Hachiman, commonly known as Gujo Hachiman, is located in Gujo city, a small riverside town in Gifu Prefecture.

It is relatively easy to get there and you can choose to go by high-speed train, train, car, and bus. Wherever you are, you have to transfer to Nagoya, from there, it only takes about an hour by car to get to our destination!

Explore Gujo Hachiman ancient town

Gujo Hachiman ancient town, which dates back to the 16th century, is designated as "Important Preservation District for Groups of Historic Buildings". This place is best experienced on foot, so you should walk instead of using any kind of vehicle.

Gujo Hachiman is often considered as little Kyoto but I myself don't like that name.

This ancient town is nothing like Kyoto. To specify, here, you would not see Maiko or Geisha wandering on the streets or drunk men lying outside restaurants, and most importantly, you won't have to elbow your way through the crowd to find a good photo spot.

When wandering around the old streets here, you will only see old houses and a canal running throughout the neighborhood. You will be astonished to see people taking the water from the canal in front of their houses to wash clothes, rinse rice, wash vegetables, or even drink it straight away. I truly admire the local authority and people that are significantly aware of preserving the heritage here.

When walking on the streets in this ancient town, the quiet and fresh atmosphere can soothe your soul in a way that no big city ever could.

The village that attracts visitors by...tasteless food

Gujo Hachiman is also famous for its products from traditional craft villages. Is there anyone here who was impressed by food models that look exactly like real food displayed outside Japanese restaurants?

This is the place!!! The center of Food Replicas.

The first food model shop was opened in 1932 right in this town. This is the place for manufacturing and supplying 70% of food models to all prefectures in Japan. Millions of food models: vegetables, sashimi, tempura, ramen, sushi, etc. are all created in a sophisticated manner and look extremely beautiful.

You can join a food model making class in the town center for 900-1,500¥, depending on the products you want to try (and taking photos inside the class is prohibited!). After that, don't forget to buy something to take home as a souvenir :)

Different from big cities where bright neon lights are the main tone, Gujo Hachiman possesses a quiet muted color that anyone would want to experience sometimes to be able to sense a rustic feeling or seek a hint of nostalgia.

See you soon, with new destinations and very Japanese experiences in the following articles!