Cormorant Fishing on the Gifu Nagara River - 1300 Years of Elegance, Impressive Picture Scrolls Presented to Today -
Heart trip Nagara River with cormorant fishingThe Nagara River, where you can enjoy cormorant fishing
Cormorant Fishing on the Gifu Nagara River - 1300 Years of Elegance, Impressive Picture Scrolls Presented to Today -
Gifu Nagara River cormorant fishing is held in the clear stream of the Nagara River, which has been selected as one of the 100 most famous waters, against the backdrop of Mt. In pitch-black darkness, the red-hot bonfires are reflected on the surface of the river, and the classic fishing method "Ukai" where cormorant fishermen and cormorants work together invites you to forget the present and travel back in time to a thousand years ago. . Cormorant fishing is a fishing method in which cormorant fishermen use cormorants to catch fish. It has a history of about 1,300 years and has been protected by the powers of the time. It is said that Lord Nobunaga Oda protected cormorant fishing by giving him the status of 'Usho,' and Tokugawa Ieyasu often visited Gifu to watch cormorant fishing, protect it, and have the ayu-zushi made in Gifu transported to Edo. In addition, cormorant fishing is also loved by many cultural figures, and Basho Matsuo saw cormorant fishing when he visited Gifu and left a phrase, ``I think it will be sad before long. It is said that he visited to see cormorant fishing and praised it as wonderful. There are six cormorant fishermen on the Nagaragawa River, and their formal title is Imperial Household Agency Shikibu Shoku cormorant fishermen, and their skills have been passed down from generation to generation. The set of 122 pieces of cormorant fishing equipment for the Nagara River is designated as an important tangible folk cultural property of Japan, and the technique of cormorant fishing on the Nagara River is designated as an important intangible folk cultural property of the country. The shouts of cormorant fishermen leading the cormorants "ho-ho" and the sound of tapping on the boat have been selected as one of Japan's top 100 soundscapes. Cormorant fishing on the Gifu Nagara River takes place every night from May 11th to October 15th, except for cormorant fishing holidays (the first day around the mid-autumn moon) and when the water is high.
Detail
Highlight
Please take a look at the viewing boat to see how the cormorant fishermen handle the cormorants freely and catch the sweetfish.
Period
May 11th to October 15th However, cormorant fishing will be canceled on days when cormorant fishing is not possible due to high water, etc.
Cormorant fishing start time
7:45 p.m. (This may vary depending on events, etc.)
Observation boat departure time
boarding boat
18:15 18:45 7:15 p.m.
charter boat
Desired time from 17:30 to 19:15
Ferris wheel fee
Starting in 2026, ferry fares will differ between peak and non-peak days. The busy days are as follows: <Busy days in 2026> [May] 5/11 [June] None [July] 7/18, 7/25 [August] 8/1, 8/13, 8/14, 8/15, 8/22, 8/29 [September] 9/5, 9/12, 9/19, 9/20, 9/21, 9/22, 9/26 [October] None
Dates other than busy days are listed as "normal days."
<Shared boat fare (tax included)> 18:15/18:45/19:15 Normal days Adults 4,200 yen Children 2,100 yen Peak days Adults 5,100 yen Children 2,600 yen Summer break Adults 4,200 yen Children 2,100 yen Adults: Junior high school students and above Children: 3 years old and above, but not older than elementary school students
*Smoking is prohibited on board. *Private charter boats are also available. For details on fees, etc., please contacthere(Please see the Gifu City Cormorant Fishing Sightseeing Boat Office website) *Nouryo refers to the days when cormorant fishing is held twice on certain Saturdays in July, August, and September. The fee listed in the price list is for watching the second cormorant fishing. If you would like to watch the first cormorant fishing on a Noryo Ukai day, please refer to the "peak day" fee.
Access
Cormorant fishing viewing boat pier From JR Gifu Station or Meitetsu Gifu Station, take Gifu Bus N80 to Yamagata Bus Terminal, or take buses N32 to N86 to Gifu Park or Takatomi, or the City Loop (counterclockwise), 16 minutes (250 yen one way). Get off at Nagarabashi Minami/Kawaramachi and walk for 1 minute.
Boarding point for cormorant fishing viewing boat 1-2 Minatomachi, Gifu City
Contact Us
Reservations and Inquiries: Gifu City Cormorant Fishing Sightseeing Boat Office. Click here to make a reservation. TEL: 058-262-0104
*For information on the lunch-included set meal, please click here (available weekdays, Tuesday to Friday). *For more information on the "Omakase Pack Premium," which includes a French course meal on a luxury sightseeing boat, please click here .
Flow of watching cormorant fishing
Cormorant Fishing Observation Boat Office/Boarding Dock
1. Reception
Please complete the reception at the cormorant fishing viewing boat office before the departure time of your reservation. (If you made a reservation at a hotel/ryokan, check in at the hotel/ryokan)
Explanation of cormorant fishing by a cormorant fisher
2. Explanation of cormorant fishing by cormorant fisher around 17:45
It is held at the boarding point of the cormorant fishing viewing boat. It is popular if you can hear stories unique to cormorant fishermen. (note) may not be carried out by event.
Nagara River
3. Departure from around 18:15
While enjoying the scenery of the Nagara River and Mt. Kinka, head to the viewing point.
4. Mooring and meals on the river bank
The boat is moored on the riverbank until the cormorant fishing begins. Feel free to enjoy the scenery around you.
hunting down
5. Cormorant fishing starts around 19:45
Fireworks signal the start, and cormorant fishing finally begins.
6. "Hunting" or "Tsukemi"
From the standpoint of safe navigation and to give customers a better view of cormorant fishing, depending on the conditions of the river and the departure status of the viewing boat, you will be able to see cormorant fishing in either "Kurikudari" or "Tsukemi". ■Kari-kudari: Observation boats form a fleet and travel down the river alongside one cormorant boat. ■Tsukemi... From a viewing boat anchored on the river bank, you can watch six cormorant boats descending the river one by one. Please enjoy cormorant fishing by 6 cormorant fishermen.
Total involvement
7. Total involvement
The climax of cormorant fishing. Six cormorant boats form a line across the width of the river and drive the sweetfish into shallow water all at once.
8. End of cormorant fishing and disembarkation around 20:30
Disembarkation time varies depending on the season and the number of sightseeing boats.
*Each time varies depending on the weather, number of ships, events, etc. on the day.
Cormorant Fishing Observation Boat Office/Boarding Dock
Explanation of cormorant fishing by a cormorant fisher
Nagara River
hunting down
Total involvement
