[Gifu] Travel solo to Gujo Hachiman and refresh yourself. 7 recommended hotels and ryokan

Cities are so crowded that just commuting between home and work every day on the usual commuter train is exhausting. Even if you carry over the fatigue of the weekdays to the weekend, it's Sunday evening before you know it as you finish up the accumulated housework. If you're tired of such a monotonous daily routine, why not try a solo trip for a change of pace? Going to a different place than usual and enjoying something out of the ordinary will help you blow away stress and refresh yourself.

This time we will be introducing Gujo Hachiman in Gifu. It is a town also known as the "Little Kyoto of Oku-Mino" and is located about two hours from Nagoya by taking the JR Limited Express "Wide View Hida" and then the Nagaragawa Railway. It is a town with clean water, and at its symbolic spot, "Yanaka Mizu no Komichi," you can spend some quaint time alone by the waterway. It is also a good change of pace to stroll around the castle town leading to "Gujo Hachiman Castle," which is designated as a nationally designated Important Preservation District for Traditional Buildings.

source:Contribution of iseki

Gujo Hachiman, known as the village of famous water, is known for its "mizu manju" (water dumplings) made with the famous water. You can see them being cooled in the waterways under the eaves of Japanese confectionery shops. The sweetfish caught in the clear Nagara River that runs through the city are also called "Gujo sweetfish" and are known for their excellent appearance, fragrance, and taste. Here we introduce hotels and ryokan for solo female travelers who want to enjoy Gujo Hachiman, where you can fully enjoy both the townscape and the gourmet food.

Gujo Hachiman Hotel Sekisuien is located on the hillside of Mt. Hachiman overlooking the castle town, about 10 minutes by shuttle bus (reservation required) from the Nagaragawa Railway's Gujo Hachiman Station. The shuttle bus, which is safe even for solo travelers, is available not only from the train station, but also from Gujo Hachiman IC, where express buses from Nagoya stop, and Gujo Hachiman Castle Town Plaza in the city center, where express buses from Gifu stop, so you can choose the bus stop according to your daytime sightseeing plans and access the hotel conveniently.

All rooms are over 30㎡, so they are spacious enough for solo travelers. The standard rooms (pictured) on the city side have a terrace with a panoramic view of the castle town, and at night you can see the illuminated Gujo Hachiman Castle. Enjoy a quiet evening on your solo trip, away from the everyday life of the city. Why not relax with your favorite drink in hand, gazing at the glittering castle?

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Dinner is a seasonal banquet. In addition to a menu using local Hida beef, you can also enjoy wild Gujo sweetfish from late July to the end of August. Breakfast is a Japanese meal, featuring the local Hida Takayama dish Hoba miso, Meiho ham from the local city of Gujo, and overnight dried sweetfish. Enjoying the seasonal flavors unique to Gujo Hachiman to your heart's content will refresh both body and mind.

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"Ryori Ryokan Bizenya" is about 11 minutes by "Mame Bus" (a one-coin bus) from "Gujo Hachiman Station" on the Nagaragawa Railway, and about a 3-minute walk from the "Jokamachi Plaza" bus stop in the city center. It is the oldest ryokan still standing in Gujo Hachiman, and visitors are greeted by a carefully maintained Japanese ryokan after passing through the charming gate that blends in with the castle town streets.

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All rooms are Japanese-style. The tatami-floored rooms retain the charm of traditional Japanese houses, allowing you to relax and unwind. The photo shows a standard Japanese-style room, but with an eight-tatami mat space, it's perfect for solo travelers. This is an adult hideaway where you won't be disturbed, where you can relax and read a book, think about things while gazing at the greenery in the courtyard, or take a nap. Being able to spend your time in a luxurious way is one of the joys of solo travel.

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For dinner, enjoy a kaiseki course meal featuring local seasonal flavors. The meal uses Gifu's signature brand of beef, Hida beef, Gujo sweetfish raised in famous water, as well as fresh local vegetables and wild plants, allowing you to experience the flavors of the season with all five senses. In the morning, enjoy a healthy Japanese breakfast that includes soft egg dishes, fresh vegetables, smooth tofu, and the local ingredient Gujo miso. Both breakfast and dinner are served in private dining, so even if you're staying alone, you can enjoy your meal at your own pace without having to worry about other guests.

Hotel Gujo Hachiman is located about 5 minutes by shuttle bus (reservations required) from Gujo Hachiman Station on the Nagaragawa Railway. Built on the banks of the clear Nagara River, this is the only onsen inn in Gujo Hachiman. Once inside, you'll be greeted by a warm wooden lobby with numerous traditional crafts on display. Solo travelers can stay in a 10-tatami Japanese-style room in the main building or in the annex, Yasuragi no Yu Housen. The simple and calming interior exudes a warm Japanese atmosphere.

For dinner, we will have a seasonal multi-course meal using local ingredients at the meal venue. In addition to "Hida beef" and "Gujo Ayu", you can also eat dishes using rock fish, which are called "Amago" in this area. In the morning, let's have a Japanese set meal, freshly cooked rice, sprinkled with a ground egg picked in the morning, and served with glossy egg-covered rice. The local dish "magnolia miso" with condiments is also an accompaniment to rice. If you eat well and recharge your energy, you will be able to blow away the fatigue of your daily life.

The most distinctive feature of this inn is its natural onsen. From the open-air bath in particular, you can look down at the Nagara River, and enjoy a relaxing bath while listening to the birds singing and the murmuring of the clear stream. There are also seven types of baths to enjoy, including a large indoor bath with a large window, an ultrasonic bath, and a sauna. Relax by yourself, stretch your limbs, and soak in the hot water, letting the stress of everyday life melt away.

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Asano ryokan is about a 20-minute walk from Gujo Hachiman Station on the Nagaragawa Railway and about a 1-minute walk from the Jokamachi Plaza bus stop in the city center. Located in the heart of the town, it is very convenient for going out sightseeing and coming back in between. This inn with 8 rooms offers homely hospitality. You can spend a relaxing time here, just like you would if you were back home.

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For solo travelers, choose a simple 6-tatami Japanese-style room (photo shows an 8-tatami Japanese-style room for 2 or more people). The interior has a warm wooden feel, and the scent of tatami will stir up memories of nostalgia. Take a deep breath and relax in a space where you can feel the slow flow of time. From the window, you can see the flow of people coming and going in the castle town, and Gujo Hachiman Castle, which shows its different faces with each season. The inn also has an indoor bath, so you can stretch your arms and legs and relax in the hot water during bath time.

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For dinner, try a kaiseki meal made with local seasonal ingredients. The "Natural Gujo Ayu Kaiseki" course, available only in summer, allows you to savor raw ayu dishes such as "Ayu Sushi" and "Live Ayu Sashimi," which can only be enjoyed because of the freshness of the fish. In winter, the specialty is "Botan Nabe," made with wild boar caught by the host himself. Fresh boar meat and home-grown vegetables are slowly simmered in a pot in a homemade miso broth. It's also nice that you can take your time enjoying both breakfast and dinner in in-room dining or in private dining.

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Gujo Hachiman Inn Yoshidaya is about 11 minutes by the one-coin bus "Mame Bus" from Gujo Hachiman Station on the Nagaragawa Railway, and about a 2-minute walk from the "Jokamachi Plaza" bus stop in the city center. The inn, which was formerly a restaurant founded in 1880, has three wells on its grounds, and natural groundwater is used throughout the entire building, from the food to the guest rooms and baths. If you stay at this inn, you can feel the blessings of this famous water village with your whole body and recharge your energy.

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The inn consists of two buildings, a hotel and ryokan, but solo travelers can stay in the hotel-style single rooms (see photo). The beds are semi-double, so you can stretch out your legs and relax. Every morning between 7:30 and 10:00, you can enjoy self-service coffee brewed with Gujo Hachiman's famous water in the lobby. After breakfast, it's nice to spend the time relaxing by yourself before your departure.

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meal is at the meal place "Mino Nishiki". Dinner is a multi-course meal made with local seasonal ingredients. In addition to the eel, which is a specialty of this inn, let's have the special "Gujo Ayu" purchased directly from the fishermen in the summer, and the "Shishinabe" slowly simmered in a miso-based soup in the winter. In addition, there is also a plan where you can enjoy A5 rank "Hida beef", so it is recommended for those who want to taste delicious meat to the fullest. Let's get good nutrition and blow away the stress of daily life.

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"Ryori ryokan Mizukami" is about a 20-minute taxi ride from Gujo Hachiman Station on the Nagaragawa Railway. Located in a mountain area a little ways from the city center, this inn allows you to enjoy seasonal mountain delicacies to your heart's content in the silence of nature. It is also adjacent to the head office factory of the locally famous "Meiho Ham," so you can enjoy buying souvenirs at the direct sales store. Why not relax in the "Meiho Onsen" hot onsen brought in from the nearby Meiho Plateau area and spend your own special holiday?

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There is a main building and a new building on the premises. The main building is an old house that was relocated from Fukui. You can stretch out your arms and legs in the Japanese-style rooms with tatami mats and relax. The new building has Western-style rooms with a pension-style interior that lets you feel the warmth of wood. Both are comfortable for solo travelers. Please enjoy some time alone away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

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Dinner is a multi-course meal. In addition to the standard plan, which combines the local gourmet dish "Keichanyaki" with seasonal river fish and local vegetables, there is also a plan for those who want to splurge a little on their days off, where you can choose to have the local specialty "Hida beef" cooked as steak, shabu-shabu, or sukiyaki. For breakfast, try local flavors such as "Hohba miso" and "Meiho ham." Enjoying many unique Gifu flavors that you can't get in your everyday city life will refresh your body and mind.

Located about 16 minutes by Nagaragawa Railway from Gujo Hachiman Station and about a 10-minute walk from Gujo Yamato Station, Fairfield by Marriott Gifu Gujo is a new hotel that opened in Gujo City in October 2020. The adjacent Roadside Station Kokin Denju no Sato Yamato has a variety of facilities, including a local product shop, a restaurant serving local cuisine, and the onsen facility Yamato onsen Yasuragikan, so you can enjoy local culture and flavors while sightseeing in Gujo Hachiman.

If you are staying alone, you can choose between a king room or a twin room. As you would expect from a hotel run by the international hotel chain "Marriott Group," the interior is stylish. It is perfect for those who prefer a simple room without extravagant decorations. Enjoy a relaxing stay while gazing at the rural mountain scenery of Gujo City outside the window and forget about your busy daily life.

There is no restaurant on-site, but there are plenty of shared spaces, including a terrace, lounge, and library. There are several restaurants and local cuisine restaurants at the roadside station next door, so you'll have no trouble finding something to eat. You can also buy what you like and spread it out on the terrace. If you want breakfast, you can choose a plan that includes a breakfast box when you make your reservation, and pick it up at the front desk between 7am and 9am.

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What did you think of this special feature on solo travel to Gujo Hachiman? You can experience history at your own pace in the castle town that still retains its traditional streetscape, and enjoy the local cuisine that takes advantage of the location's famous water. You'll feel refreshed and refreshed. Why not take the plunge and visit Gujo Hachiman on your next day off?