Gifu

Gifu (岐阜市 Gifu-shi) is the capital of Gifu Prefecture, Japan.

Tourist information site
The local Convention and Visitors Bureau has a Japanese-only guide site with integrated machine translation.

By train
Gifu is a station on the JR Tokaido Main Line and JR Takayama Line. Frequent services on the Tokaido Line run to Gifu from Nagoya Station (18-25 min, ¥450). From Tokyo it takes approximately 2¼-2½ hrs via the Tokaido Shinkansen Nozomi service, changing at Nagoya (¥11,000). The Nozomi is not covered by the Japan Rail Pass; Hikari services from Tokyo will slightly increase the travel time. From Kyoto and Osaka, it takes slightly over an hour to reach Gifu via Nozomi, changing in Nagoya (¥6,100).

The Nagoya to Gifu journey is actually one in which travel by JR line is faster and cheaper &mdash; the private Meitetsu Railway runs from Nagoya into Meitetsu-Gifu Station (30 min, ¥540). The Meitetsu Station in Gifu is about 400 m NE of the JR station.

Limited Express trains on the JR Takayama Line run from JR Gifu to Gero Onsen (80 min, ¥3,300) and Hida-Takayama (2 hr 15 min, ¥4,800).

There is also Limited Express service via Maibara to Kanazawa (2½ hours, ¥6700) and Toyama (3 hr 15 min, ¥7800). In addition there is a more scenic route to Toyama via the Takayama line which takes around 3 hr 55 min.

Gifu-Hashima is a local stop on the Tokaido Shinkansen in the city of Hashima, about 12 km southwest of Gifu. It is possible to reach Gifu from here using the Meitetsu Takehana Line, which runs out of nearby Shin-Hashima Station &mdash; through trains to Meitetsu-Gifu run from the late afternoon and take 30 minutes at a cost of ¥420. Many trains terminate at Kasamatsu from where you can transfer to reach Gifu. Most travelers coming from the west, however, opt to travel to Nagoya or Maibara and change there for train service to Gifu.

By bus
There are scheduled buses (5 times/day) connecting Osaka Namba OCAT to Shin-Gifu Bus Center. The trip takes less than 3 hours under normal traffic condition. JR Bus has one night bus from Osaka and Kyoto to Gifu Station. Odakyu Bus operates the Gifu Papillon, a night bus, from Tokyo (Shinjuku Station) to Gifu. Within the prefecture, there are buses from Gujo and Takayama. Gifu's close proximity to Nagoya means that very few highway buses actually stop here. Travelers considering coming by bus will have a lot more options by going to Nagoya and then taking a 20-minute train ride to Gifu Station.

Get around
Gifu City is serviced by the Meitetsu-run Gifu Bus as well as JR Buses. JR passes are accepted on JR buses. Gifu Park, where the castle and other popular sites are located, is about a 45 minute walk from Gifu Station, so most travelers opt to take a bus. Buses to the area run about every 10 minutes.

There are three rent-a-cycle stations in downtown Gifu (JR Gifu Station, Gifu City Hall South Branch, and Gifu Park). Rental bikes for ¥100 per day.

Do


Ukai (cormorant fishing) occurs every year between May 11th and October 15th on the Nagara River. Gifu City is the only place where this tradition has continued uninterrupted for 1300 years. Silent film actor Charlie Chaplin requested to stop in Gifu for the event on 2 separate visits to Japan, describing it as "Japan's highest art form". You, too, can watch this spectacular event by boarding a viewing boat or watching from the banks of the river. Most of the action is upriver from Nagara-bashi. Tour boats begin embarking from about 18:00 (for those serving dinner aboard) until 18:30 or 19:00 (a bit later during the peak of summer). The night-fishing show begins after dark, around 20:00 or later during the summer months, and finishes by 21:00, in time to get back to a train station and return to Nagoya for those on a day trip.



Buy
The traditional industries of Gifu City are Japanese umbrellas (wagasa) and lanterns, both of which are made of hand-made paper.

Drink

 * B's Cafe, Yanagase Shopping Mall. A cool bar frequented by young Japanese and a few foreigners.  The management and bar staff are very friendly, it plays good music and it has 'funky environs'.  It often holds launch parties for up and coming Japanese music.  Drinks are reasonable, at ¥500, and on the first Thursday of every month there's no cover charge.  Secondroom, just below offers a place to chill out with the owner, Bryan.
 * Bier Hall, near Gifu Meitetsu station. The main gaijin hangout in Gifu City, and popular with Japanese too. Notable for the incredibly friendly owner, who speaks a little English, and has an astonishing memory for faces. On your second visit she will greet you like a regular! Also of note is the book exchange corner - if you've finished the paperback you bought to read on the plane, feel free to swap it for a different title. Gifu knit club meet here during the winter, so don't be alarmed if you come in on a Tuesday evening and see lots of people with pointy sticks.
 * Bar Leon is kitty-corner from the northeast corner of Yanagase on Kanda-machi street. This place is the second most popular foreigner's hangout in Gifu, and would likely be the favorite place if it was nearer to Gifu Station. It has character, ambiance and a wide variety of Japanese and foreign clientele. Don't let the name fool you: Besides alcohol, a wide variety of live music, and dancing, this place has delicious food (1/2 price on Mondays) like the whole chicken, roasted with a Brazilian 12 chicken rotisserie in the Latin American style, and served with a unique spicy, milky-cheesy sauce on the side.
 * Scrum is a small bar located above Bier Hall (go up some stairs to the left of Bier Hall). The theme, not surprisingly, given the name, is rugby, more specifically the New Zealand All Blacks- who the very friendly owner is obviously a huge fan of. At Scrum you'll find a good selection of imported beers, a pool table, and plenty of posters of NZ rugby players.
 * Scrum is a small bar located above Bier Hall (go up some stairs to the left of Bier Hall). The theme, not surprisingly, given the name, is rugby, more specifically the New Zealand All Blacks- who the very friendly owner is obviously a huge fan of. At Scrum you'll find a good selection of imported beers, a pool table, and plenty of posters of NZ rugby players.

Sleep
There are numerous business hotels near JR Gifu Station. Stingy backpackers may wish to note that whilst Gifu does have one manga cafe, it offers a single tatami with a table covering half of it as its flat booth, making it not really one suitable for sleeping within.



Go next

 * The hot springs of Gero Onsen and the hidden valleys of Takayama are within striking distance of Gifu, as is the historical battle site of Sekigahara.
 * The town of Hida, 2 hours 20 minutes away by train or car, has some interesting museums and a youth hostel.
 * Mino
 * Seki
 * Ogaki
 * Gujo
 * Hikone
 * Inuyama
 * Nagoya

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