Hida

Carp canal and sake town near Takayama

Hida is a city in northern Gifu Prefecture and its best-known district is Hida-Furukawa, a quieter town close to Takayama. Its Seto River canal is lined with white-walled storehouses and stocked with carp. Sake breweries and craft shops are along the same streets. The Furukawa Festival fills the town every April with floats and a night-time drum ritual. Beyond the town the city covers mountain valleys and rivers. Kamioka has a neutrino research site and a space science museum. Hida-Furukawa works as a half-day stop from Takayama and a car helps in the wider area.

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City in Japan

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$	Cheap
$$	Medium
$$$	Expensive, upscale
$$$+	Very expensive, luxury

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Safety: 8.2

General Safety:	9
Health & medical:	7
Accessibility:	5
Tap water:	10

Read details

2/5

English is spoken at major hotels, tourist centres and some restaurants, but less so in small shops and rural areas. Signage is improving, but a translation app is helpful for smooth travel.

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Last update: 20 Oct 2026

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Hida Summary

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Excellent for traditional villages and mountain culture. Walk preserved streets, visit craft workshops, enjoy local beef cuisine and explore scenic alpine countryside.

Place score

7.3

Best at:

Spotless

Forests

Cosy towns

Snow

Walkable

Personal score

Suited for

👶 6

Families

🧓 6

Seniors

👩 7

Solo

♻️ 7

Sustainability

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 Hida, Japan

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Jan

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Feb

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Mar

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Apr

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May

⛈️

Jun

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Jul

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Aug

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Sep

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Oct

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Nov

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Dec

High season:	April - May, Aug., Oct. - Nov.
Shoulder season:	Jan. - Feb., July, Sep.
Crowdedness:	3 (Few tourists)

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

Climate details

Takayama Spring Festival 14 to 15 April and Autumn Festival 9 to 10 October, with festival floats and big crowds

Heavy snow January to February can delay roads and buses, some mountain routes close

Shirakawa-go and Hida Folk Village are most atmospheric in winter snow and light-up events

Don't miss

🏮 Wander through the preserved streets of Hida-Furukawa
🍶 Take a sake brewery tour and sample local varieties
🚆 Ride the scenic Hida-Furukawa rail line through mountain valleys
🐟 Admire traditional carp-filled canals in the old town
🥁 Join the lively Furukawa Festival with rhythmic taiko drums
🥩 Try Hida beef grilled over a charcoal hearth

You've been here?

Why travel to Hida?

Hida-Furukawa is known for its storehouse street. White-walled storehouses are along the Seto River for about 500 m and more than a thousand carp swim in the canal. In winter they spend the cold months in a separate pond. Sake breweries with cedar balls hanging over the doors and shops and restaurants fill the buildings. The Takumikan Craft Museum shows nail-free carpentry and Honkoji Temple is known for its carved woodwork. The Furukawa Festival takes place on 19 and 20 April. Floats parade by day and at night men carry the Okoshi Daiko drum on a tower in a midnight rite. The floats are part of a group of Japanese float festivals listed by UNESCO. A hall in town displays festival floats through the year. The countryside is the other draw. Guided cycling tours cover the satoyama farmland around the town. In Kamioka mountain bikes run on old railway tracks during the green season. The Miyagawa River has waterfalls and is known for ayu, a river fish. Mt. Anbou is known for sea-of-clouds views. The town fits into half a day and pairs easily with Takayama. It's usually quieter. With a car you can add the valleys and Kamioka.

🏯Places worth seeing

1 Hida Crafts Museum
2 Enkō Temple
3 Hida City Library

🍽️Eat & Drink

1 Ajidokoro Furukawa
This Hida-Furukawa restaurant serves regional dishes including Hida beef with hoba miso, Hida jidori chicken, soba and gohei-mochi. It stands on Ichinomachi, a three-minute walk from Hida City Hall’s parking area, near the town’s historic storehouse district.
2 Rai Rai Ken
Rai Rai Ken is a Chinese-style restaurant focused on ramen, fried rice and gyoza. It is beside Hida City Library in Furukawa and about a five-minute walk from Hida-Furukawa Station, marked by a conspicuous red sign.
3 Asunaro Coffee
Operating since 1986, this café roasts its own coffee and serves handmade bread made with flower yeast and domestic wheat. It occupies the former Okuhida Onsenguchi Station building in Kamioka, beside the former Kamioka Railway route.
4 Maeda
Maeda is a Japanese restaurant specialising in Hida beef, prepared in styles such as steak, shabu-shabu and sukiyaki. It sits directly opposite Hida-Furukawa Station, making it an easy stop before or after exploring Furukawa’s canal-side streets.
5 Fukuzenji Soba
Fukuzenji Soba serves buckwheat noodles, a local speciality made with flour from the Hida area. The restaurant is listed by Hida City among its food-and-drink venues, alongside local dishes shaped by the region’s mountain agriculture.
6 Sobasho Nakaya
Sobasho Nakaya focuses on soba made in the Hida tradition, where locally grown buckwheat is central to the cuisine. Hida City identifies it as one of the places to find local noodles, which are often paired with local sake.
7 Sakaeya Restaurant
Sakaeya Restaurant is a Hida City dining address associated with the area’s local soba tradition. It is listed by the city as a place to find regional noodles, alongside dishes tied to Hida’s local ingredients and food culture.
8 Hida Spice Curry Lab
Started by Hida curry enthusiasts, this restaurant makes spice curry and chai with additive-free organic ingredients. Its menu is gluten-free, with vegan options available, bringing a contemporary curry style to Hida City’s food scene.
9 FabCafe Hida
FabCafe Hida combines a café with a creative community space in Hida-Furukawa. Its menu incorporates Japanese spicebush, a local aromatic plant, and the venue appears on Hida City’s official food-and-drink listings.
10 Shinmeiya
Shinmeiya is a Hida confectionery associated with tempura manju, a local sweet made by frying filled buns. It is included in Hida City’s guide to regional sweets, offering a snack distinct from the area’s beef and noodle dishes.

🎈Events

Furukawa Festival (April, UNESCO-listed)
Cherry Blossom Festival (April)
Hida Takumi Festival
Hida Summer Festival
Autumn Harvest Festival
Winter Illumination
Seasonal sake brewery events

Explore on map

Knowledge before you go

Carp are moved to a pond from late November to early April.
The Furukawa Festival runs 19 and 20 April, so book rooms early or stay in Takayama.
Hida-Furukawa is quieter than Takayama, so it suits a short stop on a Takayama trip.
In Kamioka, rail bikes called Gattan Go run on old tracks, but only in the green season.

How to travel to Hida

Trains are the easiest way to reach Hida-Furukawa, with the JR Takayama Main Line calling at Hida-Furukawa Station. From Takayama it takes about 15 minutes. From Nagoya the Hida limited express takes about 2 hours 25 minutes. From Toyama the trip takes about 75 minutes. From Tokyo or Osaka the usual route is a Shinkansen to Nagoya or Toyama and a change to the Takayama Line. Direct trains from Osaka to Takayama take about 4 hours. A long-distance bus also links Takayama Station and Hida-Furukawa in about 30 minutes. Chubu Centrair Airport (NGO) is the nearest large international airport, with trains to Nagoya for the Takayama Line. By road, the town is about 125 km north of Nagoya.

Access summary

From Toyama Airport: Bus to Toyama, Limited Express Hida train, about 2.5 hours.
From Nagoya: JR Limited Express Hida direct to Hida-Furukawa, roughly 2.5–3 hours.
From Takayama: JR Takayama Line local train to Hida-Furukawa, about 15–20 minutes.

Check your route from anywhere

Where to stay in Hida

Hida-Furukawa has only a small number of inns and guesthouses. Many visitors stay in Takayama, 15 minutes away by train, which has far more hotels at every price level. Staying there makes sense if you want a choice of restaurants in the evening. A night in the old town suits you if you want a quiet evening near the storehouses. Rooms in town are limited around the festival, so book early or use Takayama as a base. Takayama also has the main rail and bus connections for early or late trains along the Takayama Line. It's also the better base if you plan other trips around the Hida region.

Hotel recommendations

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

Okuhida Hot spring Miyama Ouan -Kyoritsu Resort

9.0

Hirayukan -Kyoritsu Resort

9.0

Wat Hotel & Spa Hida Takayama

9.0

Tabino Hotel Hida Takayama

8.6

Okada Ryokan

8.4

Yathusankan Over 6 years old, Non Smoking

9.5

Hodakaso Yamano Hotel

Ryokan Hidatei Hanaougi

9.0

Explore more accommodations

How to get around Hida

Hida-Furukawa is small and easy to explore on foot.

Old town:
The storehouse street is a 5-minute walk from Hida-Furukawa Station and the main sights are within the old town. Bicycles are a common way to reach the farmland on the edge of town. Guided cycling tours are available in English.

Wider city:
Public transport in the wider city is limited. Local buses link some of the outlying areas but runs are infrequent, so check timetables before you plan a day around them. Kamioka, the valleys and the waterfalls are easier with a hire car.

Winter and trains:
Winter driving needs care and snow tyres are recommended from early December to late March. If you don't have a car, base yourself in the old town and use the train for day trips along the Takayama Line.

Food in Hida

Hida's local food is mostly beef, river fish and sake. Shops and restaurants occupy the storehouses and old houses near the Seto River. Many close in the early evening so lunch is the easier meal to plan. Takayama has a bigger choice of restaurants if you want more options. Convenience stores near the station cover quick meals and cycling lunches.

Hida beef:
This is the local delicacy and appears on many menus. Beef and fish are central to many dishes so vegetarians should ask before ordering.

Sake:
The breweries along the canal are the other big name in local food and drink.

Ayu and hoba miso:
Ayu, a fish from the Miyagawa River, is a summer speciality. Hoba miso, miso grilled on a magnolia leaf, is a regional dish that appears on many local menus.

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.

-46 %

Daily expenses in Hida are around 46% 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	£44	£96	£246
🏨 Accommodation per night, per person	£23	£56	£113
🍝 Food per day	£17	£32	£98
🚕 Transportation per day	£5	£7	£35

Food & Drink

🍽️ Restaurant Dinner, per person	£12
🍛 Lunch Set, per person	£4.90
🍟 Fast food combo	£3.70
🍝 Preparing your own food, per day	£6.50
☕ Cappuccino	£2.30
🍺 Beer in a restaurant, 0.5 l	£2.30

Transportation

🚌 Public transport ticket	£1.20
🚕 Taxi Ride, 10 km / 6 mi	£21
⛽ Petrol, 1 l	£0.85

Other

🎞️ Cinema ticket	£9
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's consult	£24
🤧 Cold medication	£7
💇 Basic haircut	£12

Safety information overview

General safety

Hida is very safe for travellers, with low crime in the old town and the countryside. The main risks are natural. Winter brings snow and icy roads. Bears live in the surrounding mountains so hikers should take care.

Health & Medical

Health risks are low. Clinics serve the town and larger hospitals are in Takayama. English-speaking care is limited, so carry travel insurance. Summers are warm in the valleys and winters are cold with snow, so dress for the season.

Accessibility

The old town is flat and compact, which suits walking and older visitors. Some lanes beside the canal are narrow. Snow and ice make winter walking harder. Reaching Kamioka and the valleys needs a car or infrequent buses.

Tap water

Tap water is safe to drink in Hida and across Gifu Prefecture. The city is surrounded by mountains and rivers with plenty of clean water. Vending machines and shops sell bottled drinks near the station and the old town.