Gifu

Cormorant fishing, castle and old merchant lanes

Gifu is the capital of its prefecture and is on the Nagara River north of Nagoya. The hilltop castle on Mt. Kinka above the city has a ropeway that reaches the summit in about four minutes. In summer fishers work the river with trained cormorants to catch ayu, a tradition more than 1,300 years old. Kawaramachi, an old castle town district beside the river, has makers of paper fans and umbrellas. It's compact enough to cover in a day and works as a day trip from Nagoya or a quieter overnight stop.

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City in Japan

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Safety: 8.6

General Safety:	9
Health & medical:	8
Accessibility:	6
Tap water:	10

Read details

3/5

English is spoken at major hotels, tourist centres and some hospitals. Signage is available at main attractions, but less so in small shops. Translation apps and basic Japanese phrases are helpful.

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Last update: 20 Oct 2026

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Gifu Summary

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Excellent for traditional culture and mountain scenery. Walk preserved old towns, watch cormorant fishing on rivers, hike alpine trails and enjoy regional cuisine and festivals.

Place score

7.1

Best at:

Cosy towns

Mountains

Spotless

Traditional culture

Autumn foliage

Personal score

Suited for

👶 7

Families

🧓 6

Seniors

🛡️ 8

Travel Beginners

👩 8

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Japan – Quick facts

Guide Etiquette Holidays Other

Power Grid:	100 V, 50 Hz Plug: Type A Type A: Read about power adapters
Currency:	Japanese Yen (JPY) £1 ≈ JP¥210
Cashless info:	Rating 4/5 Cashless payments are becoming more common, especially in cities, with some shops still preferring cash. Be prepared for occasional cash-only situations in rural areas. Save with a travel credit card
eSIM providers:	Best value: Saily Flexibility: Airalo Read our in-depth comparison

Tipping:	Tipping is not customary in Japan and can be considered rude. Excellent service is the norm, and tipping is unnecessary in most places.
Public drinking:	Public drinking is legal and commonly accepted, particularly during festivals and events.
Public smoking:	Smoking is prohibited in indoor public places but allowed in designated outdoor areas. Some restaurants may have smoking sections.

New Year (January)	One of the most important holidays, expect crowded temples and high prices. Plan ahead.
Golden Week (April-May)	The busiest travel time, expect high demand for accommodation and transport.
Obon (August)	A time to honour ancestors, many businesses close, and transport can be crowded.

Emergency contact:	Emergency Number: 110 (Police), 119 (Fire & Ambulance)
Taxi apps:	Uber, JapanTaxi, DiDi
Other:	Japan is a country of respect, so understanding local customs and etiquette is important. Public transport is efficient, but can be crowded during peak hours.

Best times to travel

The best times to travel section shows how the months compare for a visit, so you can find the time of year that fits what you want to do.

Background colours of the months:
The colour shows the typical temperature: yellow (hot), green (mild) and blue (cold). How strong the colour is shows the travel season: full colour means high season, soft colour means shoulder season and soft-striped means off season.

Weather symbols:
Each month has one symbol showing what the weather is typically like, such as hot and sunny, freezing or a rainy or snowy season. Use them to quickly spot months that match the weather you want, or to avoid the ones that don't.

Crowdedness:
The people icon shows how busy the place usually is. The more people, the more crowded it gets.

Additional notes:
The grey info boxes point out special things worth knowing, like recurring weather issues or seasonal events.

for Gifu, Japan

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Jan

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Feb

🌤️

Mar

🌦️

Apr

🌦️

May

🌦️

Jun

⛈️

Jul

🔥

Aug

🌦️

Sep

🌤️

Oct

🌤️

Nov

☀️

Dec

High season:	April - May, Oct.
Shoulder season:	Jan. - Feb., July - Sep., Nov.
Crowdedness:	6 (Many tourists)

Tap on a month for more info Hover over a month for more info

Climate details

Takayama Festival: 14 to 15 April and 9 to 10 October, accommodation in the old town books out early

Gujo Odori dance festival: mid July to early September, all-night dancing 13 to 16 August

Cormorant fishing on the Nagara River: 11 May to 15 October, cancelled when water is high

Don't miss

🏯 Ride the ropeway to Gifu Castle for mountain views
🐦 Watch traditional cormorant fishing on the Nagara River
🛤️ Walk through the historic Kawaramachi streets lined with old houses
🪷 Visit the Gifu Great Buddha at Shōhō-ji Temple
🎆 Join a local festival and see lantern-lined riverbanks glow
🍱 Taste local Hida beef dishes at a riverside restaurant

You've been here?

Why travel to Gifu?

Cormorant fishing on the Nagara River is the sight Gifu is best known for. Fishers on boats work with trained cormorants that catch ayu, a sweetfish, in a method passed down for more than 1,300 years. Visitors watch from boats on the river. It runs only in summer and the season ends in the autumn. The castle is on Mt. Kinka, a hill at the edge of Gifu Park. The top is about 4 minutes by ropeway and has views over the city and the river. The castle is linked to Oda Nobunaga and holds documents about him. The interior may be closed for work, so ask at the tourist office. Kawaramachi is one of the last remaining castle town districts in the city. Small workshops make handmade fans and Japanese umbrellas from bamboo and washi paper. The lanes also have cafes and sweet shops, where fish-shaped sweets called ayugashi are a common souvenir. A day is enough. The centre is easy to cover and the sights are close together. It combines well with Nagoya or a trip into the mountains of Gifu Prefecture.

🏯Places worth seeing

1 Gifu Castle
2 Gifu City Museum of History
3 Mount Kinka Ropeway

🎡Places for activities

1 Gifu City Science Museum

🏞️Natural landmarks

1 Gifu Memorial Center
2 Mt. Kinka
3 Mount Kinka Squirrel Village

🍽️Eat & Drink

1 Kawaramachi Izumiya
Founded in 1887, Kawaramachi Izumiya specialises in Nagara River ayu, including charcoal-grilled fish, ayu porridge and fermented ayu narezushi. It occupies a latticed historic building in Kawaramachi, close to the cormorant-fishing boat pier.
2 Kawaramachiya
Kawaramachiya is a café in a Meiji-era machiya that formerly housed a paper wholesaler. It serves coffee, Japanese sweets and light meals at 28 Tamai-cho in Kawaramachi, with a former storehouse used for cultural events.
3 Kisshoan
Kisshoan makes juwari soba from 100 percent buckwheat flour, without wheat as a binder. The soba restaurant is attached to the long-established Hirai business in Gifu City’s Nagara area, near the Nagara River.
4 Uosou
Uosou is a Japanese kappo restaurant in the Kawaramachi district, preparing seasonal Nagara River ayu during its fishing season. Its setting is close to the river and Gifu’s traditional cormorant-fishing area, beneath Mount Kinka.
5 Minokanko Yana
Minokanko Yana is a Nagara River ayu specialist where live sweetfish are cooked after being taken from on-site tanks. It serves grilled, fried and simmered ayu in Gifu City, combining the fish with the river’s traditional yana fishing culture.
6 Hanelu Cafe Yanagase
Hanelu Cafe Yanagase serves Korean-influenced café food, including bibimbap, homemade kimchi, gochujang and cakes. It is in the Yanagase shopping district, roughly an eight-minute walk from Meitetsu Gifu Station’s Exit 2.
7 Cafe Yanagase
Cafe Yanagase is an independent coffee stand in the Yanagase shopping arcade. It stands opposite Yanagase Plaza, serving espresso drinks and coffee in central Gifu City, within the district’s covered shopping streets.
8 Kawara Cafe Slow Time
Kawara Cafe Slow Time is a café in Gifu’s historic Kawaramachi area, where traditional merchant houses line the streets near the Nagara River. It serves coffee, sweets and light meals among the preserved riverside townscape.
9 Ayu Cuisine Kawaramachi Izumiya Shop
The ground-floor shop at Kawaramachi Izumiya sells ayu-related foods for take-away, while the dining rooms above serve river fish dishes. It is located at Motohama-cho in Kawaramachi, near the Nagara River boat landing.
10 Restaurant Bunkaya
Restaurant Bunkaya is a long-running Western-style restaurant in Gifu City, serving dishes such as hamburg steak, croquettes and curry. It sits in the Yanagase area, close to the covered shopping streets and central-city theatres.

🎈Events

Cormorant Fishing Season (May–Oct)
Gifu Nobunaga Festival (Oct)
Gifu Fireworks Festival (Aug)
Gifu Lantern Festival (July)
Gifu Sakura Festival (April)
Gifu Park Autumn Leaves Festival (Nov)
Yanagase Summer Festival
Gifu Marathon (April)
Kawaramachi Street Festival
Chrysanthemum Flower Festival

Explore on map

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Knowledge before you go

Cormorant fishing only runs in summer, so confirm the dates first.
The Mt. Kinka ropeway takes about 4 minutes and costs JP¥1,300 (£6.16) return for adults.
Gifu Castle's interior can close for renovation, so confirm access before you plan to go inside.
Kawaramachi's handmade fans often carry cormorant fishing scenes and are sold only locally, so they make a distinctive souvenir.

How to travel to Gifu

Trains are the easiest way to reach Gifu, with fast connections from Nagoya. The JR Tokaido Line takes about 20 minutes from Nagoya Station to Gifu Station on a special rapid train. The Meitetsu line from Nagoya to Meitetsu Gifu Station takes about the same. From Tokyo or Osaka, ride the Tokaido Shinkansen to Nagoya and change to a local train for Gifu. Gifu-Hashima Station on the Shinkansen line is also nearby, though Gifu Station is the main arrival point and the castle area is a short bus ride from it. Chubu Centrair Airport (NGO) is the nearest international airport, reached by train via Nagoya. By road, Gifu is on the Tokai-Hokuriku Expressway north of Nagoya.

Access summary

From Chubu Centrair Airport (NGO): Meitetsu μ-SKY train to Meitetsu Gifu, about 1 hour.
From Nagoya: JR Tokaido Line or Meitetsu trains to Gifu, around 20–30 minutes.
From Osaka: JR via Nagoya (sometimes shinkansen+local), typically 1.5–2 hours.

Check your route from anywhere

Where to stay in Gifu

Most visitors stay around JR Gifu Station and Meitetsu Gifu Station, where business hotels are the main type of lodging. The station area is convenient for trains to Nagoya and for buses to the castle and Kawaramachi. A smaller number of hotels and hot spring inns are along the Nagara River at Nagaragawa Onsen. Many travellers treat Gifu as a day trip and stay in Nagoya, 20 minutes away by train, with far more hotels at every price level. Gifu works as an alternative if you want a quieter base or want to catch the cormorant fishing in the evening. Book early for summer weekends in cormorant fishing season.

Hotel recommendations

*by rating and popularity. Commissions have no influence on the rankings.

Natural Hot Spring Spa Dormy Inn Gifu Ekimae

8.7

Daiwa Roynet Hotel Gifu

8.6

Hotel Resol Gifu

8.2

Miyako Hotel Gifu Nagaragawa

Hotel Livemax Gifuhashima-Ekimae

7.7

Gifu Castle Inn

8.2

Nagaragawa Spa Hotel Park

8.7

APA Hotel Gifu Hashima Ekimae

7.8

Explore more accommodations

How to get around Gifu

Gifu's main sights are in the area around Gifu Park and Kawaramachi, which is reached by a short bus ride from Gifu Station.

Buses and taxis:
Buses are the easiest option for visitors and run from Gifu Station to the park area. Taxis are available at the station if you're in a hurry.

On foot:
Once there, the park, the ropeway station and the Kawaramachi lanes are close together on foot. Walking trails up Mt. Kinka start from the park for those who prefer to hike.

River and car:
The Nagara River is in the centre of the city and the riverside walk is flat. A car isn't needed. Parking in the old town is limited and the lanes of Kawaramachi are narrow.

Food in Gifu

Gifu's food draws on the Nagara River and the mountains of the prefecture. The station area has chain restaurants and convenience stores for quick meals. Many local places close early in the evening so lunch is the easier meal to plan. Ayu and beef feature on many menus so vegetarians should ask before ordering.

Ayu:
The sweetfish caught in the Nagara River is the local speciality. It's grilled with salt in summer, which is when it's the dish to look for.

Hida beef:
Hida beef is a Gifu Prefecture brand that appears on many menus around the city.

Sweets:
Kawaramachi has cafes serving light meals and sweets such as matcha soft serve and dango. Ayugashi, a fish-shaped sponge cake, is the town souvenir.

Budget snapshot

Costs compared to home

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To customise this, you can set up which location and price level are used for the calculations in your account settings.

-47 %

Daily expenses in Gifu are around 47% lower than the average across United States. That means you'll spend a lot less on meals and getting around.

Exchange rate trend

The exchange rate price factor shows how expensive or cheap a currency currently is compared to its historical average. It's a quick way to see if a country is currently more or less affordable due to exchange rate changes.

-20 %

Your exchange rate (GBP to JPY) is 20% better than in recent years. That means travelling now is considerably cheaper compared to the past.

Travel costs

To help you plan your trip, we provide estimated daily costs per person (when travelling as a pair) for different travel styles. These numbers give you an idea of what you might spend each day at this destination, including accommodation, food, transport and activities.

Additionally, we also provide average hotel costs for different travel styles to give you an estimate for the accommodation only.

Please note that these are only estimates. The real costs depend on booking times, season and other factors.

Daily cost summary

Travel style categories explained:

Backpacker:
Staying in hostels or budget hotels, cooking your own meals or eating cheap and choosing low-cost activities.

Mid-range:
Staying in mid-range hotels, eating at a mix of restaurants and casual spots and enjoying a variety of activities.

Luxury:
Staying in luxury hotels, dining out at high-end restaurants and enjoying premium experiences without worrying about the price.

	Backpacker	Mid-range	Luxury
💵 Total costs per day, including accommodation	£45	£96	£240
🏨 Accommodation per night, per person	£23	£56	£113
🍝 Food per day	£16	£32	£97
🚕 Transportation per day	£7	£8	£31

Food & Drink

🍽️ Restaurant Dinner, per person	£12.50
🍛 Lunch Set, per person	£4.80
🍟 Fast food combo	£3.50
🍝 Preparing your own food, per day	£6.50
☕ Cappuccino	£2.40
🍺 Beer in a restaurant, 0.5 l	£2.10

Transportation

🚌 Public transport ticket	£1.70
🚕 Taxi Ride, 10 km / 6 mi	£18
⛽ Petrol, 1 l	£0.85

Other

🎞️ Cinema ticket	£9
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's consult	£21
🤧 Cold medication	£8
💇 Basic haircut	£11

Safety information overview

General safety

Gifu is very safe for travellers, with low crime in the centre and around the stations. The main risks are natural. The Nagara River can rise after heavy rain and typhoons. The steep Mt. Kinka trails can be slippery when wet.

Health & Medical

Health risks are low and Gifu University Hospital and other large hospitals serve the city. English-speaking care is limited, so carry travel insurance. Summers are hot and humid, so carry water and plan indoor stops at midday.

Accessibility

The city centre and riverside are flat and suit walking. The ropeway shortens the climb to the castle, but the summit has steps and slopes. Kawaramachi's lanes are narrow and the castle isn't step-free. Buses and taxis cover the distance from the station.

Tap water

Tap water is safe to drink in Gifu. The city sits on the Nagara River, which is fed by mountain water. Vending machines and convenience stores sell bottled drinks near the stations and the riverside. A refillable bottle is useful on summer days.