Things to Do in Gifu, Japan

Quick facts: The castle sits atop a 329-meter-high mountain and offers panoramic views of the city of Gifu in clear weather. In 1567, the powerful daimyo Oda Nobunaga was sheltered here, making the site a stage for significant historical events.

Highlights: The castle can only be reached via a steep hiking trail that leads through dense forest, revealing forgotten temple ruins along the way. From the castle tower, a magical play of colors can be admired over the valley at sunset, surprising and delighting many visitors.

Quick facts: The mountain rises 329 meters high and offers a 360-degree panoramic view of the city and the Nagara River. At the summit stands a castle that once controlled the region and now houses a museum with historical artifacts.

Highlights: A secret path leads to hidden lookout points from which, on clear days, the snow-covered peaks of the Japanese Alps can be seen. Every autumn, a traditional lantern festival is held, during which hundreds of lanterns bathe the mountain in warm light.

Quick facts: The park provides access to the 323-meter-high summit station of Mount Kinka. More than 400 cherry trees transform the park into a sea of pink blossoms in spring.

Highlights: The chairlift up to Mount Kinka offers a spectacular view of the city and the surrounding landscape. Visitors can admire a genuine samurai armor up close in the park, displayed in the local museum.

Quick facts: The river flows for about 225 kilometers, crossing Gifu Prefecture, which is known for its nature and culture. Along the river, there are many traditional cormorant fishermen who have practiced a unique fishing method for centuries.

Highlights: In summer, you can experience the ancient cormorant fishing, where specially trained birds catch fish, a technique that has been used here for over 1,300 years. The sunset over the river paints a spectacular picture, with the water glistening in warm orange tones and bathing the landscape in a mystical light.

Quick facts: An army of 160,000 samurai formed here in the year 1600 for a decisive battle that significantly shaped Japan's history. The battlefield now includes numerous monuments and an impressive monumental statue of Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Highlights: A rarely noticed detail reveals how local farmers secretly switched sides, dramatically influencing the course of the battle. The landscape is peaceful today, yet visitors can feel the tension of bygone times through well-preserved trenches and old chestnut trees.

Quick facts: Roughly 250 life-size concrete samurai stand frozen in battle poses across a hillside where Japan's pivotal 1600 clash unfolded. A single local businessman spent years hand-shaping each warrior with cement and bamboo frames, an amateur project that became a cult favorite.

Highlights: Over 40 separate battle scenes unfold along the slopes, including Ieyasu Tokugawa commanding from a concrete war tent at his headquarters. The statues' chipped paint and staring eyes give them a haunting, dreamlike quality that photographers chase in the morning mist.