Sample Itineraries for Gifu’s Four Seasons The Eco-Institute offers Day 2 Day 3・4 a wide variety of nature- WINTER [Dec ~ Feb] Matsumoto Day centered programs for 3 guests to enjoy, so be Day1 sure to take advantage of these and have a Enjoy an outdoor stroll through the winter Day nature activity at wonderland surround- 1 the TOYOTA ing the facility. Tajimi Shirakawa-go JR Nagoya Station ▶ Nagoya Eco-Institute P36 Limited Express Wide View Winter in Japan is the ab- “Shirakawa-go” bus stop This grand waterfall Hida (1 hr 40 min) ▶P40 transforms into a pillar of solute best time to enjoy Nohi Bus (50 min) hot springs! Have a soak in ice because of the cold. Gero Station Gero’s mineral-rich spring Takayama Nohi Bus Center Mid-February marks the beginning of the Ice Fes- water that will refresh your Nohi Bus (1 hr) body and mind. Outdoor hot tival, during which the spring baths are especially Hirayu Bus Terminal waterfall is illuminated to Stroll the streets ▶ relaxing in the winter, with stunning effect. P26 of Gero’s hot the water acting almost as a spring district shield against the crisp air! There are many hot spring baths in See the beauty of the area that you can just drop by the Hirayu Great and bathe in, regardless of the ho- Gero Station tel at which you are staying. Going Waterfall frozen around and trying out a bunch of Limited Express Wide View and illuminated! these onsen baths is one fantastic Hida (40 min) way to enjoy the region! Takayama Station Dip some scrumptious Hida beef in hot water Stay in the a few times and enjoy it Okuhida Hot shabu-shabu style, a very ▶P22 common way of eating Stay in Spring Villages beef in the region! After the meat’s color changes, dip Takayama ▶P27 it in a sauce of your choos- ing and eat it right up! ▶P14 Enjoy a Japanese-style breakfast with Day some hoba miso, a local specialty dish Day 2 in which miso paste and assorted veg- 4 etables are grilled over a magnolia leaf. Takayama is rich in sake breweries Look upon the Takayama Sake with a long history of excellence. grand Japan Brewery Tours In the winter, each one of them opens its doors to the public and Alps after taking encourages people to both sam- the Shinhotaka Takayama Nohi Bus Center ple its new sake and have a look around the brewery itself. Ropeway to the ▶P26 ▶ Nohi Bus (50 min) P19 top of The 11-minute trek through the sky in the cable car (split up Mt. Shinhotaka into two trips) offers gorgeous views of the valley below and the See Shirakawa-go at its best, buried deep in snow and mountains above. The panoramic view from the top is not to be “Shirakawa-go” bus stop shining at night under the lights of the famous illumination missed! event! ▶P35 Explore the Nohi Bus (2 hr) If you want to delve deeper into Gifu... village of Shirakawa-go Matsumoto (Nagano Prefecture) One of Japan’s very best castles Shop for ceramics in Tajimi! Matsumoto Castle Tajimi is famous ▶ is designated a Na- for its superb P74 Stay at the tional Treasure and pottery, so it is a TOYOTA is one of the most perfect place to beautiful castles in visit if you want to Shirakawa-go all of Japan. Come get your hands on Eco-Institute enjoy the castle some beautiful, and the rest of the traditional Japa- ▶P36 pleasant city! nese tableware! 6 7 Sample Itineraries for Gifu’s Four Seasons Famed for the okoshi- Kanazawa daiko Shinto ritual - part of Day 4 the Furukawa Festival held [Mar ~ May] Day 3 Day every April - and the white- SPRING 3 walled storehouses pictured here lining the canal. Day 2 Explore the town You can get some Day delicious locally- 1 This former post town, where many Gifu Park Day1 of Hida Furukawa made ice cream inns were located and where many made with thick, travelers stayed for the night, is rich milk. JR Nagoya Station built along a 600 meter-long stone- Hida-Furukawa Station ▶ JR Chuo Main Line (1 hr 10 min) paved path that makes for fantastic Nagoya P29 photos! Nakatsugawa Station JR Takayama Main Line Sink your teeth into some of the highest-grade ▶ (16 min) Kita Ena Bus (25 min) P76 Hida beef at any number of restaurants in town. “Magome-juku” bus stop Takayama Station Stroll through the old post town of Magome Walk through the Soba (buckwheat “Magome-juku” bus stop noodles) are a specialty old quarter of of the Magome area. Kita Ena Bus (25 min) Hida Takayama Nakatsugawa Station Kita Ena Bus (1 hr) Stay in Takayama “Kashimo Sogo Jimusho-mae” bus stop ▶P22 ▶P14 Nohi Bus (35 min) Elegantly constructed merchant houses line both sides of Gero Station Takayama’s old quarter, making this part of town particularly popular with tourists both from in Japan and from abroad. Appreciate the transient beauty of Springtime here is synonymous with the Takayama Spring Japan’s most famous flower at the Day Festival, and the cherry blossoms that decorate the town reach Nawashiro-zakura Cherry Trees 4 their peak from mid to late April. The cherry blos- ▶P32 Stay in Gero Hot soms’ peak season Takayama Nohi Bus Spring is from early to mid- Center Known across Japan for its April, and their reflection Nohi Bus (50 min) “water of beauties,” Gero in the pond next to them is a perfect place for you to is one of the most unique "Shirakawa-go" bus stop spend some quality relax- and striking elements of any sakura-viewing spot in Japan! ation time. ▶P44 ▶P45 Explore the village of Shirakawa-go Day 2 Explore the streets ▶P43 of Gero's hot spring Relaxing in an ashiyu foot- bath or two (free of charge!) is a Ogimachi is a village in which old houses district must, as is checking out some constructed in the gassho-zukuri style re- of the delicious local food! main to this day. Their value is recognized Japanese traditional folk crafts make Gero Station far and wide, and Shirakawa-go is even splendid gifts to take home! designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Limited Express Wide View Hida (1 hr) Hida-Furukawa Station Nohi Bus (1 hr 15 min) If you want to delve deeper into Gifu... Kanazawa (Ishikawa Prefecture) Hida Satoyama Kenroku-en, one of Japan’s Admire Gifu Park’s gorgeous Three Great Gardens cherry trees Cycling ▶P51 Nearby Kenroku- These blossoms en, you will find reach their peak sites such as in early April, and Stay in Hida City Kanazawa Castle the cherry trees A place where the old traditions ▶ a n d t h e 2 1 s t lining the Nagara and respect for nature are very P30 Century Museum River are a sight much alive Have fun cycling while gazing at the beautiful Japanese of Contemporary to behold as well! ▶P31 countryside scenery all around you! Art, Kanazawa. 8 9 Sample Itineraries for Gifu’s Four Seasons SUMMER [Jun ~ Aug] Day 3 Day 3 Gifu Castle looming above Day 2 the plains below at the top Gujo Hachiman Day of Mt. Kinka. You can take Jokamachi Plaza 1 a cable car most of the way Day1 Day 4 Gifu Bus (1 hr 40 min) up the mountain or hike on Sekigahara foot. “Shirakawa-go” bus stop JR Nagoya Station Nagoya ▶P50 Explore the village of JR Tokaido Main Line Shirakawa-go (18 min) “Shirakawa-go” bus stop JR Gifu Station Nohi Bus (50 min) Gifu Bus (15 min) Takayama Nohi Bus Center ▶P32 ▶P53 Limited Express Wide View The view of the thatched roof houses against the countryside “Gifu Koen/Rekishi green is a sight you will never forget! Hakubutsukan-mae” bus stop Grape picking is Hida (40 min) from Takayama popular during the Station months of August Gero Station and September. Make use of a "Yu-meguri Tegata" Gifu Castle pass to try out a variety of hot spring Stroll the streets of baths in the area. Watch the spectacle Gero’s hot spring of cormorant fishing Nagaragawa Cider, made using the district Nagara River’s delicious, pure water on the Nagara River Stay in Gero Hot Spring ▶P45 Stay in Nagaragawa Hot Spring Day Enjoy the iron-rich, cloudy 4 water that is characteris- tic of the onsen here. Gero Station The perfect time of ▶P54 Nohi Bus (1 hr) year for tomatoes, one of Gero’s delica- ▶P49 “Gandate Koen Iriguchi” cies! The tradition of ukai cormorant fishing has been preserved in bus stop Gifu City for 1,300 years and is the highlight of the summer season. Go waterfall-hopping Day in Osaka Falls A cluster of over 200 2 waterfalls formed by the “Gandate Koen Iriguchi” ▶P69 eruption of Mt. Ontake ▶P47 JR Gifu Station bus stop long ago JR Takayama Main Line Nohi Bus (1 hr) How about a healthy (35 min) Gero Station meal after your trek? Mino-Ota Station Limited Express Wide View Nagaragawa Railway Hida (50 min) (17 min) Mino-Ota Station Hamono Kaikan-mae Station ▶P66 Seki is a town famous for blades of Unagi eel is a local Explore the old post Explore Seki City all kinds, dating back to when it was delicacy in Seki and town of Ota-juku on the center of sword-making in Japan. ayu sweetfish is a The atmosphere of Hamono Kaikan-mae Station specialty of Gujo, so the Nakasendo route an Edo period (1603 be sure to try them ~ 1868) town remains Nagaragawa Railway (55 min) ▶ out! P70 to this day.