Gifu-kōen

Central Honshū


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 and working here for centuries; you can see pottery excavations at the history museum on the park grounds.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Central Honshū attractions

1. Kinka-zan Ropeway

0.08 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.

2. Nawa Insect Museum

0.11 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…

3. Gifu City History Museum

0.14 MILES

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…

4. Shōhō-ji (Gifu Great Buddha)

0.22 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…

5. Gifu-jō

0.35 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…

6. Nagara River Ukai Museum

0.55 MILES

This newish museum is one of a kind, featuring exhibits on everything you could possibly want to know about cormorant fishing in Japan.

7. Inuyama-jō

9.77 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. Sankō-Inari Jinja

9.82 MILES

Just south of Inuyama-jō is this picturesque Shinto shrine with interesting statues of komainu (protective dogs), lovingly dressed in cloth collars.