Nearby Attractions
Inuyama City has several worthwhile attractions, so I suggest coming here for a day of sightseeing and, in summer, topping it off with some cormorant fishing . The Inuyama Tourist Information Center (tel. 0568/61-6000) is located in Inuyama Station and is open daily 9am to 5pm, or check the website www.city.inuyama.aichi.jp. Note: There are no specific addresses because addresses in smaller Japanese cities are of a region rather than an exact street address. However, everyone will know where these attractions are.
Watching Cormorant Fishing -- There are two places near Nagoya where you can watch cormorant fishing every night from mid-May to mid-October (except during a full moon or the 2 or 3 days following a heavy rain). In this ancient, 300-year-old Japanese fishing method, trained ukai (seabirds) dive into the water in search of ayu, a small Japanese trout. At nightfall, wooden fires are lit in suspended cages at the fronts of long wooden boats to attract the ayu, whereupon leashed cormorants are released into the water. To ensure that the cormorants don't swallow the fish, the birds are fitted with neck rings.
In Inuyama, cormorant fishing takes place on the Kiso River. Spectators can board boats beginning at around 6pm to observe the spectacle firsthand. While waiting for the full darkness that must descend before the fishing takes place (usually around 7:30pm), you can dine on set meals for ¥2,500 or ¥3,500 ($21/£10 or $29/£15), which you must order when you make your reservations. You can also purchase drinks from boat vendors and can even buy and set off Japanese fireworks, which give the evening a celebratory atmosphere. The actual fishing itself occupies only 20 minutes. To participate, take the Inuyama Line of the Meitetsu Railways from Meitetsu Nagoya Station 23 minutes to Inuyama Yuen Station (¥590/$4.90/£2.45); from there, it's a 5-minute walk. Call ahead to make reservations (tel. 0568/61-0057); upon arrival, stop by the ticket office near the bridge. Tickets for boarding the boats and watching the fishing cost ¥2,500 ($21/£10) for adults and ¥1,250 ($10/£5) for children in June and September, ¥2,800 ($23/£12) and ¥1,400 ($12/£6) respectively in July and August.
The city of Gifu features cormorant fishing on the Nagaragawa River, where you can view the entire spectacle aboard a small wooden boat. To reach Gifu, take either the Meitetsu train or the JR train from Nagoya to Gifu Station (¥540/$4.50/£2.25). From there, take a bus (¥200/$1.65/85p) heading for Nagarabashi. You'll see the ticket office (Gifu-shi Ukai Kanransen Jimusho) after exiting the station. They advise that you bring your own snacks or obento as there are no markets nearby. You can call ahead to reserve your ticket (tel. 058/262-0104) daily between 9am and 8pm. Tickets cost ¥3,300 ($28/£14) for adults and ¥2,900 ($24/£12) for children for the 6:15pm boarding and weekend boardings at 6:45pm and 7:15pm (weekday boardings at 6:45 and 7:15pm are ¥300/$2.50/£1.25 less). Go to www.gifucvb.or.jp for more information.
