Winter Arrives in Gifu & Ishikawa
For the month of December, we are focusing on the signs that the holidays have arrived in Gifu & Ishikawa like a soak in a hot spring while the snow starts to fall, a warm bowl of ramen on a cold day, watching the "Yukitsuri" get adjusted at Kenrokuen Garden to brace for the snow to fall and taking in the sights of persimmons drying.
We invite you to join us for a webinar that takes a deeper dive into the winter fun that can be had in both prefectures. It will take place on December 15 at 2pm EDT/11am PDT. Click the button below to sign up. We hope to see you there!
Gifu: Gero Hot Spring Soak
There is nothing quite like the first soak of the season in an outdoor bath, when the air is crisp but the water warm. Japan is famous for this, and one of the best places to experience this is Gero Hot Spring. One of the three most famous hot springs in all of Japan, it is known for the incredibly smooth quality of the water, which turns your skin just as smooth. What makes this area unique is the amount of bathing options you have to choose from; the whole town seems to gravitate around it. Enjoy a stroll through the center of the hot spring town (wearing traditional clothing) and take your pick of the foot baths scattered throughout—you can soak in hot spring water virtually anytime and anywhere.
Gifu: Ramen & Sake
One of the best ways to warm up on a cold day is with ramen (preferably after a soak in an onsen) alongside a glass of sake. There are numerous sake breweries to choose from—one we’ll highlight is Watanabe Sake Brewery which is said to have been founded in the Meiji period (1868-1912). The brewery is a leader of sake production in the Hida area through its creation of renowned local sake “Hourai” and whose historic building is also registered as an Important Tangible Cultural Property. As for ramen, Takayama is famous for its own particular variation. Made with bones, vegetables, and katsuobushi(dried bonito flakes), it is then enhanced with local soy sauce and miso resulting in ramen whose broth’s deep flavor makes it world-renown.
Ishikawa:
Kenrokuen Garden
When the "Yukitsuri" are constructed it is a sure sign that winter is coming to the Kenrokuen Garden. This practice—in which about 800 rope suspenders are erected from bamboo poles and are attached to tree branches—is an effort to protect the trees from the heavy weight of the snow that falls in the area each year. The sight of the Yukitsuri is especially beautiful when the garden is illuminated at night (for the winter festival) and the reflection shines bright in the water below. If the snow falls when this is happening, one feels as though they are in a snow globe.
Ishikawa: Persimmon Drying
Persimmons hanging under eaves are a sign of winter in Ishikawa. Dried persimmons are a specialty of Shika Town, a farming community on the Noto Peninsula. Called korogaki—gaki, from kaki (persimmon), and koro (short for korokoro), for rolling or rotating—the name alludes to the traditional, labor-intensive way the growers spin the fruit as they knead it to soften the pulp. The combination of sunlight and breeze from the sea removes the astringency and brings out the sweetness of the fruit, resulting in a delicious treat that is created over the course of the season.
To learn more about Gifu & Ishikawa, reach out to Sophia.