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| In front of the train station |
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| A relaxing stream in the middle of the town |
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| A picturesque house |
First we went for a swim in the river...the water was crystalline and super cold!
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| Yoshida River |
After that we took a taxi to some cool limestone caves (Ootaki Shouniudou), about 15 minutes away from the town.
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| A cable car takes you to the cave's entrance |
Inside the caves you can see stalactites and stalagmites in all sorts of sizes and forms.
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| Tunnel |
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| Amazing stalactites |
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| Interesting shapes |
There is also a mini- waterfall (sorry the picture is not so clear...)
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| Can you see the water splashing in the center? |
And check this warrior carved inside the cave
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| On his right hand he is holding a sword |
Back in town we visited Sanpuru Kobo, a food replica store and workshop. There you can find all kinds of food replicas like the ones they have outside of restaurants:
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| Giant sushi anyone? |
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| Chinese food? |
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| How about dessert? |
And you can have a chance to make your own replica and take it home with you!
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| Making a plastic fruit tart! |
Shopping time! There are many nice little shops where you can buy souvenirs for your friends and family.
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| Ohmamiya- this shop has been selling cinnamon candy for over 120 years! |
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| Japanese ceramics |
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| Fake food makes a nice souvenir (and it's calorie free!) |
For dinner we went to try some local food at a restaurant called Shinbashi-tei, where we had a delicious meal of tofu and shiitake mushrooms in miso sauce cooked on a houba leaf , and of course a couple of side dishes, miso soup and rice.
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| Yum Yum! |
The Gujo Festival started right after dinner. The streets were packed and lots of people were wearing yukatas (a type of summer kimono) and geta (wodden sandals).
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| Girls wearing yukata and getta |
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| Family picture |
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| Little lights illuminated the path along the river |
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| People dancing on the streets during the festival |
How to get there:
Gujo Hachiman is located in Gifu Prefecture. You can go there by train or bus.
For information on Gujo Hachiman and its surroundings: http://www.gujohachiman.com/kanko/
This web page is both in english and japanese and has information on the city's attractions, shops, etc.
For information on train schedules check: www.hyperdia.com
For information on Ootaki Shouniudou caves: http://www13.ocn.ne.jp/~ootaki/
Opening times: 8:30 - 17:00 Fee: 1,000 yen per person
For information on Sanpuru Kobo food replica shop and workshop: 0575 67 1870
Opening times: 9:00 - 17:00 closed on Thursdays (except during summer, it's best to call to confirm)
If you are interested in the workshop, you can choose between 2 options:
-Making tempura costs 1,000 yen and takes about 30 - 50 minutes
-Making a small tart costs 850 yen and takes about 15 minutes
For information on Ohmamiya-the traditional cinammon candy shop: http://ohmamiya.com/
For information on Shinbashi tei restaurant: 0575 65 2729
