Blogs from Gifu, Japan, Asia - page 6

The train from Nagoya to Takayama and all the way to Toyama is a very special. It is reminiscent of the scenic mountain trains of Switzerland. All along the way you get to see villages, beautiful views of rivers and ravines. As the train stops at various stations along the way it would pick up locally produced food at those individual stops which you can then purchase from the trolley service. The main reason for going to Takayama was to use it as a base to visit Shirakawa-go which is famous for its Gassho-style farm houses which have thatched roofs. The open-air museum has transported several such buildings in the area and placed them in an idealised village setting to give an idea what it was like in the past in that area. A few months ... read more

We took the JR Hida line from Nagoya to Mino-Ota to change to the non-JR Nagara-gawa Railway; if you come from Gifu, you should take the JR Takayama Main line till Mino-Ota. Your JR Japan Rail Pass is no good on the Nagara-gawa line and you'll have to buy a ticket on the platform at the machine. The train meanders left and right of the Nagara river and the views over the river are beautiful. From Gujo-Hachiman station most of the town is at walking distance or a short taxi-ride away. When you finally get to walk around in Gujo-Hachiman, you'll discover that Gujo-Hachiman is all about water: From the Yoshida, Nagara and the Kodara rivers, and canals to the renowned water springs. During the famous Gujo Odori festival, which takes place from the middle of ... read more

Retyped from hand written text Right now I am writing this on paper, Drinking the usual Green tea whilst cooling down from a heat I thought was not possible for a human being to endure. Yes I have just had a bath at the Inn. In the traditional manner there is a shared bath but here one bath is all you get. But as with the other it is set to the usual superheated temperatur which in my opinion is only possible with a kettle element. But I have to admit it feels great even if this time it is ordinary water! Right on todats happenings. Got up at the usual 6am I had arranged for breakfast at 7am so I had time to pop to the morning market just across the bridge (for the veg ... read more

Gify City and surrounding areas are a pretty place nestled in hills and small mountains, and the Nobi plains, with lots of little towns. Dave and I have had the tourist expereince, now we're here not only to vist but to get into the modern culture a bit, less the temples and more the people. I am really done sightseeing to be honest, I am really temple-ed out. Wow, Gifu has grown a lot in 16 years! We are staying in the home of Mr and Mrs Fukutomi near the river. They have a traditional wooden house about 45 years old. As Gifu was bombed bad in the war, there is only a few older houses where the merchants use to live near Gifu Castle. The food we're eating is a mix of western and Japanese, ... read more

We were running a bit early so we decided to stopover for an day in Nagoya. As I had done no real research on the area, I did not know what to expect. It's a sleep little city, with a lot going for it. The Atsuta Jingu is a part in the centre of town, sort of an oasis from the concrete that dominates the city. A park and shine combo, it boast holding the sacred sword Kusanagi-no-tsurugi, one of the imperial symbols of ancient Japan. We did not see the sword but a replica in the museum close by. That is really typical in Japan as a whole: don't get too excited to see sacred artifacts because they are usually locked up tight. The shrine itself was havilky dammaged during the war and rebuilt. Since ... read more