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Voykit pocket guide · Japan

Yaotsu

八百津町

Go only with a car: the Sugihara Memorial Hall and Gohou falls need one, and no bus reaches them. Without a car, skip or use a guided day trip.

Yaotsu is a small Kiso River town in south Gifu, known almost entirely for the Chiune Sugihara Memorial Hall, which tells how a Japanese diplomat in Lithuania issued visas that let thousands of Jews leave Europe. It is a half-day stop, not a base: the museum sits outside the centre, buses do not reach it, and most visitors come by car or as a day trip from Nagoya or the Kiso Valley.

KyotoOsakaAbashiriAbikoAchiAgeoAioiAizuwakamatsuAkajimaAkashiAkiAkishimaAkitaAkitakataYaotsu500 kmdots: other places in this guide
Sketch, not to navigate by: shapes follow this guide’s areas and places, not official boundaries. North is up.
Country
Japan
Local name
八百津町
Best months
Mar–May, Oct–Nov
Avoid
Jul–Aug (hot and humid), mid-August Obon
Stay
0–1 nights

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 ¥6,000–10,000 excl. bed · Mid ¥10,000–16,000 excl. bed · High ¥16,000+ 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 · Japan Visitor Hotline (24 h, English) 050-3816-2787
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

ItemPrice
Memorial hall entry¥300 adults, free for children
Chinese-style soba at a local shop¥530
Ramen bowl¥950
Chestnut sweet (Kuri Kinton)¥170–220
Sake, 720 ml bottle¥2,000–3,500
Yao Bus ride¥300

Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.

Get in

By air

NGO · Chubu Centrair (Nagoya)
Meitetsu to Nagoya, then rail or car toward Yaotsu; about 90 min by car from Nagoya
KIX · Kansai (Osaka)
Rail to Nagoya first, then onward; long transfer

Typical fares

Yao Bus Akeshi → Yaotsu Honmachi
¥300, about 20 min
Memorial hall entry
¥300 adults, free for children (check)
Rental car, one day
about ¥7,000 plus fuel (check)
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

Yao Bus links Akeshi Station (Kani) to Yaotsu Honmachi in about 20 min for ¥300, but it does not serve the eastern or northern sides, so the memorial hall and the falls need a car. Rental cars are available in Nakatsugawa (about 60 min) or Nagoya (about 90 min).

See and do

Known for

  • Chiune Sugihara Memorial Hall
  • Jindonooka Park monuments
  • Gohou (Five Treasure) Waterfalls
  • Senbei rice crackers and sake breweries

Day trips

WhereHowTime
SekigaharaCar via Route 418 and the Nakasendo, or rail via Nagoyacheck
MagomeCar via Nakatsugawa, about 80 minAbout 1.5 h
TakayamaCar via Mino-Ota and the Tokai-Hokuriku expressway, about 2 hAbout 2 h
GifuCar or rail via Mino-Ota, about 1 hAbout 1 h

Sleep

Yaotsu Honmachi (town centre)
Bus stop, senbei shops, sake breweries and the two small inns; walkable core.
Gohou waterfall area
One inn near the falls, 5 km (3.1 mi) north of the centre; car needed.
Nagoya or Kiso Valley (outside town)
Most visitors sleep elsewhere and come in for the day; limited beds in Yaotsu.

Phrase card

EnglishSay 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
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
Is it far?遠いですか？tōi 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

  • The memorial hall is not reachable by public transport: arrange a car or taxi.
  • Yao Bus is the only public transport and does not cover the north or east of town.
  • Many shops and restaurants close one day a week; check before you go.
  • English is limited outside the memorial hall; signs there are Japanese, English and Hebrew.

Very safe. The real risks are rural roads and narrow mountain lanes, summer heat, and no late public transport back to Nagoya: plan the last bus or drive sober.

One and two days

No timed day plan for Yaotsu yet. Suggested stay: 0–1 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.

  • Chiune Sugihara Memorial Hall
  • Jindonooka Park monuments
  • Gohou (Five Treasure) Waterfalls
  • Senbei rice crackers and sake breweries

Sources

Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.

Pocket card

Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.

Yaotsu八百津町

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 Yaotsu; most are in Tokyo, with consulates in Nagoya and Osaka.

Cash is safer in small shops; cards work at the memorial hall and larger stores.

Voykit · checked 2026-09

Printed from Voykit (/yaotsu). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.