Culture
Santera Mairi Festival 2026
Japan TravelThe Santera Mairi Festival, literally "Three Temple Visit," is held annually on January 15th and known as one of Hida Furukawa's top festivals.
Hida Furukawa's Shirakabe Dozogai Street (白壁土蔵街) is a charming and non-commercial heritage site which reflects, perfectly, the culture and history of the area.
The Seto Canal runs through it and the adjoining series of quaint waterways are filled with incandescent carp (from April to November) which magically illuminate this old and enigmatic village.
Buy some fish food for the carp to add a welcome personal touch to your journey. In addition, there is also a visible prominence of hand-crafted wooden design seen throughout the area.
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The Santera Mairi Festival, literally "Three Temple Visit," is held annually on January 15th and known as one of Hida Furukawa's top festivals.
The Seto Canal is one of Hida Furukawa’s most scenic features. The artificial water channel runs parallel to three of Hida Furukawa’s oldest streets, Ichinomachi, Ninomachi and Sannomachi, and is a 5-minute walk from Hida-Furukawa Station. From April through November the canal is alive with 1,000 brightly colored carp swimming through its waters. Another major lure of the canal is the view of traditional white-walled storehouses that run parallel. The juxtaposition of the pure white storehouses and orange fish, coupled with the old-time atmosphere of Furukawa, create the perfect environment for a peaceful stroll. On the last Saturday of November, Hida embraces the arrival of winter by organizing an event to remove carp from the canal. The labor-intensive and—perhaps time-consuming—event has residents and even tourists, out in support scooping up fish one by one with ball nets. Afterward, the carp are driven to Tenjin Pond—the moat around Masushima Castle ruins—and transferred to their temporary home individually via a slide. The event is symbolic of the passing seasons, highlighting the city’s preparation for winter, and helps protect the carp over winter. When spring returns, Hida Furukawa will be born anew, like the rebirth of nature, and will return the carp to the canal once more. Visitors can contact Hida Tourism Association if they wish to participate in this local event. [photo id='241766']
The Fukuzenji Soba restaurant serves authentic, handmade soba noodles made using buckwheat flour sourced from the local Hida Nagareha region.
Ajidokoro Furukawa is a large machiya-style restaurant in the city center, located just over the road from Festival Square and its surrounding cultural landmarks.
Kaoru is an excellent spot to enjoy the exquisite flavor of Hida beef at reasonable prices. The restaurant is a short 15-minute walk from Hida-Hosoe Station, which is a stop along the Takayama Line.
Surrounded by dramatic mountain ranges and blessed with a supply of some of the purest water in Japan, Watanabe Sake Brewery (established in 1870) is leading the way in promoting Gifu's long-standing relationship with sake.
Hida Mori no Megumi is a one-stop shop for natural medicinal herbs which are said to relieve a multitude of ailments.
The unique Fox Wedding Festival (Kitsune-bi Matsuri) tells the revival of fairy-tale “Sunshower” and is held on the 4th Saturday of September annually.