CORMORANT FISHING @ NAGARA RIVER, GIFU, JAPAN

長良川の鵜飼 . 나가라가와 강 가마우지 낚시 . 长良川的鸬鹚捕鱼

The cormorant fishing season, or ukai 鵜飼, takes place in summer, and Mom said this was the main event that we made the day trip, from Nagoya to Gifu-city, for.

Tourist Information Centre @ JR Gifu Station

Model of the comorant - Mom had to tell me many times that it is not a duck

We took a bus from Kinkazan Ropeway, and alighted at the Ukaiya 鵜飼屋 stop instead, so that we could cross the Nagarabashi bridge 長良橋.


Ukaiya 鵜飼屋 bus stop

Nagarabashi 長良橋

 

Nagara River, Mt. Kinka, and the Ukai Sightseeing Boat Office 岐阜市鵜飼観覧船事務所 on the right

Mom collected our tickets from the Ukai Sightseeing Boat Office 岐阜市鵜飼観覧船事務所, and we saw the ukai briefing for groups boarding early.


Ukai Sightseeing Boat Office 岐阜市鵜飼観覧船事務所

Boarding point is behind the Office

Be punctual, and the green slip is to be given to the boatman when boarding

Waiting area opposite the office - there are toilets, a video show on ukai, and a gift shop

Mom had planned to have dinner at a soba-ya but it was too far away and we did not have a lot of time left, so we had cakes instead at Kawaramachiya 川原町屋 café (Tel: 058-266-5144) @ Kawaramachi Row Houses 川原町のまちなみ, which was very near the Ukai Sightseeing Boat Office.

Kawaramachi Row Houses 川原町のまちなみ

Exterior of the famous ryokan - Jyuhachiro 十八楼

Tamaiya-honpo 玉井屋本舗 sweets shop

The souvenir to buy - Ayu-gashi 鮎菓子

Kawaramachi was strangely quiet and deserted that day

The Kawaramachiya 川原町屋 café is very beautiful, and we were their last customers for the day (last order at 6.30pm, closed at 7pm).

After entering

Outdoor seating available

Pass the bar counter

Through the inner courtyard

The dining area - you need to change into the slippers provided to enter

It was fun calling for the waitress with the bell!

I had the cherry yoghurt mousse cake 550円

Mom had the traditional Japanese sweets 抹茶白玉ゼリー 600円

7.05pm - Time to board!
It was easy to spot our boat as there were only 2 boats left at the pier, and we had to take off our shoes onboard. Many people brought along food and drinks, and some were wearing the yukata.

Shoes off, and to be put into these bags given

Lifesavers also act as back cushion

Rowing off to the main event area

Enjoying the view along Nagara River

All boats were lined up along the riverside to wait for the ukai to start

As we waited, we watched a traditional Japanese dance performance

Fireworks signalled the start of the ukai @ 8pm.
I could see the cormorants 鵜 at work although it was dark, and our boat was following the Cormorant Fishing boat 鵜船 as the Fishing Master worked. An Uncle also went to each boat to show the fish that the cormorants had just caught.

6 cormorants to a boat

Ayu 鮎 

Ukai ended about 30 mins later, and our boat slowly headed back to the boarding point. The gentle sway of the boat made me sleepy and I dozed off while sitting upright.

At about 9pm, we took the bus back to JR Gifu Station, and we went to Mister Donut for supper before returning to Nagoya city.

Nagarabashi 長良橋 bus stop opposite the ukai area

I felt very hungry as soon as I saw Mister Donut

I got the kids combo - a toy, a donut and a kids-sized drink - for 440円

I was still excited about what we saw after we reached home, so I called Grandma to tell her all that I had seen and learnt today!


Notes from Mom

• Prior reservations are a must, and you can either book through a travel agency, hotel, or via their website (in Japanese), and it is important to provide a mobile number in case of cancellation due to heavy rain etc. The confirmation email (for bookings made via the website) is sent immediately
• Smoking is prohibited on the boats, so ignore the column in the reservation page which states 'Smoking 喫煙船' (they are all marked as cross anyway)
• Either plan to have an early dinner nearby, or bring onboard a takeaway, or take up their meal + ukai package (おまかせパック Omakase Pack)
• Recommend that you bring a camera that is good in taking pictures of moving objects at night ... my photos did not come out well with my digital camera
• Easy to reach via the public bus, and it is also near other Gifu-city attractions like Mt. Kinka Ropeway 金華山ロープウェー, Ukai no Sato 鵜飼の里 etc
• One of the boatman spoke rather good English, so his narration made the show more interesting
• My only bugbear was about not getting a good view of ukai - 2 boats were tethered and moved together to follow the Cormorant Fishing boat 鵜船, and unfortunately, our boat was behind the other sightseeing boat so our view of ukai was largely blocked and most of us were rather unhappy about it. My hunch is that we will probably not have this problem if we had booked Course A or had taken the おまかせパック Omakase Pack
• I had picked up the Shoryudo Card 昇龍道ウェルカムカード at the airport, so it gave a 300円 discount for each ticket
• As the sky turned dark, many flying insects and bugs were attracted to the lights in the boats, so kids may get a little squeamish about it
• A great experience for families and kids!

Ayu sweets 登り鮎

     Address:    岐阜市湊町1-2 (岐阜市鵜飼観覧船事務所)
     Tel:           058-262-0104
     Directions: Take Bus No. N80, 86, 32 (in the Takatomi direction 高富行き) or the City
                      Loop Service 市内ループ線左回り from the bus terminus outside JR Gifu
                      Station 岐阜駅 (15 mins; bus fare for adults 200円).
                      Alight at the Nagarabashi 長良橋 bus stop and walk for 1 min
    
Duration: May 11 - October 15
Charges:  Course A: Boat departs at 6.15pm, and it includes the ukai briefing
                              Adult 3300円 / Child (ages 3-12) 2900円 - price is valid for all days
              
               Course B: Boat departs at 6.45pm or 7.15pm, and no briefing included
                              Weekdays Adult 3000円 / Child (ages 3-12) 2600円
                              Weekends/Public holidays Adult 3300円 / Child (ages 3-12) 2900円

              おまかせパック Omakase Pack (meal + ukai) has fixed departures dates and will
              cost Adult 4800円 / Child (ages 3-12) 4000円.

              The other option will be to charter a boat, which has different charges but will
              offer greater flexibility on the dates.

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)