Gifu is located conveniently in the center of Japan and is historically known for Oda Nobunaga, one of the three great military leaders responsible for uniting Japan after a century of civil war. “Gi” is the name of a Chinese city taken over by a powerful king who subsequently united China and “Fu” means the foot of the mountain. One can make reservations in advance in any Gifu hotels Japan to view the historical city in lovely clement Gifu weather. One can make it a point to see the site of Oda Nobunaga's residence which is preserved in Gifu Park, marked by a statue of Oda Nobunaga in his youth at the entrance.
Gifu Castle rebuilt in 1954 is one of the city's most prominent buildings. A visit to the top of the 329 meter high Mount Kinka allows guests to see one of the first castles, which was then called Inabayama Castle, reported to have been built in 1201. One can also visit the castle and the surrounding Gifu Park after hiking up a two kilometer trail to the mountain top. Across the park is the Shobo-ji temple where there is an imposing 13.7 meter tall sculpture of the Lord Buddha, made out of lacquered bamboo. However, the most popular attraction of Gifu remains ‘Ukai’ which is over a thousand year old fishing practice using trained cormorant birds. |
