Rainy season has finally passed here in Gifu, but the summer is far from over! Of course, summer is THEpremiere festival season in Japan, and there are many events that will stir your inner spirit, urge you to dance along to the beat, and allow you to enjoy the local traditions that have persevered through the centuries! Here, I will introduce a selection of the events taking place in Gifu Prefecture during the month of August. Additionally, this month’s feature focuses in on the capital, Gifu City, the location from which Oda Nobunaga—perhaps the greatest historical Japanese figure—attempted to unify the nation. Please have a read through, and please support and “Like!” Gifu Crossroads on Facebook and the new Wordpress.com blog (links on last page)!!

Events & FestivalsEvents & Festivals

Gero Hot Spring Festival August 1~4

The largest festival in Gero, one of the three most famous Japanese hot spring

towns, is one filled with variety and local flavor! On the first day you can watch as

dragons and wan-mikoshi—peculiar, Japanese bowl-shaped portable shrines—

dance through the streets of the hot spring district as part of the “Dragon Fire

Dance.” On the second day, a parade of festival floats fills the street and at night,

the Gero Dance brings everyone together through music! The third day is

punctuated by a Fireworks Musical Performance for which Gero is famous

(8pm~8:45pm), and on the last day, the festival is concluded with a ballad stage

performance based on an old Gero legend. With all these different events, this

festival is a hard one to pass up!

Venue: Hot spring town, Gero City ℡:+81-576-24-2222Access: 3-minute walk from JR Gero Station (Takayama Main Line)

http://www.gero-spa.or.jp/english/festival.html

Summer Tejikara Fire Festival August 12

The main Tejikara Fire Festival, which features half-clad men shouldering a portable

shrine filled with gunpowder raining sparks down upon them, is held in April of every

year. This festival is an extension of that, with a change of scenery befitting the

summer season: to the banks of the Nagara River! In addition, one thing that the

summer edition boasts is fireworks, making this a perfect festival for the summer!

Time: 6:45pm~

Venue: Nagara-gawa Park (downriver of the Nagara Bridge, on the northern bank),

Nagara Fukumitsu Aza Tagawaki-mae, Gifu City

Access: 3-minutes’ walk from the “Ukaiya” stop on a Gifu Bus from JR or Meitetsu

Gifu Station heading for the Nagara Bridge ℡:+81-58-265-4141http://www.gifucvb.or.jp/en/02_event/02_04.html

Nagashi-somen Night in Magome-juku August 13~14

One might say that nagashi-somen is more experience than meal. Thin wheat

noodles (somen) are sent flowing along a bamboo flume filled with running cold

water, and the goal is to catch the noodles with your chopsticks as they pass by!

Adding to this normally engaging dining experience is the fact that, for these two

nights, you can enjoy nagashi-somen in the old post town of Magome, where the

steep incline (which sets it apart from its post town brothers) is a perfect fit for this

activity, allowing the noodles to flow downhill for 100 meters! Illuminated by lantern

light atop the old cobblestone path of Magome, why don’t you participate in this

unique event?! In addition, from the 13th to the 15th (8pm; 7:30pm on the 15th), you

can also enjoy the Majome-juku Bon Dance! Noodles start flowing at 7:30pm!

Venue: Magome, Nakatsugawa City ℡:+81-573-69-2336Access: 25-minute bus ride from Nakatsugawa Station (Kita Ena Bus on the

http://www.kiso-magome.com/magomeibent.html (Jpn.) Magome Line)

In addition to the new August-specific events listed above, several events I introduced in last month’s

issue are also continuing into this month! First among these is the famous Gujo Dance, whose climax—the

all-night dance—takes place on August 13~16, so be sure to head over to Gujo at some point during

that period! Additionally, the Nagaragawa National Fireworks Display on August 4th marks the second

week in a row that world-class fireworks come to Gifu City, so if you missed the fireworks on July 28th,

make sure not to miss this one!! The time and place are virtually the same as the first display, so for details

on this and the Gujo Dance, please refer to the July issue of Gifu Crossroads (see blog for back-issues)!

Water Capital Festival August 2~5

Blessed with bountiful, clear water since long ago, the city of Ogaki attempts every

year to show its thanks for Nature’s gift through this festival! As one might expect

from a city called the “water capital,” water plays a large role in this festival,

particularly in the event in which countless lanterns line and are sent floating down

the Suimon River, creating a spectacular sight especially at night. Also to be

enjoyed are the Tanabata Star Festival, the Ogaki Dance, and much, much more

in this excitement-packed festival! ℡:+81-584-77-1535Venue: Eki-dori, Honmachi-dori and elsewhere, Ogaki City

Access: JR Ogaki Station (Tokaido Main Line), South Exit

http://www.ogakikanko.jp/english/calendar/index.html

Continuing from last month’s feature on Hida Takayama, this month I’ll be covering the capital of Gifu Prefecture, Gifu City! Though Takayama is more well-known, there is a lot of history in Gifu

City, especially because one of the most revered figures in Japanese history and a man

considered one of the three unifiers of Japan, Oda Nobunaga, chose Gifu as his base from which to unite the lands. What at the time was the country of Mino was, from military and trading

standpoints, extremely strategically valuable, and he realized that uniting Japan would require first occupying Mino, so he did just that. There are places and activities in Gifu that are quite

famous, such as cormorant fishing and Gifu Castle. But there are just as many unknown elements

and destinations, so I hope to introduce some of those here and in more detail on the Gifu Crossroads Blog (http://gifucrossroads.wordpress.com/)! And as with last month (and in the issues

to follow), I will be approaching this from the standpoint of an independent traveler, so I hope the guidance comes in handy!

Coming from Nagoya, Gifu City is a breeze to access: a 20-30 minute train ride on either JR or the

Nagoya Railroad (Meitetsu) will bring you directly here, and you can even take a Meitetsu train

from Central Japan International Airport with no transfers, which will take about an hour. Once you get to Gifu City, though, you will have to rely on buses for transportation, as there is no

subway system. If you arrive at JR Gifu Station, I recommend that you head for the Tourist Information Office on the 2nd floor, where you can ask questions about how to get to your desired

destination. There is also a Gifu Bus Information Center outside the 1st floor of the station, where

the buses stop, but if you are inquiring in a language other than Japanese, I highly recommend that you head to the information office inside the station, as they are better prepared to handle

non-Japanese guests. If all goes well, they will tell you what number bus you need to get on and where to get off. Generally speaking, the English signage is not good at the bus stops throughout

the city, so be sure to ask all the questions you need to, with regard to all of the places you intend on visiting, while at the Tourist Information Office! And also note that you can only pay your bus

fare (¥200 per trip) while on the bus itself, so there are no pre-paid tickets or anything of the sort.

First and foremost, cormorant fishing is famous for a reason! More than one, actually. It’s an

incredibly old piece of history and tradition—1,300 years’ worth—and is honestly quite stunning. Especially during the hot, muggy summer that you experience in Japan, being on a boat on the

river during the evening is incredibly cooling and refreshing, so that is an added plus! I have so

much to say about cormorant fishing, though, that I’m going to save it for a blog post, so keep an eye out for that! One relative unknown that is tangentially related, though, is the Viewing Boat

Shipyard, where you can get a glimpse of craftsmen at work, building new cormorant fishing viewing boats. The shipyard is just a short walk from the “Nagara-bashi” bus stop, which is also the

stop for the cormorant fishing loading dock, so it makes for a convenient side-trip before you board the boats for the main event. Four carpenters currently work there year-round making new

ships to replace the old ones (it takes 5 months per boat!), as the number of boats—45—has to

remain the same! I definitely recommend stopping by here for just a short while before you test out the quality of their carpentry by getting on one of their finished products!

Another destination in Gifu City that truly deserves to be MUCH more well-known is the Gifu Great

Buddha, housed in the Shoboji Temple (also often transcribed as “Shohoji”). By many accounts,

this is designated as one of Japan’s Three Great Large Buddha Statues (these kinds of titles tend to be somewhat flexible and subjective, so there are actually more

than three Buddha statues in Japan that lay claim to this name!), and it is wholly deserving of that honor. Though it is not quite as large as the Buddha at Todaiji

All Roads Lead to GIFU: Part II Gifu CityAll Roads Lead to GIFU: Part II Gifu City

Nobunaga welcomes you to Gifu!

Viewing boat under

construction

Gifu Great Buddha

Cormorant Fishing on the

Nagara River

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Central Japan Tourism Promotion Association

http://go-centraljapan.jp/en/area/gifu/index.html

Making a trip to Takayama easier and more affordable than ever!

Gifu Prefecture and the JR Central Japan Railway Company continue to bring you an independent travel package

to Takayama like no other! 3 nights in Takayama and 2 nights in Nagoya PLUS round-trip train tickets from Nagoya to

Takayama PLUS round-trip tickets to Kyoto or Ise or Shizuoka PLUS more! For detailed information about this jam-

packed travel option, please refer to the following website: http://japanican.com/tours/list.aspx?kw=stayrailtakahaku

Publisher:

Tourism Division, Tourism Exchange Promotion Office

Department of Commerce, Labor and Industry Tel: +81-058-272-1111 (Ext. 3058)

Gifu Prefectural Government Fax: +81-058-278-2674

2-1-1 Yabuta-minami, Gifu City, GIFU 500-8570 Email: q00869@pref.gifu.lg.jp

Temple in Nara, the Gifu Great Buddha at 13.7 meters tall is larger than the famous Kamakura

Buddha, so it is certainly grand in scale. In terms of construction, it is also quite unique. Particularly unusual among Buddha statues is the framework, which is made of bamboo instead of other kinds

of wood. On top of this is a layer of clay, and on top of that a layer of Buddhist scriptures written mostly on Mino Japanese paper (made in current-day Gifu). The statue was also covered with a

layer of lacquer and, finally, a layer of gold-painted leaves, which forms the surface. Sounds a

little complicated, right? Indeed, not all these steps were necessary, but interestingly enough, the addition of the Mino paper is thought perhaps to have added to the durability and strength of the

statue, allowing it to withstand an 8+ magnitude earthquake over 120 years ago where others would have collapsed! More interesting stories surround the history of this Great Buddha, and

these will be elaborated upon on the blog! For the time being, I want to make it clear that a visit

to Shoboji Temple should be a MUST for any traveler to Gifu City! It would be a shame to leave without seeing the statue for yourself.

Gourmet is of course an important part of any trip, which begs the question, what should I eat in

Gifu? Since you’re in Gifu after all, you might as well get something here that you won’t find anywhere else! One such meal can be had at “Kawaramachi Izumiya,” a restaurant that

specializes in ayu, “sweetfish,” and a place where you can enjoy that particular fish prepared

several different ways. Gifu, with its pure river water, is the most famous place in Japan for sweetfish, and you should make sure to have some! One particularly unique preparation that you

can enjoy at this restaurant is “ayu ramen,” a bowl of ramen with an entire boiled sweetfishadded on top! Even in Gifu Prefecture, this style of eating sweetfish is extremely unusual, and I

have to say that it was delicious! The fish itself is much easier to eat than when it is grilled and

salted as per the standard preparation method, and it’s perfect for those who fuss over fish bones (like myself!)! Getting the set meal will allow you to taste ayu in different shapes, forms, and flavors,

culminating with the ayu ramen, so I highly recommend that you head to this shop or another with a similar menu on your trip to Gifu City! The location is also super convenient; it is in the

Kawaramachi district and a mere 3 minute-walk from the cormorant fishing loading dock, so I would say that heading here first for lunch, then making your way to the Great Buddha and Gifu

Castle and exploring that area, and finally taking a look at the Viewing Boat Shipyard before

enjoying cormorant fishing would be the ideal course for seeing the sights in Gifu City!

Finally, you wouldn’t want to leave without some souvenirs, now would you?! Gifu City is a perfect place to buy something traditionally Japanese to bring back home, as it is famous for a number

of such products. Among these are Gifu lanterns and mizu uchiwa, or “water fans,” which both

use the high-quality Mino paper that I mentioned with regard to the Buddha statue. The former, Gifu lanterns, are famous throughout Japan, and Gifu City, along with Yame City in Fukuoka, is

one of the two largest producers of bon lanterns (in contrast to festival lanterns, which are made throughout the country), which are extremely elaborate, elegant, and very Japanese. Water fans

are also a Gifu City specialty, and though they are made with paper, they are covered with varnish, protecting the paper and allowing you to sprinkle a little water on the fan before you use

it, a more effective way of cooling yourself off that reportedly has been used in Gifu for a long

time! More information about exactly where you can get your hands on these beautiful, unique items will be up on the blog, so please take a look! Hopefully you have a clearer idea of what kind

of route you should follow when touring Gifu City, and please stay tuned for an introduction to a different city next month! So long for now!Gifu bon lanterns

Mizu uchiwa water fans

Ayu ramen and more!