Regions & prefectures
JapanRegions & prefectures
Gifu
The thatched farmhouses of Shirakawa-gō, the forges of Seki and Hida beef.
- Capital
- Gifu
- Status
- Prefecture
- Region
- Chūbu
- Must-see
- The village of Shirakawa-gō
- Local specialty
- Hida beef, Seki knives, sake
At the exact centre of the archipelago, Gifu divides between the Nōbi plain and the Hida mountains, long so isolated that villages developed their own architecture. Seki has forged blades for seven centuries and now supplies most exported Japanese kitchen knives. The city of Gifu still practises ukai, night fishing with cormorants, under imperial licence.
What to see there
Places, dishes and traditions tied to this territory.
In the magazine
Articles that cover this topic.