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Voykit pocket guide · Japan
Gifu
岐阜市
Give Gifu one night as a Nagoya side trip: castle and cormorant fishing, then move on. Two nights only if you add Sekigahara or a festival.
Gifu is the capital of Gifu Prefecture and a 20-minute train ride from Nagoya, which is why most travellers see it as a half-day rather than a base. The draw is Mt. Kinka with Gifu Castle on top, the Nagara River cormorant fishing season from mid-May to mid-October, and the Great Buddha at Shōhō-ji. It is also the rail gateway to Takayama, Gero Onsen and Shirakawa-gō, so it works as a first or last stop on an Alps run.
- Country
- Japan
- Local name
- 岐阜市
- Best months
- Mar–May, Oct–Nov
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (hot and humid), Golden Week
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- JPY
- Money
- Cities are increasingly cashless; temples, small restaurants and some lodging taxes still want cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget ¥6,500–10,000 excl. bed · Mid ¥10,000–17,000 excl. bed · High ¥17,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Data-only eSIMs are the easy route: buy before you fly; voice SIMs need a residence card.
- Emergency
- Police 110 · Fire and ambulance 119
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 100 V · 50 Hz east (Tokyo), 60 Hz west (Osaka) · Most sockets are two flat pins without earth; European and UK plugs need an adapter. Phone and laptop chargers handle 100 V.
- Tipping
- Restaurants and bars: No tip; staff will chase you to return money left on the table.; Taxis: No tip; pay the meter.; Ryokan: Optional: ¥1,000–3,000 in an envelope for the room attendant; never loose cash.; Private guide: Not expected; a small gift or a thank-you meal is more usual.; Hotel porter: No tip.
- Water
- Safe from the tap everywhere; stations and parks have fountains.
- Toilets
- Free, clean public toilets in stations, parks and konbini; paper goes in the toilet. Rural and old stations may have squat toilets.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | ¥400–700 |
| Noodle soup (ramen or kishimen) | ¥800–1,300 |
| Gyoza plate | ¥500–900 |
| Beer: draught in a bar / can at a konbini | ¥500–750 / ¥250–350 |
| 5 km (3.1 mi) taxi3.1 mi (5 km) taxi | ¥1,800–2,400 |
| Gifu Bus ride | ¥200–300 |
| Mt. Kinka ropeway, round trip | ¥1,050 adult, ¥520 child |
| Gifu Castle admission | ¥200 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- NGO · Chubu Centrair (Nagoya)
- Meitetsu trains run direct to Meitetsu Gifu about three times an hour, roughly 1 h; reserved seat needed on μSKY services.
- NKM · Nagoya Komaki
- Domestic flights only; onward by bus and train to Gifu.
Typical fares
- Centrair → Meitetsu Gifu, Meitetsu
- about ¥1,310 unreserved, about 1 h
- Nagoya → Gifu, JR Tokaido Line
- about ¥450, 18–25 min
- Nagoya → Meitetsu Gifu, Meitetsu
- about ¥540, 30 min
- JR Gifu → Takayama, limited express
- about ¥4,800, 2 h 15 min
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Gifu Bus and JR buses cover the centre; Gifu Park is about a 45-minute walk from the station, so most people take a bus, roughly every 10 minutes. Three rent-a-cycle stations downtown (JR Gifu Station, City Hall South Branch, Gifu Park) rent bikes for about ¥100 a day. JR Gifu and Meitetsu Gifu stations are about 400 m apart.
See and do
Known for
- Gifu Castle on Mt. Kinka
- Nagara River cormorant fishing (ukai)
- Gifu Great Buddha at Shōhō-ji
- Gateway to Takayama and Gero Onsen
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Sekigahara | JR Tokaido Line to Sekigahara, then walk or local bus to the battlefield sites | About 1 h 15 min |
| Magome (Nakasendō) | JR to Nakatsugawa, then bus up to Magome | About 2 h |
| Takayama | JR Takayama Line limited express from JR Gifu | About 2 h 15 min |
| Gero Onsen | JR Takayama Line limited express from JR Gifu | About 1 h 20 min |
| Shirakawa-gō | Train to Takayama, then the Nōhi bus to Shirakawa-gō | 3.5–4 h |
| Tajimi | JR Tokaido Line to Nagoya, then JR Chuo Line to Tajimi (check a direct service) | About 1 h 30 min |
Sleep
- JR Gifu Station area
- Business hotels within a few minutes of the JR and Meitetsu stations; best for one night with bags and early trains.
- Yanagase
- Downtown drinking and eating district, a short bus or taxi ride from the station; louder at night.
- Gifu Park side
- Closer to the castle ropeway and the river; quieter, fewer beds, check bus times back after dark.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | すみませんsumimasen |
| Thank you | ありがとうございますarigatō gozaimasu |
| This one, please | これをくださいkore o kudasai |
| How much is it? | いくらですか？ikura desu ka |
| Can I pay by card? | カードで払えますか？kādo de haraemasu ka |
| Where is the toilet? | トイレはどこですか？toire wa doko desu ka |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: A small bow; a handshake if the other person offers; avoid: Hugs, back slaps, loud greetings
- Names: Family name plus -san; avoid: First names unless invited; adding -san to your own name
- Paying: Put money in the tray at the register; avoid: Tipping, or leaving loose cash for staff
- Trains: Queue at the floor marks, phone on silent, ask before reclining on the Shinkansen; avoid: Phone calls, eating on crowded commuter trains, blocking doors with bags
- Escalators: Stand on the side locals use — left in Tokyo, right in Osaka; stations now ask people to stand still on both; avoid: Stopping at the top or bottom
- Shoes: Off at the step-up entrance; toilet slippers only inside the toilet; avoid: Stepping on tatami in shoes or slippers
- Shrines: Rinse hands at the basin; bow twice, clap twice, bow once; avoid: Walking down the centre of the approach, which is for the deity
- Gifts: Offer and receive with both hands; bring a small omiyage for hosts; avoid: Sets of four; cash outside an envelope
Scams and watch-outs
- Cormorant fishing runs May 11–Oct 15 only; boats board from about 18:00 and the show ends by 21:00.
- The castle keep sits on Mt. Kinka: ropeway or a steep hike, no road to the top.
- Summer is hot and humid; the castle opens late on summer nights but daytime walking is draining.
- Few highway buses stop in Gifu; coming by bus is usually easier via Nagoya.
Gifu is a low-risk city; the real issues are summer heat, the steep Mt. Kinka trails and late-night Yanagase bars with no posted prices: ask the total before you sit.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Gifu yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Gifu Castle on Mt. Kinka
- Nagara River cormorant fishing (ukai)
- Gifu Great Buddha at Shōhō-ji
- Gateway to Takayama and Gero Onsen
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Gifu City official site: www.city.gifu.lg.jp/
- Gifu Convention and Visitors Bureau: www.gifucvb.or.jp/en/01_sightseeing/01_01.html
- Nagoya Airport (Komaki): nagoya-airport.jp/
- Wikivoyage: Gifu, revision 5165643 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5165643
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Gifu岐阜市
ここまでお願いします
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Gifu; most countries keep embassies in Tokyo and consulates-general in Nagoya or Osaka (check yours).
Cormorant fishing (ukai) runs May 11–Oct 15 on the Nagara River; boats board from about 18:00 and the show ends by 21:00.Cormorant fishing (ukai) runs May 11–Oct 15 on the Nagara River; boats board from about 6:00 PM and the show ends by 9:00 PM.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/gifu). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.