsKiso Sansen Koen (Tulip & Cosmos Fields)
Nature & SceneryA sprawling riverside park where the Kiso, Nagara, and Ibi rivers converge, with seasonal flower fields and an observation tower.
● Mostly localsTamaiya Honpo (Ayu Sweets)
玉井屋本舗 Local FoodOld confectioner in Gifu City making nobori-ayu, sweet fish-shaped castella wrapped around soft gyuhi, a tribute to the Nagara River's sweetfish.
● Mostly localsTamamiya-dori
玉宮通り NightlifeShort street by JR Gifu Station full of izakaya, bars and yakitori shops, the heart of Gifu City's nightlife. Lively but very local.
● Mostly localsEnakyo (Ena Gorge)
Nature & SceneryScenic gorge walking routes near Ena — genuinely local-pace scenery, not set up as a tour-bus stop.
● Mostly localsAmida-ga-taki Falls
阿弥陀ヶ滝 Nature & ScenerySixty-metre waterfall pouring off a cliff in the forest near Shirotori, in the north of Gujo city. A short walk from the car park and cool on summer days.
● Mostly localsFukuji Onsen
福地温泉 Hot SpringsSmall, quiet hot-spring village in Okuhida with old-style inns and a public bath. Walk the morning market for local produce.
● Mostly localsGifu Great Buddha (Shohoji)
正法寺 岐阜大仏 Temples & GoshuinchoSights & HistoryA huge Buddha made of bamboo, clay and lacquered paper, sitting inside a small temple. One of Japan's three great Buddhas by locals' counting and quite surreal.
● Mostly localsThe famous sights
The places most visitors come for. Worth it — just go early.
Shirakawa-go
Nature & SceneryShoppingUNESCO-listed village of steep thatched gassho-zukuri farmhouses. Technically just over the Gifu border into the Shokawa valley and a long day trip from Nagoya, but the…
Takayama Old Town (Sanmachi Suji)
Local FoodShoppingNature & SceneryPreserved Edo-era merchant district of dark wood storefronts, sake breweries, and morning markets. Hida beef is the local draw.
Monet's Pond
モネの池 Nature & SceneryTiny, crystal-clear spring-fed pond by a village shrine in Itadori, Seki, where koi swim among water lilies like a Monet painting. Come on a sunny day.