Gifu's water and traditions offer unique experiences By Jennifer Chen, TODAY | Posted: 24 September 2009 1139 hrs
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Considering it is situated between the tourist hotspots of Tokyo and Osaka, Gifu prefecture is surprisingly undiscovered by visitors from Singapore.
For the past two years, the region garnered less than 0.5 per cent of nights of accommodation from an average of about 160,000 Singapore visitors to Japan annually.
But that may just be due to lack of publicity - and Hokkaido being the destination du jour.
Gifu, dubbed the heartland of Japan, has its fair share of enticements, as a recent showcase of the prefecture's products and attractions revealed.
Gifu is one of a few landlocked prefectures in Japan, but within its 10,600km sq area, the land rises from 0m above sea level in the south to 3,000m in the north.
The subsequent difference in temperature means the prefecture can have two seasons at a time; so in one trip, travellers can enjoy spring's cherry blossoms in the southern Mino region and get their winter sports fix in the northern Hida area.
River, streams and falls are abundant, too, as water flows down the mountains. Indeed, much of Gifu is tied with its premium water, which it uses to drink and make sake.
Gifu inhabitants attribute the availability of pure water, in addition to vast grazing land, for their award-winning Hida Beef, a name given to top-of-the-line Wagyu.
Last year, the finely-marbled beef was served at the emperor's birthday celebration, and exported to Hong Kong for the first time.
Quality water is also what propels Gero Hot Springs in Gifu's middle-east to be one of the top three onsens in Japan, behind Arima and Kusatsu. The water in Gero is said to be clear, yet lightly-scented and soft on the skin.
Meanwhile, Ogaki City in the south-west is threaded with canals and rivers. Used for transporting goods, the waterways have helped Ogaki become an industrial centre for chemical and fibre products.
But the old still thrive in Gifu, and not only in its samurai castles. In Gifu City, fishermen practise a 1,300-year-old tradition of catching fish with cormorants.
This is done at night on the Nagara River, so visitors only have to follow the boats' bobbing fires for a glimpse at an ancient way of life.
And unique to central Japan are clusters of farmhouses that look more like medieval villages in the Swiss Alps than any setting in Japan.
The abodes in Shirakawa Village, a Unesco World Heritage Site, have sloping, thatched roofs dating back to the 17th century.
Some homes offer visitors lodging - rural comfort at journey's end.
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