🌿A Peaceful Water Town Untouched by Time – Gujo-Hachiman | A Beautiful Castle in Rural Japan | Gifu

🌿A Peaceful Water Town Untouched by Time – Gujo-Hachiman | A Beautiful Castle in Rural Japan | Gifu

Please Enjoy this video with the subtitles on♡
字幕をオンにしてお楽しみください。 Nagara River Right now, we’re on the Nagaragawa Railway. It’s a retro single-track train in Gifu,
running along the Nagara River ― regarded as one of the three clearest rivers in Japan. Gifu is a beautiful, mountain-surrounded prefecture located in central Japan. Because it’s a bit hard to get to,
the area hasn’t developed too much — and that’s why in Gifu, old townscapes like those in Takayama, Shirakawa-go and Gujo-Hachiman have been so well preserved. Gujo Odori is a traditional folk dance festival held
in summer, spanning over 400 years. It’s for honoring ancestors and also for everyone
in the community to have a good time. You can join in too! What a retro station! I love walking, but it’s too hot today — 33°C (91°F)!
Let’s rent a bicycle! It feels like time has stopped. This small path is covered with about 80,000 river stones taken from the rivers. Surrounded by mountains,
Gujo Hachiman is known as a town of water. You’ll find small waterways and water basins
all around the town. The sound of water is so soothing. Such a quiet, peaceful town. Oh! Look down! “Koi(fish name)” Koi are swimming in the waterway at our feet! That is the old government building of Gujo Hachiman. A Western-style building in the countryside back then
— about 100 years ago — must have really amazed everyone! Here is a waterway. That small hut-like place used to be
where people did laundry long ago. Nowadays, it’s used for rinsing things
and washing vegetables. People also gather here to chat,
so it serves as a social spot. Maple leaves
(momiji in Japanese) They turn beautiful red in autumn! The water is so clear! Koi and other fish are swimming. The traditional way of life still continues today — that’s what makes this town so charming. Look! You can feed the koi! JPY100(coin) Empty bags should put into the baskets. This town, Gujo Hachiman, took shape as a castle town
after a castle was built on Mt. Hachiman in 1559. After two big fires, the town’s waterway system was built around 1660
to help prevent future fires. Now, clean water flows all around the town, it’s used not just for fire safety, but also in daily life
— like washing vegetables and doing chores. The sound of water everywhere is so relaxing! I really love it! We’ve come to “Shinbashi”(bridge name). Let’s go down to the riverside here! It’s the largest tributary of the Nagara River,
which is sometimes called one of Japan’s three clearest rivers. A fisherman is passing by. Gujo Hachiman is famous for ayu fishing. Ayu is a tasty fish, often grilled with salt. Ayu fishing opens around mid-June according to regulations.
(Fishing fee is required) Many people come here to fish ayu! In summer, I’ve heard local kids jump into the river
from this 12-meter-high bridge😯 Visitors shouldn’t do that!😆 A statue of Yakushi Nyorai, the Buddha of healing,
is enshrined in that altar carved into the rock. I hope it brings good luck! I’m hungry! Let’s go to a soba noodle restaurant! It’s handmade soba. And with fresh wasabi—how amazing! The shrimp tempura is wrapped with soba noodles.
It’s so crispy! The black one is seaweed (nori) and Japanese yam (yamaimo). Vegetable tempura goes well with matcha salt. It was so delicious!
Actually, this is my second time coming here😆 This castle town landscape, developed in the 17th century
(Edo period), still remains today. It’s a nationally designated preservation district
for traditional buildings. In 1692, there were about 50 houses of blacksmiths, a doctor, a horse doctor, a cooper, a carpenter,
a tatami maker, a painter, a tailor, and more. The second-floor walls are distinctive —they separate the neighboring houses
for fire prevention and security. Buckets are hung in case of fire. These houses are narrow at the front
but very deep inside —often called “eel beds” — because there was a time when taxes were based
on the width of the house’s front Here is also a waterway here built for fire prevention! In this historic area, residents continue their daily lives. It’s not touristy at all. “I want today to always be the best day.” Gujo Hachiman has many temples
and is sometimes called “Little Kyoto.” A local person was rinsing something here a moment ago. I want to have this in front of my house!☺️ Now, let’s go to Gujo-Hachiman Castle! By car, 8 minutes; on foot, 18 minutes. The castle’s to the right,
but we want to swing left for a bit! This water is for drinking! A child-like Buddha statue gently watches over
and protects the people. Alright! Let’s climb to the castle! The stairs go through the shrine as a shortcut,
but I took the brighter left road. Turn to the right! This path is a shortcut, but some signs say “Be careful of bees.”☹️ This is a bit of a tangent, but in some parts of Gifu, there’s a long tradition of eating bees. These days, it has become less common, though. The name Hachiman is found across Japan in place names and shrines, like Omihachiman and Gujo Hachiman. It originates from Hachiman-shin,
who is revered as the god of martial arts and a guardian deity. The leaves change color in autumn. It’s usuallly from early to mid-November
(depending on the weather of the year). Especially around this Gujo Hachiman Castle, the red leaves are so bright and fiery
that people call it the “Castle on Fire.” There is also a special light-up at night. This castle wall is built with nozura-zumi stonework, meaning rough, natural stones are stacked without shaping. It’s about 300 meters above sea level. Look! The red ones are the flowers
of Japanese maples, or momiji. This castle was originally built in 1559. Since then, the lords of the castle changed many times
—five clans over 19 generations. About 150 years ago, during the Meiji Period, most castles in Japan were taken down due to major changes in the country, and this castle was no exception. All the buildings, except for the stone walls, were removed. However, in 1933, this castle keep (tenshukaku)
were rebuilt in wood. Today, this castle is known as the oldest wooden reconstruction of a castle in Japan. The beauty of this view changes
with the seasons and the days. I love watching the sun set on the right. You can see all directions
— east, west, south, and north. I’ll leave the views in the other directions
for you to enjoy when you visit☺️ The castle and the castle town were built with great care
based on Feng Shui principles. You can enjoy the sound of the creaking wood
with every step you take. This castle has four layers and five stories. Some say Gujo Hachiman Castle is
the most beautiful of Japan’s mountaintop castles. Matcha-flavored soft serve In each season, you can enjoy a different stunning view —cherry blossoms in spring, fresh greenery in summer, colorful leaves in autumn, and snowy scenery in winter. It’s June now. He’s fishing ayu! Ah, I wish I’d brought a towel to put my feet in the river! So clear!! Sogisui Spring is famous for being the very first spot
selected for the “100 Best Waters of Japan.” This water was once used in daily life
—for drinking, washing vegetables, and more. Today, it’s carefully protected by the local community. It’s a good place to take pictures, this bridge☺️ Lastly, let’s go to my favorite cafe! It’s near the red bridge. It’s a poster for the Gujo Odori dance! Inside the café, there are tatami rooms. You can enjoy tea while looking at the bridge and the garden. On the right is cold matcha. In summer, we sometimes drink matcha with ice. A shallow bowl is used for serving cold matcha. This is warabi mochi. They are coated with kinako (roasted soybean flour),
and you can dip them in matcha powder too. It’s soft and jiggly! I love relaxing here. Now, let’s go home!
It was a great day trip from Nagoya! Extra info.☺️ You can find Gifu’s local specialties here,
like traditional washi paper and blades. This udon noodles here are so good! Don’t miss to eat ayu fish from summer to autumn! Thank you for watching!
If you liked this video,
please subscribe to my channel.
I hope you enjoy your time in Japan.
With a lot of love,
Mari from Japan

🗾 Today, we’re going to Gujo Hachiman in Gifu Prefecture, Japan, by taking the charming rural train, the Nagaragawa Railway.

Gujo Hachiman has a wooden castle and is a peaceful, quiet town with many waterways.
You can enjoy not only the traditional old townscape, but also the relaxing sounds of the streams and the beautiful rivers.

☺️My name is Mari, born and raised in Japan. I hope you enjoy this video!

🌍️Subtitles available in multi-languages.
📺️Watch it in 4K,

⏰️Time-Stamp
00:00 Intro
00:42 Nagaragawa Railway 長良川鉄道
01:48 Gujo-Hachiman Station 郡上八幡駅
02:38 Yanaka Lane やなか水のこみち
04:00 Old Government Building of Gujo-Hachiman 旧市庁舎
04:15 Igawa Lane いがわ小径
06:45 Yoshida River 吉田川
08:25 Lunch (Soba Noodle)
09:15 Shokunin Machi & Kajiya Machi 職人町・鍛冶屋町
12:30 Warabe Jizo 童地蔵
13:00 Going up to the Gujo-Hachiman Castle 郡上八幡城
14:50 Arrive at the Gujo-Hachiman Castle
19:45 Arrive at the riverside
20:00 Sogisui Spring 宗祇水
21:00 Sougian Cafe 宗祇庵
22:41 Extra Info.

#japantravel #japancountryside #郡上八幡 #silentvlog #ruraljapan