Culture / Tour Spots in Gifu Area

  • Takayama Festival Floats Exhibition Hall
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    4.0
    621 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Gifu Pref. Takayamashi Sakuramachi 178
    The Takayama Festival is one of Japan’s three great Hikiyama Festivals and registered a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. This hall has a standing exhibit of yatai, the gorgeous floats that are the festival’s main attraction. It’s on the precincts of Sakurayama Hachimangu Shrine, at the center of the festival action. Four of the 11 yatai used in the fall’s Takayama Festival are on display, and they change them annually in March, July, and November. They also maintain a TV room where you can watch a video of the festival, as well as a reference area with festival paraphernalia and documents. It’s a great way to learn about the festival’s history and happenings in detail.

    Interesting exhibition of some of the floats used in April and October. Glad we did it but it only takes 20 minutes to view the floats. You are given headphones which enhances the experience.

  • Takayama Museum of History and Art
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    4.0
    160 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Gifu Pref. Takayamashi Kamichinomachi 75
    The Takayama Museum of History and Art in Takayama City, Gifu Prefecture has a collection of around 75,000 items relating to folk traditions, of which 900 are on permanent display. There are 14 display rooms with exhibits focusing on how the castle town developed and the unique culture of its residents; topics covered by the displays include the Takayama Festival, “machiya” (traditional wooden townhouses), the creation of the castle town, famous writers and artists that had a connection to the Takayama area, and the famous monk and Buddhist statue carver Enku, who also had a close connection with the Hida area. The buildings in which the Museum is located were originally warehouses, built from Japanese Cypress wood, belonging to the Nagata family of merchants; they are highly atmospheric. There is no charge for entry to the Museum.

    One of the few attractons open for Covid. I didnt expect much but was greatly surprised at how long I stayed here. I highly recommend. Quite a bit of English.

  • World Freshwater Aquarium
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    4.5
    134 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Gifu Pref. Kakamigaharashi Kawashimakasadamachi 1453
    The World Freshwater Aquarium recreates a natural freshwater environment with a focus on fish found in the Nagara River from its source to the river mouth, and freshwater fish from around the world. The aquarium houses around 220 species of fish and amphibians totaling about 20,000 animals, and about 30 species of aquatic plants with about 2,000 plants in all. The aquarium features the world’s largest river environment learning zone and one of the world’s leading displays on breeding freshwater animals. The whole building is easily accessible for wheelchair users, and there is a restaurant and shops selling original goods. It is also possible to hire out the aquarium and restaurant after closing as a venue for events.

    so many fishes weve never seen, their collection is great also we enjoyed feeding the fishes and you can also touch the huge turtles so definitely the kids will have fun, food trucks outside are...

  • Takayama Showa Museum
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    4.5
    136 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Gifu Pref. Takayamashi Shimoichinomachi 6
    "Takayama Showakan is an indoor museum with displays that recreate the retro townscape of the late 1950s and early 1960s. It is located near the Yasukawa Intersection along National Route 158, which bisects the entertainment district of the city of Takayama. Aspects of the life and culture of that era are faithfully portrayed, including old-style candy stores and hostess bars. Looking at the actual advertising boards from that era, visitors feel as if they have traveled back in time. Another feature of this museum is that visitors can touch and handle actual artifacts of the period and ride vehicles that are placed along the ""street."" Of course, photography is allowed. Materials concerned with pro wrestling and World War II give visitors a full sense of what life was like back then."

    Dont miss this gem if you are in Takayama. It made our little family of 4 step back in time. You can touch objects, enter recreated rooms and shops and get lost in the past for a bit. If you have...

  • Gifu World Rose Garden (Flower Festival Memorial Park)
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    4.0
    114 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Gifu Kani-shi Seta 1584-1
    This is a theme park focused mainly on roses located in Seta, Kani City in Gifu Prefecture. The park boasts being one of the world largest rose gardens, and is about 17 times larger than Nagoya Dome, and has roughly 300 million rose bushes in 7,000 varieties. Also, there are a variety of facilities where visitors can enjoy different seasonal flowers such as the “Rose Theme Garden” which presents 17 different themes according to each season, the great “World Flowers Greenhouse” and the 45 meters high observation “Flower Tower.” The “Rose Festival” is held in spring and autumn.

    バラやヒマワリ、コスモス等、四季折々の花々を楽しむことが出来る公園です。歩き疲れるくらいの広さでもなく、普通に周遊するだけでも1時間もかけずに回れるため、小さなお子さんや身体に障碍がある方でも充分に楽しめます(園内の至るところにバリアフリーの設備があり、安心して利用できます)。公園内をはっきりと区画割りしているのも特徴的で、それぞれの区画の導線もシンプルであるため、迷うことはまず無いと思います。徒...

  • Gifu-Kakamigahara Air and Space Museum
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    4.0
    113 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Gifu Kakamigahara-shi Shimogiricho 5-1

    A somewhat out of the way location. With GPS it was found. The aircraft examples inside are remarkable. The information is quite interesting. I found the space section to be very good. I can’t say...

  • Hikaru Museum
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    4.5
    85 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Gifu Pref. Takayamashi Nakayamamachi 175
    This museum is in a residential area of Nakayama-machi, Takayama City, bordered by the Kawakami River and National Route 41. Its exterior really stands out. Made of stone, it’s built to look like a Mesoamerican pyramid with a temple atmosphere. It primarily exhibits ancient artifacts and works of art like Japanese paintings, ukiyoe prints, and crafts. There are lots of displays that kids will like, including realistic models of dinosaurs, fossil replicas, and fossils excavated from Hida. Plenty of other items are on display across their expansive site too, which includes a Noh theater and an outdoor exhibition area.

    Visit this place for its amazing architecture. As for what is inside the building, the opinion seems to be divided but its a little bit of everything under the sun from dinosaurs to modern art. There...

  • Art & Festa Forest in TAKAYAMA
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    4.0
    74 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Gifu Pref. Takayamashi Chishimamachi 1111
    This museum dedicated to the Takayama Festival is located a 20-minute drive from Takayama Nishi Interchange on the Tokai Hokuriku Expressway. The museum’s underground dome, which was created by excavating the mountain’s slope, houses a number of exhibits. These include the Heisei Yatai, eight festival floats created from scratch for the first time in 150 years, and interactive marionette exhibit, and the world’s largest taiko drum. Once a year in spring, all of the festival floats are set up in the parking lot, where visitors can enjoy marionette shows performed atop the floats, taiko drum performances, and more. The adjacent Insect Collection of the World features exhibits including specimen of insects from around the world including Japanese Luehdorfia butterflies.

    You can catch the loop bus from the main station-well worth the trip,A large bunker displaying festival floats with mechanical puppets.On the hour each float is activated in turn-really...

  • Kinkazan Squirrel Village
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    3.5
    79 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Gifu Prefecture Gifu City Kanghwa Mountain peak
    The Kinkazan Squirrel Village preserves the nature around it and is blessed with a sunny, green environment. It was the first squirrel village in Japan at its founding in 1965. You can feed the squirrels by entering the cage, putting on leather gloves and giving food to the tame squirrels. Right next to Kinkazan Ropeway’s Sancho Station.

    Squirrels are forest dwellers.xa0So its certainly NOT OK to keep these wild animals in a small gated area, to be continually handled and touched by humans, pure for money. A DISGRACE

  • Gero Museum of Hot Springs
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    4.0
    78 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Gifu Pref. Geroshi Yunoshima 543-2
    This museum is a ten-minute walk from Gero Station. They present both scientific and cultural perspectives on hot springs around Japan. There are five exhibit areas: Science of Hot Springs, Cultures of Hot Springs, Welcome to Gero Onsen, The Room of Dr. Onsen, and Omoshiro Challenge! Hot Springs! You can actually check the salinity and pH of a hot spring and learn about the history of Gero Onsen through valuable photos, materials, a diorama, and more. Books on hot springs are also available. They have a foot bath you can walk in, too.

    We went up to the museum to try the foot bath and paid the small entrance fee. We didn’t expect the museum itself to be such a highlight but it was. The man working there was so helpful and even...

  • Gifu City Museum of History
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    4.0
    67 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Gifu Pref. Gifushi Omiyachou 2-18-1 Gifu Park
    Gifu City Museum of History is a historical museum operated by the city of Gifu, located in Gifu Park at the foot of Mt. Kinka. The museum is divided into four areas: prehistoric to medieval times, the warring states period, the early modern and contemporary periods, and traditional crafts. Since the museum deals with history as it affected Gifu, the warring states area is large, given Gifu's connections with the life of Oda Nobunaga, a major figure of that period. Exhibits are designed to depict his influence on Japanese culture. The museum contains several areas for experiential learning, such as one where visitors can try on traditional armor and come directly in touch with history.

    Our first stop in Gifu, from Nagoya after alighting at from Meitetsu bus. This Museum is just near the Park that leads to ropeway up Mt Kinka. A mid-sized and nice museum, entry 300 Yen Not many...

  • Gujo-Hachiman Hakurankan
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    4.0
    61 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Gifu Pref. Gujoushi Hachimanchoutonomachi 50
    This museum presents an overview of the town of Gujo-Hachiman. Built in 1920, the former tax office has been renovated and now has a Western-style retro atmosphere. Visitors learn about Gujo-Hachiman in sections with water, history, work, and dance themes. The “Dance Corner has a stage where they hold Gujo-odori dance presentations four times daily. It offers the chance to see one of Japan's Three Major Folk Music Traditions for you.

    All in JP, but its at least easy to see a mini Gujo dance in case you cant see the real thing As a museum, not super exciting at least to me. It was mostly highlighting how important is water and...

  • Kusakabe Folk Crafts Museum
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    4.0
    77 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Gifu Takayama-shi Oshinmachi 1-52

    This is a beautiful building although sparsely furnished it still gives you a sense of life back in the day. We visited in winter so appreciated how cold these places can get! Wouldnt say this was a...

  • Stone Museum Hakusekikan
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    4.0
    35 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Gifu Pref. Nakatsugawashi Hirukawa 5263-7
    The Stone Museum Hakusekikan is famous for having the largest pyramid in Japan, built from 5,500 tons of Hirukawa granite. The Museum offers a wide range of activities, including precious stone hunting, quarrying experience activities, and craft activities that involve making things by hand. The pyramid is a one-tenth scale replica of the Great Pyramid (the Pyramid of Khufu) in Egypt, with a “burial chamber” inside that houses a sarcophagus containing stones from genuine Egyptian pyramids and other commemorative artifacts. The Stone Museum Hakusekikan is located around 15 minutes’ drive from the Ena Interchange of the Chuo Expressway.

    6歳の男の子連れです。 ピラミッドの中に本格的な巨大迷路があり、とても楽しめます。 写真スポットも多く、 マイクラ好きもあり、多くの知ってる石があったようでかなり喜んでいました。 宝石さがしもとても喜んでいました。 駐車場も広くおすすめです。

  • Naito Museum of Pharmaceutical Science and Industry
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    4.5
    32 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Gifu Pref. Kakamigaharashi Kawashimatakehayamachi 1
    Located 25 minutes away from JR Owari-Ichinomiya Station by taxi, this pharmaceutical museum is inside Eisai’s Kawashima Plant. It runs various exhibits related to pharmaceuticals including the history of medicine and pharmacology. You can also see precious items such as human-powered pharmaceutical production machinery, signboards, advertisements and Meiji period (1868-1912) medicine. Because there are English explanation panels and captions, even foreign tourists can enjoy and learn. In addition, in the temporary exhibition room, they hold special exhibits introducing materials with themes based on what the curators have researched every year. It is a great place not only for adults, but for children’s research projects.

    エーザイが 経営していて 無料で見れる。薬の歴史や こどもたちを 連れて行ったらよい。外は 薬草の畑があり 日常の生活に沿ったものが 見れる。

  • Hiroshige Museum of Art, Ena
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    4.0
    29 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Gifu Pref. Enashi Oichou 176-1
    Located only a three-minute walk south of JR Ena Station, this museum houses works of the world-famous ukiyo-e artist, Utagawa Hiroshige. Most of the collection consists of woodblock print ukiyo-e such as “The Sixty-nine Stations of the Kiso Kaido” of his mature period, and the exhibits change nearly every month. In the Ukiyo-e Navi Room, a permanent installation, visitors can learn all about woodblock prints in an enjoyable way. An especially popular feature is the “Make Your Own Woodblock Print” corner, where visitors can use fake plates and apply layers of stamp ink to make their own woodblock print to take home.

    Really cool museum! Three blocks from Ena train station. Inexpensive entrance fee. The historic woodcut prints on display are both beautiful and intriguing. BUT WAIT, theres more, lots more. You...

  • Mino-Washi Akari Art Gallery
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    4.5
    31 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Gifu Pref. Minoshi Motozumichou 1901-3
    This art gallery is located a 15-minute walk from Nagaragawa Railway Minoshi Station, and exhibits the Mino City’s prize-winning autumn “Mino Washi Akari Art Exhibit.” Inside the gallery, a town with udatsu walls (good for fire protection and symbolizing wealth) is reproduced in a soft and warm light through Mino washi (traditional Japanese paper). Although the work cannot be touched, you are free to take photographs. There is also a museum shop lined with highly artistic lanterns. The wooden two-stories building is a nationally registered tangible cultural property since it is a valuable structure that is as it was in the early Showa era (1926-1989).

    A MUST when in Mino. It is very beautiful. An exhibition of many lanterns and paper craft. It was my second visit here.

  • Mino-Washi Museum
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    4.0
    27 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Gifu Pref. Minoshi Warabi 1851-3
    This museum is located about 20 minutes from the Tokai-Hokuriku Expressway Mino Interchange via National Route 156 and Prefectural Route 81. The museum introduces from various perspectives the world of Shisai style paper patchwork, with its traditions and hidden possibilities for the future, and history and techniques of Mino washi traditional Japanese paper passed down in the Mino area. The first exhibition room introduces the production areas of washi paper throughout Japan, history of washi, and papermaking technology. In the second exhibition room, they give concrete suggestions about practical uses of washi paper in everyday living spaces. In addition, you can also have a “papermaking experience” using authentic tools and natural ingredients in the workshop.

    Nice Museum located in Mino City, Gifu Prefecture. But i think it should have more papers and paper exhibits on display. They had very few.

  • Museum of Fine Arts, Gifu
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    4.0
    25 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Gifu Pref. Gifushi Usa 4-1-22
    An art museum located in Gifu City, Gifu Prefecture dedicated to the theme of coming in contact and engaging in a dialogue with beauty. The entire museum building is barrier-free. The spacious, verdant grounds are dotted with sculptures, giving visitors the chance to appreciate art while going for a stroll. The museum has a large collection of pieces by artists born in and connected to Gifu Prefecture as well as by artists from around the world, such as key French symbolist painter Odilon Redon’s Closed Eyes. A 15-minute walk from JR Nishi-Gifu Station.

    以前は岐阜駅前からバスを利用していたが今回は西岐阜駅から歩いてみた。大通りを左に15分進むと美術館の真ん前に出る。館内では企画展はなく地元有志の写真展と同じく地元出身の書家「篠田桃江」の作品が展示されていた。これまでは「ルドン」目的で訪館していたが今回は「桃江」14点の作品観たさに来館した。三越本店で桃江作品と出会い以来長野上田美術館・岡山高梁美術館と彼女の展覧会の追っかけをしてきた。正直展示数1...

  • Shishi Hall (Shishi Kaikan)
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    4.5
    40 Reviews
    Leisure / Hobbies
    Gifu Pref. Takayamashi Sakuramachi 53-1
    The Shishi Hall (Shishi Kaikan) is a museum in Takayama City, Gifu Prefecture that is dedicated to Karakuri. Karakuri are mechanically-operated moving human figures and models that are displayed on the floats that parade through Takayama during the Takayama Matsuri (Takayama Festival), one of the “Three Great Festivals of Japan”; they are controlled using strings, springs and clockwork, etc. The Shishi Hall’s “Karakuri Performance,” in which visitors are able to see how expertly the Karakuri are operated, was selected as a one-star item in the Michelin Travel Guide. There is also a display of approximately 300 ceremonial “lion heads” from all over Japan; as the only exhibition of its kind in Japan, this lion-head display has been designated as an Important Tangible Folk Cultural Property.

    Amazing exhibition of the floats used during processions which are huge and finely decorated. Well worth a visit

Gifu Areas

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Tucked away in the very center of Japan, Gifu prefecture houses mountains, old towns, and one of Japan’s greatest hot springs, Gero Onsen. A tour of the prefecture’s traditional architecture will take you from the mountain-enveloped wooden streets of Takayama to the mountain village of Shirakawago, where visitors can explore 250-year-old thatched roofed houses known as gassho-zukuri.

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