Enjoy GUJO HACHIMAN, the "town of water and dance" just two hours from Nagoya

The charm of GUJO HACHIMAN lies in its nature, history, food culture, and dance.

Gujo City in Gifu Prefecture is one of the most attractive tourist destinations in the Tokai region, where nature and history coexist in harmony. In addition to being able to enjoy the beautiful greenery, the clear waters of the Nagara River, and the old townscape that remains in the castle town of GUJO HACHIMAN, the city is also a kingdom of activities with plenty to offer, including river activities in the summer, sweetfish fishing and rafting, and snow sports in the winter.
The most famous summer tradition in Gujo is the Gujo Odori Festival, one of the three major Bon Odori festivals in Japan. Held every summer, it is known for tourists enjoying dancing together with the locals. In addition to enjoying the dance, there are many gourmet restaurants and eateries in the castle town, which attracts tourists.
This time, we will focus on the GUJO HACHIMAN area, in the center of Gujo City, and introduce its little-known charms.

• Table of Contents
• Introducing recommended sightseeing spots in GUJO HACHIMAN Castle Town
• The charm and experience of the summer tradition "Gujo Odori Festival"
• Recommended place to stay in GUJO HACHIMAN: GUJO HACHIMAN Hotel Sekisuien
• How to get to GUJO HACHIMAN from Nagoya

Introducing recommended sightseeing spots in GUJO HACHIMAN Castle Town

One of the pleasures of GUJO HACHIMAN is strolling around the castle town and feeling its history. We will introduce some places in GUJO HACHIMAN, which is full of things to see.

First, let's start with the entrance to GUJO HACHIMAN, "GUJO HACHIMAN Station"

We will introduce how to get to GUJO HACHIMAN later, but if you come to GUJO HACHIMAN by train, the first thing you will see is GUJO HACHIMAN Station. With dancing paper lantern hanging from the ceiling, it has a very tasteful exterior.

You can walk from the station to the castle town of GUJO HACHIMAN , but we recommend taking the circular bus or renting a bicycle. It takes about 10 minutes by bus, but the bus hours are limited, so if the weather is nice, one way to enjoy the trip is to rent a bicycle and feel the breeze of Gujo as you head to the castle town. Bicycle rentals cost 1,000 yen for one day (500 yen for up to three hours).

Head to GUJO HACHIMAN Castle, the symbol of Gujo GUJO HACHIMAN

Next, when you arrive near the castle town of GUJO HACHIMAN, you will definitely see the symbol of GUJO HACHIMAN, GUJO HACHIMAN Castle. After the fort was built in 1559, it is said to have undergone several renovations before becoming the beautiful structure we see today.
If you visit GUJO HACHIMAN, a tour of the castle is one of the experiences we highly recommend. If you climb the castle tower, you can see the beautiful townscape, the surrounding mountains, and the beautifully flowing Yoshida River. There are no tall buildings and you can enjoy the scenery throughout the four seasons, so you will be able to experience different charms depending on the time of year you visit.
In autumn you can enjoy the autumn leaves turning so red that it looks as if the castle is on fire, and in winter you can enjoy the breathtakingly beautiful snow scenery.

This is a photo of the castle tower from the front. It is said that the castle tower of GUJO HACHIMAN was reproduced based on the castle tower of Ogaki Castle in Ogaki City, Gifu Prefecture. You can also learn about the history of GUJO HACHIMAN Castle by looking at the exhibits in order. Incidentally, GUJO HACHIMAN Castle is the oldest wooden reconstructed castle in Japan.

This is the view of the town from the castle tower. It's really nice to be able to see a 360-degree view from the castle tower. It may be hard to tell from the overgrown trees in this photo, but apparently the town below looks like a "fish shape." Now that you mention it, it certainly does look like a fish.

Official website of GUJO HACHIMAN Castle, Japan's oldest reconstructed wooden castle

Experience the Water GUJO HACHIMAN on a Walk

This is a place called "Yanaka Mizu no Komichi". Yanaka Mizu no Komichi is one of the symbolic spots, with a road paved with cobblestones and waterways, where you can spend time feeling the atmosphere. It is said that about 80,000 stones are paved in honor of "Hachiman" in Gujo.

Sogi Water

Sogi-sui was the first place to be designated as one of Japan's 100 famous waters by the Environment Agency, and is the symbol of GUJO HACHIMAN, the "town of water."

This is a photo of Sogi-sui. Can you see that there are several levels of separation from the source?

Starting from the area closest to the water source, the bathroom is divided into areas for drinking water, followed by the area for washing rice and other items, the area for washing vegetables, and the area for washing dishes. You can get a sense of the mindset of the time not to waste water.

When you walk through the town of GUJO HACHIMAN, you can sense the closeness of people's lives to the water in many places. There are depressions all over the river, and people still use these depressions to cool fruit.

Take a break. "Soba no Hirajin" serves delicious soba noodles

GUJO HACHIMAN is home to restaurants and food stalls that serve gourmet food. Here we will introduce one of these, Heijin, which is famous for its soba noodles. It is often said that soba noodles taste better in places with clean water, and GUJO HACHIMAN has several soba restaurants. Heijin is a long-established soba restaurant that was founded 80 years ago and is located right next to the Sogi-sui water in GUJO HACHIMAN. You can enjoy chewy, firm soba noodles made with Gujo's famous water and domestic buckwheat flour.
There is tatami seating on the second floor, and if you sit by the windows on the first floor, you can enjoy your soba while looking out over the Yoshida River.

This is the specialty "Hida Beef and Wild Yam Lunch." In addition to soba, you can also enjoy Gifu's specialty "Hida beef" and wild yam, one of the seasonal vegetables in Gujo. Wild yam is a versatile ingredient that can be combined with soba, eaten as is, or poured over Hida beef.

This is the view from the seats along the river on the first floor. You can dine in a relaxing atmosphere while looking out at the crystal clear river and the mountains.

Click here for the official website of Soba no Heijin

Enjoy tea and dango at the machiya cafe "Dangochaya"

GUJO HACHIMAN is generally made up of many townhouse-style buildings, and there are many shops that make use of these townhouse structures. One of these, Dangochaya, serves GUJO HACHIMAN's Gotsutama Mitarashi Dango, which has been popular since the Showa era.

The rice grown in Gujo is carefully rolled into balls, dipped in a special sweet and spicy sauce, and grilled until fragrant. You can enjoy it on the spot. When you pass by the shop, you will be greeted by a fragrant, appetizing aroma.

This is a dango set. You can order two dango and a drink of your choice.

You can choose from several types, including Hojicha from Gujo and Sencha from Gujo. As you can see from the picture, the ice in the Hojicha is also frozen tea. Even when the ice melted, the flavor did not become diluted, so you could enjoy the taste of the tea until the very end.

The interior of the restaurant has a nostalgic Japanese atmosphere. There are tables and tatami rooms with hearths, so you can spend your time relaxing wherever you are seated.

I want to know more about Dangochaya's menu

The charm and experience of the summer tradition "Gujo Odori Festival"

When talking about Gujo, it is impossible to mention the Gujo Odori Festival. This traditional event has a history of over 400 years and is counted as one of the "Three Great Bon Odori Dances of Japan" along with the Awa Odori dance in Tokushima Prefecture and the Nishimonai Bon Odori dance in Akita Prefecture.

The Gujo Odori Festival is a major summer event that takes place for around 30 nights every year from mid-July to early September. In particular, the "All-Night Dance" that takes place every year from August 13th to 16th attracts many people from inside and outside the prefecture, who literally dance all night long until the morning comes.

The charm of Gujo Odori Festival is that all the participants dance together as one. There are 10 types of dance, each with its own unique choreography and song. It is said that once you experience the joy of dancing to live music and singing, you will never be able to get enough of it.

Even if you don't know how to dance, if you join the group and imitate what you see, you can dance in just a few minutes. It's a relatively easy structure to remember, even for beginners. Please come and spend a special time feeling the summer atmosphere of Gujo while dancing casually and experiencing the warmth of the people who are participating.

GUJO HACHIMAN Expo Museum: Learn about the history of Gujo Odori Festival and experience the dance

GUJO HACHIMAN Expo is a local museum packed with all the charms of GUJO HACHIMAN. Although it is now an exposition center, it was actually created by renovating a tax office from the Taisho period. Here you can see exhibits about Hachiman's history, culture, and traditional crafts. Also, even if it is not Gujo Odori Festival season, you can watch Gujo Odori Festival demonstrations in the museum, and another fun point is that you can also take lessons on how to dance. (Check the official website for the dates and times of events.)

Even on normal days, the Gujo Odori Festival attracts several thousand people, but on Obon days (all-night dancing), the number can reach as high as 50,000 to 60,000 people.

These are the wooden clogs worn during the dance. Gujo Odori Festival wooden clogs are made from cypress wood so that they are stronger than usual and produce a better sound, but even so, it seems that after about two weeks the clogs (the one on the right) will wear down to this extent.

At the GUJO HACHIMAN Expo Center, you can see demonstrations and experience the Gujo Dance, and hear various stories about the Gujo Odori Festival. It seems like it would be even more fun to actually participate after learning more about the Gujo Odori Festival.

The building also sells local specialties and crafts unique to Gujo, making it a great place to pick up souvenirs.

By the way, the schedule for the 2024 Gujo Odori Festival has already been released, so please check the link below and make sure to schedule it accordingly to participate. There are several stores where you can buy geta locally, so it's a good idea to go and check them out first.

Check the dates for Gujo Odori Festival in 2024

Find out more about GUJO HACHIMAN Expo Center

Recommended place to stay in GUJO HACHIMAN: GUJO HACHIMAN Hotel Sekisuien

There are several places to stay in Gujo city, but the one I would particularly like to recommend is GUJO HACHIMAN Hotel Sekisuien, located right next to GUJO HACHIMAN Castle.

The Charm of GUJO HACHIMAN Hotel Sekisuien

There are no shops nearby, and the inn is surrounded by nature. It was renovated in July 2019, and you can enjoy very clean rooms, a clean interior, and delicious meals. The inn's concept is "travel like you live." True to its concept, you can relax in the spacious rooms inside the inn. Another nice feature is that a welcome drink is provided.
The hotel has a total of 21 rooms, some of which have an open-air bath. Although there is no large public bath, the baths in each room are very new and spacious, so you can relax in the bath without any problems.

Not only the food but also the specialty products of Gujo are available.

Food is an essential part of traveling. Here at GUJO HACHIMAN Hotel Sekisuien, you can enjoy local specialties and seasonal foods from Gifu Prefecture and Gujo.
GUJO HACHIMAN is located along the Nagara River, and is famous for its delicious sweetfish, and depending on the menu, you can enjoy teppanyaki of Hida beef. You can eat meals that are full of the chef's attention to detail, using local ingredients such as "Gujo sweetfish," "Hida beef," "Gujo rice," "Gujo vegetables," and "Gujo miso," so that you can eat them in the most delicious way possible.

This is Hida beef teppanyaki meat. It's thick, but you can cut it easily with your teeth and eat it easily.

Salt-grilled sweetfish. If you don't know how to eat it, you can ask the staff. Sweetfish fishing starts in June, so you can eat freshly caught sweetfish.

This is the breakfast menu. In the morning, they serve the Hida region's specialty "Hoba miso" and local vegetables. The ingredients are so delicious that you'll find yourself asking for seconds of rice.

How to get to the accommodation

The inn is located halfway up the mountain, so it is possible to walk there, but it is a bit difficult. If you have a car, there is no problem, but if not, we recommend using the "shuttle bus" provided by the inn. They provide transportation to major locations such as GUJO HACHIMAN Station and the castle town, so you can head to the hotel with peace of mind.
For more information about the shuttle bus, click here

Make a reservation at GUJO HACHIMAN Hotel Sekisuien here

How to get to GUJO HACHIMAN from Nagoya

If you are heading from Nagoya to GUJO HACHIMAN, you can access it by train, car, or express bus.

Here are three ways to access it.

Train: JR Tokaido Line → Takayama Line → Nagaragawa Railway

To get from Nagoya Station to GUJO HACHIMAN Station, first take the JR train to Minoota Station. It takes about 60 minutes to get there. From Minoota Station, transfer to the local Nagaragawa Railway line and ride for about 90 minutes to GUJO HACHIMAN Station. After a while on the Nagaragawa Railway, you will be surrounded by greenery and can enjoy the scenery as you cross a beautiful river and run through nature.

This time, we were unable to introduce it as the interview took place on a weekday, but on weekends you can also ride the "Nagara Sightseeing Train." There are various plans available, including those that include meals and sweets. The price is higher than a regular ride, but you can enjoy the luxurious royal red body of the train, the interior that makes generous use of wood from Gifu Prefecture, and delicious meals. There is also a view plan that does not include meals, but is a reasonable ride for just 510 yen on top of the fare. This is something you can only experience here, so be sure to give it a try at least once.

Click here for the Nagara Tourist Train special website

Car (rental car):

If you have a personal car or a rental car, you can head from Nagoya towards Ichinomiya on the Nagoya Expressway or Meishin Expressway, then head north on the Tokai GUJO HACHIMAN. There are no particular situations where you will get lost or have any trouble after getting off at GUJO HACHIMAN Interchange, so if you have a car, you can easily get there.

Express bus:

You can take the express bus bound for GUJO HACHIMAN from the Meitetsu Bus Center at Nagoya Station. The journey takes about 90 minutes, and it costs about 2,400 yen one way to get to GUJO HACHIMAN. The bus goes right into the castle town, so you don't have to worry about secondary transportation within GUJO HACHIMAN, which is a nice feature.

Click here for express buses from Nagoya to GUJO HACHIMAN

What did you think? This is only a partial introduction, but there is still much more to the charms of GUJO HACHIMAN, the "town of water, history and dance." Take a stroll GUJO HACHIMAN and visit a geta shop that will make a pair of dancing geta to fit your feet, a cafe where you can buy craft gin, a famous eel restaurant and a food sample making experience. I'm sure you'll find a shop you like.

Besides Gujo City, in Gifu City, Gifu Prefecture, you can enjoy the traditional fishing method of "UKAI" and experience making Japanese WAGASA（Japanese umbrella） and paper lantern. If you want to see what it's like, please read this article.