Hello, fellow travel lovers!
After charging up with good fortune and luck at the three shrines, it was time to fill my stomach. Waiting in Gifu’s old town Kawaramachi was the famous “Chilled Tanuki Soba Heaven”!
Lunch at Chilled Tanuki Soba Heaven
The busiest spot in Kawaramachi was this “Chilled Tanuki Soba Heaven.”
Since there are only a few places for lunch, everyone flocks here!
You register your name at the counter, and when your turn is near, you get an email. When called to line up at the entrance… it’s narrow at the front but stretches way back inside!
I went for the upgraded version: “Chilled Tanuki Meat Soba.”
It was both kitsune and tanuki, an over-the-top soba loaded with toppings.
The soba, chilled in cold water, had a perfect chewy bite—one bowl that satisfied both stomach and soul.
Souvenir Time! Nagara River Department Store
While waiting, I dropped by the Nagara River Department Store. Despite the name, it’s actually a stylish souvenir shop. The displays are neat and the sense of design is outstanding!
I snagged a T-shirt with a cormorant holding an ayu fish. Kawaramachi just can’t stop pushing the ayu & cormorant theme!
Retro Bank Cash Refill
Many places in Gifu are cash-only, and that’s when I found myself in a money pinch!
What saved me was Juroku Bank, located right in Kawaramachi.
With its retro design blending into the old townscape, even the ATM somehow looked stylish!
Little Finds While Strolling the Town
📸 Photo: A potted plant display set into a round cutout in the wall
📸 Photo: Lanterns for the Ukai cormorant fishing
I came across Kōshindō, a “Three Monkeys Shrine” featuring the famous wise monkeys!
Famous for the “see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil” monkeys.
No way! (LOL)
It’s a small hall, but perfect for a quick stop during a town stroll.
At the long-established Tamaiya, I picked up their specialty, *Nobori Ayu* (Climbing Ayu).
The signature sweet *Nobori Ayu*, shaped like an ayu fish climbing the clear stream, is a classic Gifu souvenir. With its moist cake and soft gyuhi filling, one bite is enough to understand why everyone raves about it.
Picked up some bread at Rustico4.
It looked like an old townhouse, yet the entrance door was so futuristic I could hardly tell where to go in.
( Forgot to take a photo… classic travel mishap )
The bread ended up being my breakfast the next morning.
Unexpected Bliss! The Hot Spring at Jūhachirō
And then came an unplanned hot spring break.
I jumped right into Jūhachirō’s Mogami River Hot Spring!
All my fatigue vanished in an instant, leaving me fully recharged for the upcoming Ukai cormorant fishing cruise.
At the entrance of Jūhachirō stands none other than a statue of Matsuo Bashō.
It almost feels like he’s saying, “I even wrote haiku about Ukai, you know!”
**“So delightful, yet soon melancholy— the cormorant fishing boats.” —Bashō**
Summary
Praying at the three shrines for blessings, filling my stomach with chilled tanuki soba, strolling Kawaramachi’s old streets for souvenirs, and finishing with a hot spring soak—it was an utterly luxurious flow of the day.
Next time, I’ll report on the long-awaited Ukai cormorant fishing cruise on the Nagara River.
The journey continues... Wishing you all a wonderful trip! – TabiJun
＊＊TabiJun＊＊
