This was a day trip from Nagoya that can be completed within half a day.

I went there during the spring time of 2024, after the Sakura season and it was very quiet.

To reach the castle, you need to take a short bus trip from Gifu station. Google Map did a wonderful job telling me which bus to take. The only thing to watch out for, is to determine which side of the road to be. The gps may not be accurate enough for that. So use google map as a compass to figure out which direction the bus should be traveling and wait at the right bus stop.

Gifu castle is located on top of a hill and the bus will only bring you to a park at the base. This place is a famous autumn scenic spot and will be busier at that time. To reach the castle, I opted to take a ropeway (5 mins) instead of climbing up the hill (1.5 hours)

Now my confession. Gifu castle wasn’t my actual goal. My real intention was to visit squirrels 🐿️.

😂

They are so cute right? And they are so shy in the wild that I didn’t have any opportunity for close interaction. Plus I don’t carry a bag of nuts everywhere.

So Gifu squirrel village is a rare opportunity for close interaction. I was imagining Alvin and the chipmunks behaviour….

Straight to the points. The squirrels have extremely sharp claws! 😨🙄

I was wearing a simple tshirt and shorts. No wonder the staff looked concerned at the gate and I guess she gave up warning me, since I didn’t understand what she was saying and had a determined smile on my face, nodding and saying yes to whatever she was saying to me.

So happily, I put on a glove and entered the enclosure. Once inside, the staff placed some powdered nuts on my gloved hand and I just turned myself into a feeding post for the squirrels!

If being swarmed by squirrels isn’t your idea of having fun, then avoid this activity.

Imagine squirrels climbing up your body to reach your hand for food? Plus they don’t behave like Alvin in chipmunks movie. Instead, they will be fending off competitions.

They are more like survival game competitors. (I heard that, if you visit in the afternoon, the squirrels would be more docile because they would have been well fed by then)

To get to the top of your body, they relied on digging their claws into your body to propel themselves upward. Ok, my fault. 🤦‍♂️ I wasn’t properly attired for the occasion.

In case you want to visit, do wear loose clothing, long sleeves and pants. That way, those cute little chipmunks will only shred your clothing, not your skin. So avoid silk clothing or wearing your expensive clothes too.

I was simply too engrossed with playing with the animals to realise the damage. Or perhaps I have thick skin or tolerance. Feeling their claws did not deter my determination. I just brushed it off as minor stings. It wasn’t too much of an issue for me. But I guess others might be devastated. Many people didn’t stay too long but I managed to pet the squirrel as they nibbled at the food from my hand 🥰

After having fun with the squirrels, I visited the castle and enjoyed the views there.

Next, I visited the giant Buddha made from scriptures. In short, it was a giant paper Buddha from the ancient past. Some guys in ancient times believed that scriptures hold mystic power and decided to create a Buddha with them.

So instead of learning and teaching what Buddha taught, the scriptures were used to plaster a bamboo frame structure of Buddha, lacquered and gold leafed to create this gigantic wonder.

It was quiet, and I had time to sit right in front of the statue to appreciate its beauty. Unlike most other Buddhist temples in Japan, this one allows you to take picture of the Buddha. You have to pay an entrance fee to get in.

After that, I wandered around Gifu city to find many shops and restaurants shuttered. The economy was badly affected by the pandemic lock down.

Hope the economy recovers soon.

May all be well and happy.