Isang Araw sa Gifu Park

Kapag nababanggit ang Gifu, karaniwang pumapasok sa isip ang UNESCO World Heritage Site na Shirakawa-Go na matatagpuan sa hilagang bahagi nito. Binubuo ito ng mga lumang Gassho-styled houses na napanatiling maganda at maayos sa loob ng mahabang panahon. Bukod dito, mayaman sa kasaysayan ang Gifu. Maraming lugar dito ang minsang naging sentro ng mga castle towns noong 1500s. Isa sa masasabing kayamanan ng Gifu ay ang Gifu Castle na makikita sa tuktok ng Kinkazan.

Ang Gifu Castle

Ang Gifu Castle ay orihinal na itinayo ng pamilyang Nikaido noong 1200s. Naging higit na kilala ito dahil dito namalagi si Oda Nobunaga, isang daimyo o feudal lord noong 1500s, sa loob ng siyam na taon bago siya lumipat ng Azuchi Castle sa Shiga. Dahil sa magandang lokasyon at istilo ng pagkakagawa ng castle town, naging modelo ito sa iba pang mga itinayo noong panahon na iyon. Mula sa tuktok ng castle makikita ang napakagandang view ng Gifu City, ang kahabaan ng Nagara River at ang mga bundok na nakapaligid sa Gifu. Hindi mo mapipigilang mamangha sa ganda ng tanawin at mapapaisip kung paano naitatag ng mga sinaunang tao ang castle na ito sa tuktok ng bundok.

Upang makapunta sa Gifu Castle, maaaring sumakay ng Kinkazan Ropeway na tumatagal lamang ng tatlong minuto. Ang istasyon nito ay matatagpuan sa Gifu Park na nasa paanan ng Kinkazan. Bawat 15 minuto ay mayroong biyahe ang ropeway paakyat at pababa ng bundok. Para naman sa mga mas gustong akyatin ang bundok, mayroon din na mga hiking trails na maaaring sundan paakyat.

Sa labas ng Gifu Castle makikita ang Gifu Castle Archives Museum na nagtataglay ng ilang mahahalagang artifacts mula sa Gifu Castle. Makikita rito ang ilang lumang sandata, baluti at helmet na ginamit noong 1500s. Kasama na sa ticket ng Gifu Castle ang pagpasok sa museum na ito.

Makikita naman pagbaba ng ropeway sa tuktok ng Kinkazan ang Squirrel Village. Ito ay tila maliit na zoo na puro squirrel lamang ang kanilang inaalagaan. Maaari mong pakainin ang mga squirrel sa iyong kamay. Mababait ang mga squirrel at hindi takot sa mga tao. Mayroon din na mga staff na palaging nagbabantay kaya walang dahilan upang matakot sa pakikipaglaro sa mga squirrel. Mayroon din pinapahiram na gloves upang protektahan ang iyong kamay habang pinapakain ang mga ito.

           

Matatagpuan rin na nakakalat sa iba’t ibang lungsod sa Gifu ang mahigit kumulang 13 pang castle. Ang ilan dito tulad ng Kiyosu Castle, Ogaki Castle at Sunomata Castle ay nagkaroon ng mahalagang papel sa Battle of Sekigahara noong 1600.

Ang Gifu Park

Ang Gifu Park ay isang malaking parke sa paanan ng Kinkazan kung saan maaaring mamasyal at magpahinga habang pinagmamasdan ang iba’t ibang halaman at bulaklak sa paligid. Makikita rin dito ang iba’tibang atraksyon tulad ng:

           

Gifu City Museum of History. Dito malalaman ang mayamang kasaysayan at paraan ng pamumuhay sa Gifu. Makikita rin dito ang ilan sa mga tradisyunal na produkto ng Gifu at mga lumang artifacts na nahukay sa ilang bahagi ng Gifu na tinatayang ginamit pa ng mga sinaunang nanirahan sa Gifu may ilang libong taon na ang nakakalipas. Mayroon din ditong replika ng free market na pinasimulan ni Oda Nobunaga noong 1500s.

Nawa Insect Museum. Ang museum na ito ang unang insect museum sa buong Japan. Pinasimulan ito ni Yasushi Niwa, ang nakadiskubre ng isang uri ng paru-paro na matatagpuan sa Gifu na binansagang “Gifu Butterfly.” Makikita rito ang halos 300,000 specimen ng 18,000 uri ng insekto.

Lokasyon ng dating tirahan ni Oda Nobunaga. Sa paanan ng Kinkazan matatagpuan ang ruins ng dating tirahan ni Nobunaga na ngayon ay binubuo na lamang ng mga natirang pundasyong bato.

Hindi man kasing kilala ng ibang lugar tulad ng Osaka at Kyoto, mayroon din na mga natatagong pasyalan ang Gifu na masayang tuklasin at bisitahin kahit anong panahong pa ito, mapa-spring man o winter pa.

Exploring Gifu Castle

Gifu Castle was built on top of Mt. Kinka in Gifu City, Gifu. Oda Nobunaga, one of the main unifiers of Japan, lived in this castle for 9 years before moving to Azuchi Castle in present day Shiga. The castle originally belonged to Saito Dosan, Nobunaga's father, after he seiged the castle. In 1567, Nobunaga killed Tatsuoki, Dosan's grandson, and claimed the castle for himself. He changed the name from Inabayama Castle to Gifu Castle.

Gifu Castle in all its glory

From the rope way station at the foot of Mt. Kinka in Gifu Park, you can take the gondola up to the top of the mountain. The ride takes only 3 minutes to the top. From the mountain station, you have to hike for 10 more minutes to reach the castle, beautifully perched on the top of the mountain. The climb is worth the hardship and the wait because of the majestic views of Gifu that you can see from the top. When I arrived on top of the castle, there were a lot of old people gathering around. It seemed to me that they didn't take the rope way but actually hiked to the mountain.

path going to the castle

view from the castle

Beside the castle is the small Gifu Castle Museum holding some important samurai swords and armors, ancient texts and other historical resources of the Sengoku Period were held. There are not so  much to see but it is still worth looking at. If you get hungry on top of the mountain, you can go to the restaurant and get a good seat behind its large glass windows. I wanted to have a coffee and rest for a while while looking at the view but I decided not too. If you are after the views, there are other spots where you can have a good panoramic view of the landscape without paying for a meal or a cup of coffee. There is also an observation deck with some benches where you can feel the strong wind pushing you back.  There are also several resting areas where you can sit, grab a bite of your packed bento or onigiri or get a drink from a vending machine resting in a corner.

Gifu Castle Museum

restaurant on top of the mountain

Just beside the rope way station is the squirrel village. It is a small place where you can feed squirrels and carry them on your hands. The entrance fee is only Y200. Just go in and play with the squirrels. I didn't spend so much time here because I was not a big fan of squirrels. I just want to experience feeding them. It was so funny because the very moment I stepped inside, a squirrel jump onto my head and crawled down my shoulders, maybe thinking what a big log I was! The squirrels were nice and not wild. If you reach out your hand to their direction, they would run to your palm and eat the food. It could get a little scary though when a couple of squirrels would run to your hand for food. It appeared like they were going to fight each other but luckily they didn't. 

Squirrel Village

Feed the squirrels

At the foot of the mountain is Gifu Park where you can find Gifu City Museum of History and the ruins of Oda Nobunaga's residence. The area of Nobunaga's residence was also under construction so I only got to see some parts of it. The museum entrance fee only costs Y350. The museum features the history of Gifu from the prehistoric age up to the present. It has on display several ancient relics such as pottery from the Jomon period.

Entrace to the ruins of Oda Nobunaga's residence

What was left of Oda Nobunaga's former residence

At the foot of the mountain, you can also find a traditional Japanese tea house where you can have green tea and wagashi for Y400. Read my experience here: A Traditional Japanese Tea House at the Foot of Kinakazan, Gifu