October 2012

Vol. 20

The hot days have finally begun to fade away, replaced by a cool morning breeze that is incredibly refreshing and invigorating! When October comes around here in Gifu, it signals the arrival of festival time, since so many important, spectacular events happen throughout this month, perhaps more than any other. Here, Ill introduce a sampling of these events to whet your appetite! Also, speaking of appetites, October is also harvesting season, and along with newly gathered rice that is making its way onto the market, other products for which Gifu is famous, including chestnuts and persimmons, are also now in-season! So get over to Gifu soon and enjoy these wonderful flavors along with the sights and sounds of the following events!

56th Gifu Nobunaga Festival October 6 - 7 Gifu Citys most important festival in the fall season, the Nobunaga Festival celebrates the memory of Oda Nobunaga, one of Japans greatest and most beloved historical figures and a feudal lord who used Gifu Castle as his base for many years and who contributed greatly to the development of Gifu as a city. From parades of samurai to ceremonial rifle firings, a whole slew of different groups make up the Lord Nobunaga Cavalier Procession. This, along with marching bands and much more, makes up the heart of the festival, which brings an incredible level of excitement to the streets of Gifu City! Time: 10am 4pm +81-58-265-4141 Downtown Gifu City Getting there: 5-10 minute walk from JR or Meitetsu Gifu Station http://www.gifucvb.or.jp/en/02_event/02_06.html Takayama Autumn Festival (Hachiman Festival) October 9 - 10 Counted as one of Japans Three Most Beautiful Festivals, the Takayama Festival is one of the grandest events held in Gifu throughout the course of the year. The pride of the festival is the group of grand festival floats whose intricate and breath-taking decorations and beauty speak to the talent and technique of the Hida master craftsmen who created them long ago. The floatsparade through the town streets at night, adorned with countless Japanese lanterns, is a magical sight you wont want to miss, and the skillful performances of karakuri marionettes are also a must-see! Time: 9am 4pm (until 9pm on the 9th) +81-577-32-3333 Sakurayama Hachiman Shrine and surrounding areas, 178 Sakura-machi, Takayama City Getting there: 10-15 minute walk from JR Takayama Station http://www.hida.jp/english/events/takayama-festival/takayama-autumn-festival 45th Seki Cutlery Festival October 13 - 14 With a history of making the finest quality swords and blades over 700 years long, Seki truly is the blade capital of Japan. As befits this culture and tradition, the Cutlery Festival pays tribute to the excellence of blade-making in Seki. Throughout the town, you can see sword-forging and sword-polishing demonstrations, cutting and sheathing performances, and Japanese sword showcases. In addition, you can enjoy outdoor knife shows and buy some top-quality cutlery at unbelievable prices from about 50 stores with stalls at the event! If you have any interest in Japanese swords and blades, come help pay tribute to Motoshige, the original swordsmith in Seki! Honmachi-dori, Seki City +81-575-22-3131 Getting there: 5-minute walk from Seki Station on the Nagaragawa Railway http://www.city.seki.gifu.jp/kankou/seki/hamono_maturi.htm Scenes from last yearhttp://www.sekicci.or.jp/event/hamono/picshamonoH23.htm

Shinhotaka Sunset Ropeway October 13 - November 23 Operating 30 minutes later than usual during this period to accommodate for the sunset time, the Shinhotaka Ropeway takes you to the top of Mt. Hotaka, from which you can view the beauty of the setting sun on a clear autumn day. Along with the surrounding mountain scenery and the fading sunlight reflecting off the red and golden colors of the trees, the sunset is truly a sight to see. In addition, passengers riding on the 3:45pm ropeway to the top or later will be presented with an original ropeway postcard set, and free herbal tea is available for everyone! Please come and enjoy the special scenery that Gifus mountains offer us! Shinhotaka Ropeway, Shinhotaka, Okuhida Hot Spring Villages, Takayama City Getting there: 1 hour 30 minute Nohi Bus ride from Takayama Bus Center 3-minute walk from Shinhotaka (last stop) +81-578-89-2252 http://www.okuhi.jp/Rop/english.pdf Doburoku Festival October 14 - 19 At this time every year, the people of Shirakawa-go pray to the gods for a bountiful harvest, safety for their families, and the peace of the village. As an offering to the gods, they present doburoku, or unrefined sake, at each of the shrines throughout the town, and visitors are given free doburoku as well! A festival worthy of the name and history of Shirakawa-go, it also features other traditional rituals from the lion dance to folk tales in song, and much more. The production of doburoku by the townspeople is specially permitted for the purposes of this festival, so come celebrate with them and help them usher in a new year of peace and harmony! Time: 8am 8pm (Doburoku available from 3:30pm 5pm) Shirakawa-mura, Ono-gun +81-5769-6-1311 th 15th: @ Shirakawa Hachiman Shrine (Southern side of the Ogimachi gassho-zukuri village) 14 16th 17th: @ Hatodani Hachiman Shrine (intersection before the entrance to Route 156 and the Hakusan Super Rindo Forest Road) 18th 19th: Iijima Hachiman Shrine (across from the Shirakawa-go rest area) Getting there: 50-minute Nohi Bus ride from the Takayama Nohi Bus Center, adjacent to JR Takayama Station http://www.shirakawa-go.org/english/e_kyoudo.html Fri, Sat, Sun, and holidays from October 19 - November 11 At the Hida Folk Village, around 30 old houses, treasures of Hida that speak to the history and culture of the region, have been reconstructed and restored. In this fantastic, out-of-time location, then, you can enjoy the vivid fall colors, and furthermore you can see them illuminated at night in a strikingly beautiful view made more surreal by the old houses surrounding you. Time: 5:30pm 9pm Village admission fee: Adults 300 yen; Elementary and middle school students 100 yen (both discounted prices!) Kamioka Motomachi, Takayama City Getting there: 10-minute Sarubobo Bus ride from Takayama Bus Center (next to JR Takayama Station) +81-577-34-4711 http://www.hidanosato-tpo.jp/english12.htm 19th Mino Washi Akari-Art Exhibition October 20 - 21 Mino Japanese paper, one of Japans finest with over 1,300 years of history, is used in the creation of sculptures called akari, which make use of light and its interaction with the paper. These wonderful works of art are lit and displayed on the Udatsu-lined Old Streets of Mino City for the two nights of this exhibition, creating a mystical atmosphere completely different from the one you would experience there during the daytime. This is a fabulous event that will not only stay in your mind and make you want to come back again next year, but will also make you more aware of the amazing things you can do with paper! Time: 5pm 9pm (until 8:30pm on the 21st) +81-575-35-3660 Udatsu-lined Old Streets, Izumi-cho, Mino City Getting there: 10-minute walk from Mino-shi Station on the Nagaragawa Railway http://www.mino-city.jp/en/tourist/festival13.html Hida Folk Village: Autumn Illumination

Battle of Sekigahara Festival October 20 - 21 This festival is a commemoration of the most famous battle in Japanese history, which took place in Sekigahara, right here in Gifu Prefecture. History enthusiasts and reenactors from all over the country gather in Sekigahara every year and turn back the clock to 1600! The battle reenactment is of course a highlight of the festival, and in addition to this, a market in which Warring States period-related goods are sold, live stage events, and much more will make this an event to remember! For those interested in the reenactment parts of the festival, those will for the most part be held on the Time: 10am 4pm +81-584-43-1112 21st, so I suggest that you go then! Sekigahara Fureai Center and surrounding areas, Sekigahara-cho, Fuwa-gun Getting there: 7-minute walk from JR Sekigahara Station http://www.kanko-sekigahara.jp/event/kassen2012/index.html (Jpn.)
New Bus Route to Gero Hot Spring from Central Japan International Airport! Make your way to Gero easily and inexpensively with a new Centrair Gero non-stop bus run by Nohi Bus between October 19 and December 2! What is usually a 3,000 trip that requires a train transfer is now a 2,000 direct trip with no hassle! http://www.gero-spa.or.jp/bas/bus3.htm To reserve: +81-576-25-2541 NEW Dragon Route Tourist Information Center in Central Japan International Airport! On September 29th, the SHORYUDO Dragon Route Tourist Information Center opened in Central Japan International Airport! The Dragon Route is a project meant to introduce tourists to the many wonderful travel destinations in the Central Japan (Chubu) and Hokuriku regions, and at the Information Center, there are pamphlets you can pick up in a number of foreign languages pertaining to all of these different locations, including those in Gifu! When you make your way here to Gifu, please do first stop by the Information Center after landing at Centrair! Its perfectly located right near the International Arrivals lobby exit, so after you get through customs and reach the lobby, make a left, and itll be just beyond the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ currency exchange counter! For more about the Dragon Route: http://go-centraljapan.jp/ja/special/shoryudo/index.html (Jpn. only) Check out the G-PASS 2.0!! Gifu Prefecture has again teamed up with Central Nippon Expressway to bring you a new and improved version of the G-PASS (official name: Central Nippon Expressway Pass 2012 in Autumn)! This pass allows users to drive the designated toll roads in the central Japan area at a flat rate and utilizes ETC cards to make passing through the tolls a breeze! While formerly there were two passes that covered different areas, these have been combined into one comprehensive pass that is available for three time spans: 3 days (10,000), 5 days (13,000), and 7 days (16,000). You can choose the one that best fits your trip, but no matter which one, you will save anywhere between 20%-50% by using the G-PASS instead of just paying at every toll! Additionally, both Toyota Rent-a-Car and Mazda Car Rental are now offering the G-PASS, so I highly recommend to anybody arriving at Central Japan International Airport interested in driving in this region to make use of the pass! Available through November 14 (will be implemented again in the spring) http://global.c-nexco.co.jp/en/whatsnew/pdf/g-pass_autumn.pdf 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 (your choice of 1 of these 3) PLUS more! For detailed information about this jam-packed travel option, please refer to the following webpage: http://japanican.com/tours/list.aspx?kw=stayrailtakahaku For questions, comments, or to unsubscribe, please contact c11334@pref.gifu.lg.jp For more on tourism in Gifu Prefecture, please refer to the following resources: Gifu Travel Guide Gifu Crossroads Facebook Page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gifu-Crossroads/165137586854382 http://travel.kankou-gifu.jp/en/ Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) Gifu Crossroads Blog http://gifucrossroads.wordpress.com/ http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/ Central Japan Tourism Promotion Association http://go-centraljapan.jp/en/area/gifu/index.html Publisher: Tourism Division, Tourism Exchange Promotion Office Department of Commerce, Labor and Industry Gifu Prefectural Government 2-1-1 Yabuta-minami, Gifu City, GIFU 500-8570

Tel: +81-058-272-1111 (Ext. 3058) Fax: +81-058-278-2674 Email: q00869@pref.gifu.lg.jp