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Gifu Hotel Guides · Gifu Station

Best Hotels Near Gifu Station: Nobunaga’s Mountain Castle &
the Cormorant Fires of the Nagara

JR Tokaido Line × Meitetsu · Mt. Kinka & Gifu Castle · 1,300-Year Ukai · Nagoya ~20 min

🏰 Gifu Castle on Mt. Kinka — Nobunaga’s eyrie, reached by ropeway

🔥 Ukai — cormorant fishing by torchlight, unbroken for 1,300 years

🏘️ Kawaramachi’s lattice-front merchant lanes by the river

🚆 JR rapids: Nagoya ~20 min · Meitetsu alternative next door

What Kind of Area is Gifu? A Local’s Honest Take

Gifu is where Oda Nobunaga rebranded himself for conquest — he took the castle on Mt. Inaba in 1567, renamed town and mountain “Gifu,” and set about unifying Japan from the summit now crowned by Gifu Castle. Ride the ropeway up Mt. Kinka at dusk: the keep is a reconstruction, but the 360° panorama — the Nagara river silvering through the plain toward Nagoya’s towers — explains every ambition Nobunaga ever had. His statue gleams gold outside the station.

Below the mountain runs the river spectacle: ukai, cormorant fishing by torchlight, performed on the Nagara for over 1,300 years (mid-May to mid-October). Board a wooden spectator boat at dusk, and watch the u-sho masters — imperial appointees — work twelve birds each beneath swinging fire baskets. It is one of Japan’s most atmospheric nights, and shockingly easy to book. The Kawaramachi lanes by the boat dock keep lattice-front sweet shops and machiya cafes; Shoho-ji’s lacquered Great Buddha (one of Japan’s three) sits nearby.

The station area itself is a working prefectural downtown — izakaya alleys, the retro Yanagase arcade, twin towers — with hotel prices well under Nagoya’s, twenty minutes away. Many travelers day-trip Gifu; sleeping here for the ukai night is the smarter play.

Book the ukai boat, but arrive early: ropeway up Mt. Kinka at five, castle panorama at golden hour, down to Kawaramachi for eel, then the torches come upriver at eight. That is one perfect Gifu day — and Nagoya’s crowds never find it.

Getting Around from Gifu

🚆 Rail

JR: Nagoya ~20 min (rapids), Ogaki ~12 min; Meitetsu Gifu (5-min walk) adds Inuyama and Central Japan Airport directs.

🚌 Local

Buses run to Gifu Park/ropeway (~15 min) and the ukai boat office; the Nagara riverside is bike-friendly.

🚗 Day trips

Inuyama’s original castle, Seki’s swordsmiths and Mino’s washi town all sit within 40 minutes.

What to See Around Gifu

🏰 Mt. Kinka & the castle

Ropeway or hiking trails, the squirrel village halfway, and the plain-wide summit view — sunset slots sell the ropeway’s night runs in summer.

🔥 Ukai on the Nagara

Torch-lit cormorant fishing nightly in season — reserve a boat, bring a bento, watch fire and feathers work the shallows.

🏘️ Kawaramachi & the Great Buddha

Lattice lanes, wagashi shops and Shoho-ji’s basket-woven daibutsu — old Gifu at strolling pace.

Where Should You Actually Stay?

Two logical zones: station convenience or riverside atmosphere.

🏨 Station towers: Business and mid-range chains around the golden Nobunaga statue.

🌜 Nagara riverside: Onsen-style hotels with castle views — the ukai-night choice.

Recommended hotels

• Miyako Hotel Gifu Nagaragawa — the riverside flagship by the ukai boats; castle-view floors.
• Daiwa Roynet Hotel Gifu — crisp mid-range minutes from the station.
• Nagaragawa onsen ryokan — river-bath inns where the torch boats drift past your window.

Overall Rating: Gifu Area

Who Should Stay Here?

✔ History travelers on the Nobunaga trail

✔ Couples — ukai night + river ryokan is a stunner

✔ Nagoya visitors wanting cheaper, calmer nights

✔ Day-trippers to Inuyama, Seki and Mino

Keep exploring