Gifu Event Newsletter - April + May 2013

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With spring comes rebirth. As if to reawaken the world from its winter slumber, Gifu Prefecture startshings off with a *bang* in the month of April and into May, offering a broad and varied selection ofaditional festivals and other unique events! This is without a doubt one of the best times to visit Gifu ifhat youre looking for are electric, one-of-a-kind events. From large-scale happenings such as the

med Takayama Festival and Furukawa Festival to smaller, more intimate festivities that really give youfeel for the local culture, there are many experiences to be had here in Gifu towards the beginning of

pringtime! Please check out some of the below events while taking in the prefectures wonderfulatural scenery when you visit next! Lastly, for information on Gifus wonderful cherry blossoms,heck out the Sakura Update 2013 available online at the Gifu Crossroads blog (see last page for URL)!

Now ~ April 21

The Kiso Sansen National Park is bursting with colorevery which way you look! Around 260,000 tulips andmuscari bulbs of 125 different species and countless

colors have been arranged in a design whose motif isa flowing river. The gorgeous flower bed remindsone of the pristine waters ofGifus three great riversthat all pass nearby the park: the Nagara, Kiso, andIbi. An additional 180,000 or so bulbs are arranged inthe shape of the popular character Miffy!

Venue: Kiso Sansen Park Center, 255-3 Aburajima,Kaizu-cho, Kaizu City

Time: 9 am ~ 5 pm (Weekends: 8 am ~ 6 pm)

Getting here: [Yoro Railway] Ishizu Station

[Kaizu City Community Bus] Kiso Sansen Koenbus stop

Tel: +81-584-54-5531

http://www.kisosansenkoen.go.jp/e/event/index.html

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pril 13n epic festival that has taken place in Gifu City for 300 years, theejikara Fire Festival is a fusion of flame and sound that has beenesignated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property by Gifurefecture. The mikoshi portable shrines are stuffed withunpowder, and when lit, they shower sparks galore upon thealf-clad men hoisting them in celebration! Other men dancingildly, sounding their bells, and setting off firecrackers completee overwhelming scene that this festival offers!

enue: Tejikarao Shrine, 6-8-22 Kuranomae, Gifu Cityime: 6:30 pm ~ past 9 pmetting here: [Meitetsu Kakamigahara Line] Tejikara Station[5-minute walk]

el: +81-58-263-7291tp://www.gifucvb.or.jp/en/02_event/02_02.html

April 13, 14The annual festival of the Hachiman Shrine in Mino City,the Mino Festival like many others boasts beautifulfestival floats, which will be paraded around the town onthe 14th. The 13th, however, sees the most unique elementof the festival the 30 or so hana-mikoshiflower portable

shrines that leave the old town awash in pink! Each hana-mikoshi has attached to it around 250~300 strands of pinkflowers made from Mino Washi Japanese paper. As thebirthplace of this paper, one of the best in the nation,Mino City is considered one ofJapans Three Great WashiProduction Areas. The Mino Festival therefore acts also asa celebration of this 1,300 year tradition that continues tothis day! Venue: Udatsu-lined Old Streets of Mino CityTime: Day 1: 9 am ~ 3:30 pm; Day 2: from 1 pmGetting here: [Nagaragawa Railway] Mino-shi Station [10-minute walk] Tel: +81-575-33-1122

http://www.mino-city.jp/en/tourist/festival01.htmlpril 14, 15he best-known ofGifus festivals, the Takayama Festival isghly reputed as one of Japans Three Most Beautiful

estivals. The Spring Festival aka the Sanno Festival isntered around Hie Shrine and announces the arrival ofring! 12 of the most expertly crafted festival floats theain reason why this event is so highly regarded - paraderough the town during day and night (night festival one 14th only), presenting two very different, yet equallyegant, spectacles! Three of the floats also featurearionette performances, another highlight of the event!

ime: Night festival: from 6:30 pm

enue: Shiroyama, Takayama Cityetting here: [JR Takayama Main Line] Takayamaation [12-minute walk] Tel: +81-575-33-1122tp://www.hida.jp/english/events/takayama-stival/sanno-matsuri-april

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making your own! Tel: +81-572-53-0005 (A); +81-572-55-1322 (B)Venue: Nearby Toki-shi Station (A); Oribe Hills, Izumi Kitayama-cho (B), Toki CityGetting here: [JR Chuo Main Line] Toki-shi Station (A); Free shuttle bus fromToki-shi Station (B) http://tokievent.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-23.html (Jpn.) (A);https://www.facebook.com/events/265554090226492/?ref=22(Jpn.) (B)

Central Nippon Expressway Pass 2013Thinking about traveling through Gifu Prefecture and otherparts of central Japan in a rental car? Check out the new CEP2013 pass that Gifu has developed in collaboration with NEXCOCentral, which oversees the highways in central Japan. It makesexploring the area affordable and super easy!http://global.c-nexco.co.jp/en/whatsnew/20130222/20130322.html

April 19, 20A national Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property and theannual festival of the Kitawakamiya Shrine, the Furukawa Festival isone of the most electric events of the year in Gifu Prefecture. Likeother festivals, this one boasts beautiful floats and a procession of themikoshi portable shrine, but it also has one thing that others do not:the okoshi-daiko spectacle (only on the 19th) that makes this one ofJapans most eccentric festivals! This rousing drum used tofunction as a wake-up call for everyone in town, announcing the startof the festival. It also rouses the spirits of everyone in attendance,making the Furukawa Festival one of the must-see events of the year!Venue: Furukawa-cho, Hida City Time: Okoshi-daiko: from 9 pmGetting here: [JR Takayama Main Line]Hida-Furukawa StationTel: +81-577-73-2111http://www.hida-kankou.jp/kanko/foreign/en/things-to-do/festivals/

pril 20, 21the heart of springtime, the Seki Festival brings a

urry of vivid colors to the sword capital of Japan! Inddition to the standard festival fare that includes arocession of floats and parades in the afternoon, theeki Festival also features a nighttime contest between

fferent andon mikoshi, portable shrines made out ofant paper lanterns. Around 40 of these grace thereets of Seki on Saturday evening (the 20th), withany of them imbued with a distinct local flavor andme even comically lampooning something or other! This is another in a long line

f unique festivals here in Gifu!Venue: Honmachi-dori, Seki Cityime:Andon Mikoshi Contest: 6:45 pm ~ 9 pm Tel: +81-575-22-3131etting here: [Nagaragawa Railway] Seki Station [10-minute walk]tp://www.city.seki.lg.jp/0000001550.html (Jpn.)

April 20, 21 (A); May 3 ~ 5 (B)Toki City will play host to two ceramics festivals in the next twomonths, as befits the city with the highest output of ceramic warein all of Japan! This general area is the birthplace of Mino Yaki, oneof the most famous and most prevalent kinds of pottery in thecountry. Get your hands on some at bargain prices, and even try

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Publisher:Tourism Division, Tourism Exchange Promotion OfficeDepartment of Commerce, Labor and Industry Tel: 058-272-1111 (Ext.3058)Gifu Prefectural Government Fax: 058-278-26742-1-1 Yabuta-minami, Gifu City, GIFU 500-8570 Email: [email protected]

For questions, comments, or to unsubscribe, please contact [email protected] more on tourism in Gifu Prefecture, please refer to the following resources:

Gifu Crossroads Facebook Page Gifu Travel Guidehttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Gifu-Crossroads/165137586854382 http://travel.kankou-gifu.jp/en/ Gifu Crossroads Blog Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO)http://gifucrossroads.wordpress.com/ http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/

Central Japan Tourism Promotion Associationhttp://go-centraljapan.jp/en/area/gifu/index.html

IFU: The Complete Travel Guiderying to figure out where to visit in Japan? Have a read through ourew guidebook introducing the various points of interest throughoutifu Prefecture! The most comprehensive English language resourcen Gifu to date, it will make a great reference while planning your tripnd while making your way around when you visit! The entire bookan be found in electronic (PDF) form at the Gifu Crossroads blog:ttp://gifucrossroads.wordpress.com/gifu-the-complete-travel-guide/

pril 20, 21, 27 ~ May 6gaki City is one of the many places in Gifu renownedr its pristine river water, and you can enjoy thisbulous natural resource up-close and personal byking a small boat cruise down the Suimon River. Butis is not your ordinary boatthe tarai-bune, orasin-boat, is just that a washtub! This event is

ased on a legend called the Tale of Oan in which aoman fled Ogaki Castle under the cover of darkefore the castle fell to enemy forces. Though the

herry blossoms are no longer in full-bloom in Ogaki,ou can step into the shoes of the protagonist of thatgend and enjoy a relaxing cruise!enue: Takasago-cho, Ogaki Cityetting here: [JR Tokaido Main Line] Ogakiation [5-minute walk] Price: 2,000/boat

el: +81-584-77-1535 (Prior reservation required)tp://www.ogakikanko.jp/english/calendar/

May 11, 12With over 360 years of history, the Ogaki Festival wasbegun on the occasion of the reconstruction ofHachiman Shrine, which houses the guardian deity ofOgakis castle town. The 13 beautiful festival floatsbring bygone eras back to life before your eyes, andthe dances performed by children on the some of thefloats mini-stages lend this festival a very distinct air.Over 600 stalls line the streets of Ogaki every yearduring this period, making it a fantastic time to visitthe city known as the Water Capital.Venue:Around Hachiman Shrine and Ogaki Eki-dori,Ogaki CityGetting here: [JR Tokaido Main Line] OgakiStation [3-minute walk] Tel: +81-584-81-4111

http://www.ogakikanko.jp/english/calendar/

Walk Takayama in Traditional Attire!Rent a kimono for a couple of hours and explore theOld Quarter of Hida Takayama dressed in thefashion style that matches it best! Head to theTakayama City Memorial Hall and get some helpputting on the kimono of your choice! Packageincludes free admission to tourist sites around thecity! Now ~ May 26 (Weekends and holidays only)http://www.hida.jp/english/activities/experiences/trip-to-the-edo-period-through-a-time-capsule