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gujo hachiman

5 great things in a beautiful water town, Gujo Hachiman

2019-10-22 by Taka

Hi, How are you? I’ve been traveling in Gifu area these days!

This time I wrote about a relatively unknown area to tourists, Gujo Hachiman. It is a small, riverside town which was founded in the 16th century as a castle town. 
Gujo is known for clear water, Ayu river fish, and Gujo dance festival.

Below are the 5 major places I visited and things you should check in Gujo Hachiman.

1.Hachiman castle 

Located on top of a hill, it is one of the oldest reconstructed wooden castles in Japan.
It was founded in 1559, destroyed in the early Meiji period(1868-1912) during Japan’s attempts to modernize called the Meiji Restoration, and was reconstructed in 1933. 
There is a museum inside of it, displaying a lot of materials from samurai era including the samurai armors, the heirloom of Aoyama clan, and samurai swords.
The castle keep is an important cultural property, and it was listed as one of the 100 Japanese castles in 2017. You can enjoy a panoramic view from there.During Autumn leaf season, the maple trees surrounding the area attract visitors. 

You can get to the castle by car or taxi. Or, if you like hiking, you can get there on foot. It takes about 20 min to get to the top. 

hachiman castle
It was one of the coolest castles I had ever visited!
top of hachiman castle
Great view from the top of the castle

Time: 9:00am to 5:00pm (Mar to May, Sep to Oct)
8:00am to 6:00pm (June to Aug)
  9:00am to 4:30pm (Nov to Feb)
*Closed from Dec 20th to Jan 10th

Price: 310yen (650yen for a ticket that includes the visit to the Hakurankan Museum) 

2.Hakurankan Museum

It is a museum located near Hachiman castle. 
It includes an exhibition, Gujo Odori demonstration, and Museum gift shop. You can learn about History and culture of Gujo-Hachiman here.

Hakurankan Museum
Hakurankan Museum

Time: 9:00am to 5:00pm (During Gujo-Odori event, it is open until 6:00pm)
Price: 540yen to enter. *Closed from Dec 24th to Jan 2nd

3.Gujo-Otori (Dance festival)

It is held from mid-July to early Sep (over 30 nights every day) every year.
It is designated as a significant intangible cultural folk asset by the Japanese government. 
It was originally started to encourage the town’s citizens to get together, and it has a history of over 400 years.
Dancers make a big circle and perform to the traditional music of Shamisen, Bamboo flute, and Taiko Drums. 
During Obon season in the summer, the festival continues all night and over 30,000 people gather. 

Lanterns for Gujo Odori.
Lanterns for Gujo Odori. Too bad that I couldn’t be there during the event!!

4.Igawa Komochi 

There is a small canal called Igawa Komochi located near the river (Yoshida river) close to Hachiman castle. 
Big Koi fish swim there peacefully and it really is a beautiful canal. 
Although it is small and short, the canal is very unique and worth visiting to take pictures!

Igawa Komichi
Entrance of Igawa Komichi
Koi fish
Koi fish. They were really big!

5.Food replicas 

Gujo hachiman is known as the home town of food replicas. 
You can not only enjoy watching very realistic food replicas, but also make them and take home as souveniors!
Samples are from Japanese food like temple and sushi to other kinds like pizza, curry, cake, etc. 
There are many places where you can make your own, but one of the most popular is Sample Kobo. The main shop (Honkon) is open from 9:00am to 17:00pm (closed on Tuesdays).

food replicas
They look really delicious but they are all food replicas!

Access

From Nagoya 

Take JR Tokaido Line or Meitetsu Konsen Line to Gifu station.
Then, take JR Takayama Line to Mino Ota Station, and use Nagaragawa Railway to Gujo Hachiman Station. 
(It is about 2 hours and 50 min travel)

From Takayama

Take Nohi express bus to Gujo-Hachiman station.
(It is about 1 hour and 45 min travel)

cafe by the river
At a cafe by the river. It was so peaceful that I could be there forever!

The city is very compact and rural, so you can see things just walking around. If you would like to enjoy a quiet, country side of Japan (and less touristy area), Gujo Hachiman is a great place to visit!

See you next time!
Taka

*I’m a professional composer by the way.
You can listen/download my album below.
Free Somebody
Skyhigh

Filed Under: Places outside of Tokyo Tagged With: family planet japan, gifu, gujo hachiman, gujo odori, hachiman castle, hidanotaka, less touristy, rural area in japan, travel in japan, water city, ファミプラ, 八幡城, 岐阜県, 日本観光, 水がきれい, 郡上, 郡上八幡

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Taka/原貴浩

TakaTaka/原貴浩:Composer/Teacher
アメリカ大卒(音楽専攻) 講師歴11年、担当生徒数3,100人以上の元大手英語学校の教務主任であり作曲家。2017年六本木から高山市へ地方創生で移住。多文化共生支援団体 Family Planet Japan 代表 英検1級 TOEIC980 通訳案内士 留学アドバイザー
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