The sound of water is everywhere in Gujō Hachiman. It flows through narrow stone-lined canals where koi fish swim in clear currents and provides the gentle soundtrack to daily life in this mountain town of approximately 36,000 residents (as of August 1, 2025). Tucked into a mountain valley in Gifu Prefecture about 90 minutes from Nagoya and surrounded by rivers and forested hills, Gujō Hachiman has earned the nickname “Little Kyoto” for its preserved streetscapes of traditional wooden buildings and lattice windows. This water town offers travelers both authentic small-town life and surprising discoveries, from layers of history to unexpected modern industries that make Gifu Prefecture so rewarding to explore.
Gujō Hachiman was founded in the 16th century following the construction of Hachiman Castle, which still overlooks the valley today from its position on Mount Hachiman. The town became a center for industry, trade, and travel due to its location along the Gujō Kaido, a historic road that connected it to one of Japan’s most important travel routes: the Nakasendo, or “central mountain road.” This inland highway connected Edo (modern-day Tokyo) with Kyoto through the mountainous terrain of central Japan and served as one of five major routes during the Edo period (1603 – 1867). Unlike the coastal Tokaido (“eastern sea road”) with its dangerous river crossings, the Nakasendo offered safer passage through the mountains, earning it the nickname himekaido—the “princess highway”—for being favored by court ladies and noble families. The route’s 69 post towns provided rest and food stops to traveling samurai, merchants, and even imperial processions, creating a network of commerce and cultural exchange that shaped regional crafts.
Despite its rich history and idyllic townscape, Gujō Hachiman is best known for something completely unique and surprising. The town is the birthplace of Japan’s entire sampuru food replica industry, the iconic craft highlighted in our current exhibition “Looks Delicious!” at JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles. For nearly a century, these incredibly realistic sample foods have evolved from marketing tool to true art form. This industry began with entrepreneur Takizo Iwasaki, who launched his business in 1932. Drawing inspiration from a childhood memory of seeing spilled candle wax form the shape of a flower in water, Iwasaki used candle wax to craft a model of omurice (omelet rice) so convincing that his wife reportedly couldn’t distinguish it from the real thing. From his workshop in Osaka, he relocated back into his hometown in Gujō Hachiman and became what is now known as the Iwasaki Mokei, which still dominates 70% of Japan’s sampuru market today. Today, this is a fun and unique attraction of Gujō Hachiman—a place where travelers can not only browse the wide array of sampuru available here, but even try their hand (no experience required) in hands-on workshops at crafting their own edible-looking masterpieces.
Setting out beyond Gujō Hachiman and heading southeastwards a more traditional type of craft awaits exploration. The Mino region of Gifu Prefecture has long been a thriving center for ceramics production, boasting a rich and varied heritage of ceramics production, known as Mino ware (Mino-yaki). The region’s rivers and valleys left ideal clay deposits, and ceramic production here dates to the 7th century, when much of the output was utilitarian stoneware. During the political chaos of the 15th and 16th century, many potters fled from nearby Seto, bringing their techniques to Gifu just as the tea ceremony was gaining prominence. This convergence gave birth to distinctive styles like Shino ware, with its thick, creamy white feldspar glaze, and Oribe ware, known for whimsical shapes and partial glazing in bold green and black—both wares that became admired and widely used in the tea ceremony. In the 19th century, porcelain production was also added to the region’s output, so that Mino ceramics evolved to encompass over 15 recognized styles under the Mino-yaki designation. Today, the Mino ware (Mino-yaki) heritage has made Gifu Prefecture the source of approximately 50% of Japan’s ceramic output today, including 90% of Japan’s porcelain ramen bowls. Today, travelers to the Mino region can see historic kilns and contemporary workshops to experience this living art form, stroll through the region’s museums of ceramic art and history and even receive hands-on instruction from world-class artisans in ceramic workshops.
As well as art and craft experiences, Gifu also has museums that offer unexpected cultural and historical resonance. Slightly to the northwest of the Mino region in the town of Yaotsu, visitors will encounter one of Japan’s most inspiring museums—the Chiune Sugihara Memorial Hall, dedicated to a remarkable story of moral courage during World War II. Sugihara, born in 1900 in this area of Gifu Prefecture, served as Japan’s consul in Lithuania when thousands of Polish Jewish refugees desperately sought transit visas to escape Nazi persecution. Despite government orders to reject them, Sugihara chose “humanity and compassion first,” issuing over 2,100 “visas for life” that saved an estimated 6,000 people. The memorial hall features a reconstruction of his Lithuanian consulate office and displays about the refugees whose lives he saved—a tribute to an exceptionally courageous native son of Gifu Prefecture.
When touring Gujō Hachiman and other sites in Gifu, there are many wonders to be found in each of the four seasons. Winter is a time for skiing at nearby Takasu Snow Park or for visiting the charming UNESCO World Heritage village of Shirakawa-go, with its thatched houses in a mountain landscape. Spring offers cherry blossom viewing at many temples and parks, including Usuzumi Park, which boasts one of Japan’s three oldest cherry trees—the Neodani Usuzumi-Zakura, believed to be 1,500 years old. One of summer’s highlights is the vibrant 400-year-old Gujō Odori dance festival from mid-July through early September, while autumn offers the International Mino Ceramics Festival in Tajimi every three years from October to November, as well as stunning fall foliage at many local temples, including the magnificent Tanigumi-san Kegonji temple, which dates back to the 8th century (southwest of Gujō). Year-round, travelers can wander Gujō Hachiman’s Hachiman Castle as well as Gifu Castle in the prefectural capital, Gifu City, try their hand at creating food replicas in Gujō Hachiman’s sampuru workshops, visit ceramic ateliers to learn from Mino-yaki artisans, or discover the ancient water systems like canals and fountains that are still used for washing rice and vegetables throughout the prefecture.
For those who cannot visit yet this wonder-filled part of Japan, the current “Looks Delicious!” exhibition offers insight into how Gujō Hachiman’s sampuru products reflect the same commitment to craft excellence that has characterized Gifu for centuries. Even from afar, these perfectly crafted replicas can inspire future journeys to a mountain town where multi-generational businesses continue to thrive, and where the compact town center still invites the same walking-pace exploration that post-town visitors experienced four centuries ago. This place that once welcomed Nakasendo travelers from around Japan continues to welcome tourists today, offering the same promise of clean mountain water, skilled craftspeople, and the rare pleasure of a town where time moves at the pace of flowing streams.
Additional Reading
To learn more about iconic crafts, read articles from our archive about sampuru foods, Mino ware ceramics and the woodworking tradition of Hida-Takayama:
Tasting with the Eyes | Japan’s Edible Illusions History
Faux-Real Delicious
Craftsmanship of the Ceramic Valley
Master Craftsmen of Hida-Takayama | Gifu Prefecture
