With spring comes rebirth. As if to reawaken the world from its winter slumber, Gifu Prefecture starts things off with a *bang* in the month of April and into May, offering a broad and varied selection of traditional festivals and other unique events! This is without a doubt one of the best times to visit Gifu if what you’re looking for are electric, one-of-a-kind events. From large-scale happenings such as the famed Takayama Festival and Furukawa Festival to smaller, more intimate festivities that really give you a feel for the local culture, there are many experiences to be had here in Gifu towards the beginning of springtime! Please check out some of the below events – while taking in the prefecture’s wonderful natural scenery – when you visit next! Lastly, for information on Gifu’s wonderful cherry blossoms, check out the “Sakura Update 2013” available online at the Gifu Crossroads blog (see last page for URL)!

Now ~ April 21

The Kiso Sansen National Park is bursting with color every which way you look! Around 260,000 tulips and muscari bulbs of 125 different species and countless colors have been arranged in a design whose motif is a “flowing river.” The gorgeous flower bed reminds one of the pristine waters of Gifu’s three great rivers that all pass nearby the park: the Nagara, Kiso, and Ibi. An additional 180,000 or so bulbs are arranged in the shape of the popular character “Miffy”!

Venue: Kiso Sansen Park Center, 255-3 Aburajima, Kaizu-cho, Kaizu City

Time: 9 am ~ 5 pm (Weekends: 8 am ~ 6 pm)

Getting here: [Yoro Railway] Ishizu Station [Kaizu City Community Bus] “Kiso Sansen Koen” bus stop

Tel: +81-584-54-5531

http://www.kisosansenkoen.go.jp/e/event/index.html

April 13 An epic festival that has taken place in Gifu City for 300 years, the Tejikara Fire Festival is a fusion of flame and sound that has been designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property by Gifu Prefecture. The mikoshi portable shrines are stuffed with gunpowder, and when lit, they shower sparks galore upon the half-clad men hoisting them in celebration! Other men dancing wildly, sounding their bells, and setting off firecrackers complete the overwhelming scene that this festival offers! Venue: Tejikarao Shrine, 6-8-22 Kuranomae, Gifu City Time: 6:30 pm ~ past 9 pm Getting here: [Meitetsu Kakamigahara Line] Tejikara Station [5-minute walk] Tel: +81-58-263-7291 http://www.gifucvb.or.jp/en/02_event/02_02.html

April 13, 14 The annual festival of the Hachiman Shrine in Mino City, the Mino Festival – like many others – boasts beautiful festival floats, which will be paraded around the town on the 14th. The 13th, however, sees the most unique element of the festival – the 30 or so hana-mikoshi “flower portable shrines” that leave the old town awash in pink! Each hana-mikoshi has attached to it around 250~300 strands of pink “flowers” made from Mino Washi Japanese paper. As the birthplace of this paper, one of the best in the nation, Mino City is considered one of Japan’s Three Great Washi Production Areas. The Mino Festival therefore acts also as a celebration of this 1,300 year tradition that continues to this day! Venue: Udatsu-lined Old Streets of Mino City Time: Day 1: 9 am ~ 3:30 pm; Day 2: from 1 pm Getting here: [Nagaragawa Railway] Mino-shi Station [10-minute walk] Tel: +81-575-33-1122 http://www.mino-city.jp/en/tourist/festival01.html April 14, 15

The best-known of Gifu’s festivals, the Takayama Festival is highly reputed as one of Japan’s Three Most Beautiful Festivals. The Spring Festival – aka the Sanno Festival – is centered around Hie Shrine and announces the arrival of spring! 12 of the most expertly crafted festival floats – the main reason why this event is so highly regarded - parade through the town during day and night (night festival on the 14th only), presenting two very different, yet equally elegant, spectacles! Three of the floats also feature marionette performances, another highlight of the event! Time: Night festival: from 6:30 pm Venue: Shiroyama, Takayama City Getting here: [JR Takayama Main Line] Takayama Station [12-minute walk] Tel: +81-575-33-1122 http://www.hida.jp/english/events/takayama-festival/sanno-matsuri-april

making your own! Tel: +81-572-53-0005 (A); +81-572-55-1322 (B) Venue: Nearby Toki-shi Station (A); Oribe Hills, Izumi Kitayama-cho (B), Toki City Getting here: [JR Chuo Main Line] Toki-shi Station (A); Free shuttle bus from Toki-shi Station (B) http://tokievent.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-23.html (Jpn.) (A); https://www.facebook.com/events/265554090226492/?ref=22 (Jpn.) (B)

Central Nippon Expressway Pass 2013 Thinking about traveling through Gifu Prefecture and other parts of central Japan in a rental car? Check out the new CEP 2013 pass that Gifu has developed in collaboration with NEXCO Central, which oversees the highways in central Japan. It makes exploring the area affordable and super easy! http://global.c-nexco.co.jp/en/whatsnew/20130222/20130322.html

April 19, 20 A national Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property and the annual festival of the Kitawakamiya Shrine, the Furukawa Festival is one of the most electric events of the year in Gifu Prefecture. Like other festivals, this one boasts beautiful floats and a procession of the mikoshi portable shrine, but it also has one thing that others do not: the okoshi-daiko spectacle (only on the 19th) that makes this one of Japan’s most “eccentric festivals”! This “rousing drum” used to function as a wake-up call for everyone in town, announcing the start of the festival. It also rouses the spirits of everyone in attendance, making the Furukawa Festival one of the must-see events of the year! Venue: Furukawa-cho, Hida City Time: Okoshi-daiko: from 9 pm Getting here: [JR Takayama Main Line] Hida-Furukawa Station Tel: +81-577-73-2111 http://www.hida-kankou.jp/kanko/foreign/en/things-to-do/festivals/

April 20, 21 In the heart of springtime, the Seki Festival brings a flurry of vivid colors to the sword capital of Japan! In addition to the standard festival fare that includes a procession of floats and parades in the afternoon, the Seki Festival also features a nighttime contest between different andon mikoshi, portable shrines made out of giant paper lanterns. Around 40 of these grace the streets of Seki on Saturday evening (the 20th), with many of them imbued with a distinct local flavor and some even comically lampooning something or other! This is another in a long line of unique festivals here in Gifu! Venue: Honmachi-dori, Seki City Time: Andon Mikoshi Contest: 6:45 pm ~ 9 pm Tel: +81-575-22-3131 Getting here: [Nagaragawa Railway] Seki Station [10-minute walk] http://www.city.seki.lg.jp/0000001550.html (Jpn.)

April 20, 21 (A); May 3 ~ 5 (B) Toki City will play host to two ceramics festivals in the next two months, as befits the city with the highest output of ceramic ware in all of Japan! This general area is the birthplace of Mino Yaki, one of the most famous and most prevalent kinds of pottery in the country. Get your hands on some at bargain prices, and even try

Publisher: Tourism Division, Tourism Exchange Promotion Office Department of Commerce, Labor and Industry Tel: 058-272-1111 (Ext.3058) Gifu Prefectural Government Fax: 058-278-2674 2-1-1 Yabuta-minami, Gifu City, GIFU 500-8570 Email: q00869@pref.gifu.lg.jp

For questions, comments, or to unsubscribe, please contact c11334@pref.gifu.lg.jp For more on tourism in Gifu Prefecture, please refer to the following resources:

☆ Gifu Crossroads Facebook Page ☆ Gifu Travel Guide http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gifu-Crossroads/165137586854382 http://travel.kankou-gifu.jp/en/ ☆ Gifu Crossroads Blog ☆ Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) http://gifucrossroads.wordpress.com/ http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/ Central Japan Tourism Promotion Association http://go-centraljapan.jp/en/area/gifu/index.html

GIFU: The Complete Travel Guide Trying to figure out where to visit in Japan? Have a read through our new guidebook introducing the various points of interest throughout Gifu Prefecture! The most comprehensive English language resource on Gifu to date, it will make a great reference while planning your trip and while making your way around when you visit! The entire book can be found in electronic (PDF) form at the Gifu Crossroads blog: http://gifucrossroads.wordpress.com/gifu-the-complete-travel-guide/

April 20, 21, 27 ~ May 6 Ogaki City is one of the many places in Gifu renowned for its pristine river water, and you can enjoy this fabulous natural resource up-close and personal by taking a small boat cruise down the Suimon River. But this is not your ordinary boat…the tarai-bune, or “basin-boat,” is just that – a washtub! This event is based on a legend called the “Tale of Oan” in which a woman fled Ogaki Castle under the cover of dark before the castle fell to enemy forces. Though the cherry blossoms are no longer in full-bloom in Ogaki, you can step into the shoes of the protagonist of that legend and enjoy a relaxing cruise! Venue: Takasago-cho, Ogaki City Getting here: [JR Tokaido Main Line] Ogaki Station [5-minute walk] Price: ¥2,000/boat Tel: +81-584-77-1535 (Prior reservation required) http://www.ogakikanko.jp/english/calendar/

May 11, 12 With over 360 years of history, the Ogaki Festival was begun on the occasion of the reconstruction of Hachiman Shrine, which houses the guardian deity of Ogaki’s castle town. The 13 beautiful festival floats bring bygone eras back to life before your eyes, and the dances performed by children on the some of the floats’ mini-stages lend this festival a very distinct air. Over 600 stalls line the streets of Ogaki every year during this period, making it a fantastic time to visit the city known as the “Water Capital.” Venue: Around Hachiman Shrine and Ogaki Eki-dori, Ogaki City Getting here: [JR Tokaido Main Line] Ogaki Station [3-minute walk] Tel: +81-584-81-4111 http://www.ogakikanko.jp/english/calendar/

Walk Takayama in Traditional Attire! Rent a kimono for a couple of hours and explore the Old Quarter of Hida Takayama dressed in the fashion style that matches it best! Head to the Takayama City Memorial Hall and get some help putting on the kimono of your choice! Package includes free admission to tourist sites around the city! Now ~ May 26 (Weekends and holidays only) http://www.hida.jp/english/activities/experiences/trip-to-the-edo-period-through-a-time-capsule