KINKAZAN ROPEWAY, GIFU, JAPAN

金華山ロープウェー . 긴카산 로프웨이 . 金华山缆车 

After lunch at Nagoya Station, we took the JR Tokaido Line to Gifu City (6 stops; 18 mins).

My favourite drink - Qoo (120円)!



We're here!

We took a bus from Stop No. 13 of the bus terminal, and got down at the "Gifu Park / Gifu City Museum of History 岐阜公園歴史博物館前" stop.
 

From the bus stop, walk towards the
mountain until you reach a T-junction.
Cross to the other side of the road.

After crossing and facing the mountain, make a left turn and continue
walking. Once you see this small road, walk to the end of this road.


 


At the end of that small road, and you'll reach the entrance to Gifu Park

View of Gifu Castle (left) and Ropeway Station (right)

After a 5-min walk, we reached Gifu Park 岐阜公園, and it was a beautiful park.



Nobunaga's Garden 信長の庭

Up the slope was the entrance to the Kinkazan Ropeway ぎふ金華山ロープウェー.
While Mom bought the tickets, I checked out the display board showing the insect collection at the nearby Nawa Insect Museum.

The small ticket booth

Present the Shoryudo Card and get a deck of cards free
(with images of Gifu Castle and the Ropeway; sold for 300円 each at the gift shop)

I could see the Nagara River going up!

Packed like sardines coming down

Empty going up

Next to the summit ropeway station was the Squirrel Village リス村. The squirrels looked cute, but I was not very keen to get close to them.

Opened daily from 9.30am - 4.30pm
Admission at 200円 for 4 years old and above

From the ropeway station, it's a 8-min walk uphill to reach Gifu Castle 岐阜城. I did not want to see a castle, so I told Mom we should only go halfway.

Rest stop near the ropeway station

Take the left route to the restaurant with a view, or the right route to Gifu Castle

Route to Gifu Castle

Midway intersection for those who wish to divert to the restaurant observatory

Enma Hall 閻魔堂- where the wooden king shrine is

View of Gifu Castle from Enma Hall

Go up the stairs to continue on to Gifu Castle

We walked back to the ropeway station via the other route, which was towards the restaurant.

Can you guess what the thing circled in white is used for?



Restaurant with a view

300円 for one

200円 for a Gifu souvenir collar pin

Then it's back to the foothill via the ropeway, and onwards to our next stop!

Three-storied Pagoda 三重の塔 - no entry permitted into the pagoda

 

Notes from Mom

• Taking the public bus in Gifu was an interesting experience for us because it was different from what we are used to back home. Passengers board from the back door of the bus, and you only pay the bus fare when you alight, which is the door at the front of the bus. Plus, I was impressed that the bus fare machine which has a coin change function!

• There was no signage to guide us from the bus stop to Kinkazan Ropeway; you can spot the Gifu castle from a distance so just head in that direction
• There were several other interesting things to see at Gifu Park 岐阜公園 like the Three Storied Pagoda 三重塔, Japanese Tearooms 岐阜公園来園者休憩所, Nawa Insect Museum 名和昆虫博物館, etc (refer to the park guide)
• It is possible to climb or take the stairs up or down Kinkazan; the walking route can be found next to the Three-Storied Pagoda
• You'll probably need to factor in about 1 hour or more if you also plan to visit Gifu Castle
• Good spot to add into the itinerary and spend some time on, before heading to the Cormorant Fishing event. However, younger children may have little or no interest in castles and history

     Address:    岐阜県岐阜市千畳敷下 257
     Tel:           058-262-6784
     Directions: From the Central North Exit 中央北口 of JR Gifu Station 岐阜駅, walk to the
                      bus terminal and board the bus from Bus Stop No 12 or 13 (15 mins;
                      Adult 200円 / Child 100円). Alight at the "Gifu Park / Gifu City Museum of
                      History 岐阜公園歴史博物館前" bus stop, and walk for 5 mins

Operating Hours: Varies, so refer to their website for updates
   Mar 16 - May 11  9am - 6pm
   May 12 - Oct 16  8am - 6pm
   Oct 17 - Mar 15   9am - 5pm
  
   For Panoramic Night View sessions:
   Apr 27 - May 6 until 10pm
   Jul 13 - Aug 31 until 10.30pm
   Weekends and public holidays until 10pm

Admission Fees:
   One-Way   Adult 600円 / Child (4-11 years old) 280円
   Return       Adult 1050円 / Child (4-11 years old) 520円
   After 6pm  Adult 800円 / Child (4-11 years old) 400円 (return fare)