Located within the grounds of Gifu-kōen, this museum focuses on the Sengoku period, when daimyō Oda Nobunaga was at the height of his power. Enthusiastic staff members are keen to show visitors wonderful DIY facsimiles of traditional crafts.
Gifu City History Museum
Central Honshū
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
9.89 MILES
A National Treasure, Japan's oldest standing castle is said to have originated as a fort in 1440. The current donjon (main keep), built atop a 40m rise…
13.76 MILES
Due to war, earthquakes and development, few Meiji-era buildings have survived here. In 1965 this open-air museum was created to preserve this unique…
19.07 MILES
A must for anyone interested in Japanese culture and history, this museum has a collection of over 10,000 pieces that includes National Treasures and…
22.61 MILES
Although the current buildings were completed in 1966, Atsuta-jingū has been a shrine for over 1900 years and is one of the most sacred Shintō shrines in…
26.87 MILES
Trainspotters will be in heaven at this fantastic hands-on museum. Featuring actual maglev (the world's fastest train – 581km/h), shinkansen (bullet…
13.09 MILES
This ancient shrine on a lovely hillside is dedicated to female Shintō deity Izanami and attracts women seeking marriage or fertility. See if you can find…
12.51 MILES
Izanagi, the male counterpart of female deity Izanami, is commemorated at this shrine, with countless wooden and stone phalluses to celebrate. You can buy…
Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry & Technology
18.29 MILES
The world's largest car manufacturer had humble beginnings in the weaving industry. This interesting museum occupies the site of Toyota's original weaving…
Nearby Central Honshū attractions
0.03 MILES
On the grounds of Gifu-kōen is this quirky collection of more than 300,000 beetle, butterfly, moth and other insect specimens. It's the personal…
2. Shōhō-ji (Gifu Great Buddha)
0.09 MILES
The main attraction of this orange-and-white temple is the papier-mâché daibutsu (Great Buddha; c 1832), one of the three Great Buddha statues of Japan…
0.14 MILES
At the foot of Kinka-zan, this is one of the loveliest city parks in Japan, with plenty of water and trees set into the hillside. People have been living…
0.14 MILES
Gifu's castle is most easily reached by this cable car within Gifu-kōen, whisking you 329m to the summit in under five minutes.
0.48 MILES
Perched atop Kinka-zan and with sweeping views over the cities of Gifu and Nagoya, this castle is a 1956 concrete replica of daimyō Oda Nobunaga's…
0.62 MILES
This newish museum is one of a kind, featuring exhibits on everything you could possibly want to know about cormorant fishing in Japan.
9.89 MILES
A National Treasure, Japan's oldest standing castle is said to have originated as a fort in 1440. The current donjon (main keep), built atop a 40m rise…
8. Inuyama Artifacts Museum/Castle & Town Museum
9.94 MILES
This museum houses two float from the Inuyama Matsuri and various artefacts related to cormorant fishing, Inuyama-jō and the town's history.