Past Reignited: 1-Day Ena and Iwamura Tour, time travel through Edo ukiyo-e and a Sengoku castle town
Ride the waves of time, back into the Sengoku and Edo period with this tour jam-packed with the artistic, historical, and culinary highlights of Ena and Imamura. Start by immersing yourself in the vivid world of ukiyo-e art from the Edo Period by famous woodblock print artist Hiroshige Utagawa at the Nakasendo Hiroshige Museum of Art. Then, hike the historical grounds of the Iwamura Castle Ruins, one of Japan’s three greatest mountaintop castles, situated at an altitude of 717 metres above sea-level, where you will have the chance to see up close the defensive construction from three different types of stone-piling utilized. The castle is also well-known for having an “Onna Joshu” (lady castle lord) - Lady Otsuya, one of Japan's few lady castle lords and the aunt of warlord Oda Nobunaga. Enjoy time strolling around the ancient castle town, full of historical charm and a culturally significant preservation district of historic buildings in all of Japan, third in Gifu after Sanmachi in Takayama and Ogimachi in Shirakawa-go. For lunch, feast the way the warlords did back in the Sengoku period, with a delicious and hearty recreation of the Sengoku cuisine at Iwamura Sanso, prepared over an irori charcoal grill with local, seasonal ingredients. Conclude your journey with the the exclusive "Kakuuchi", at the Iwamura Jozo Brewery, with a distinguished history of 230 years. Buy sake and drink it right there and then in its original, raw and unprocessed form - a rarity of Japanese culture afforded by this very place. Take a trip through this multifaceted gateway into Japan's exquisite past.
Recommended points
● Visit the Nakasendo Hiroshige Museum of Art, featuring the ukiyo-e prints of renowned artist Utagawa Hiroshige.
● Hike the grounds of the Iwamura Castle Ruins, one of Japan’s three greatest mountaintop castles, and observe the defensive construction from three different types of stone walls.
● Feast on a recreation of Sengoku cuisine at Iwamura Sanso, prepared over an irori charcoal grill.
● Enjoy "Kakuuchi" at Iwamura Jozo Brewery, a distinguished brewery with 230 years of history, where you get to taste sake in its original form, straight from the source.
Overview
- Season
- 2025/4/1~2026/3/31
- Activity Time
- 6 hours 30 minutes
- Place
-
Iwamura Jozo Brewery (example)
342 Iwamuracho, Ena City, Gifu Prefecture. 509-7403
- Number of Participants
- 2 to 4 people
- Reference Price
- From 42,500 yen per person
- Starting Point
- JR Ena Station
https://maps.app.goo.gl/mYzGWTQkdwxryfNVA
- Ending Point
- JR Ena Station
- Meeting Time
- 10:00
- Schedule
-
・10:00 - Meet up with guide at Ena Station
・10:10～11:15 - Nakasendo Hiroshige Museum of Art
・11:15～11:35 - To Iwamura Castle Ruins by taxi
・11:40 - Hiking at Iwamura Castle Ruins (to the center by taxi → head down to the Fujisaka Route on foot
・12:50～14:20 - Sengoku cuisine lunch at Iwamura Sanso (Irori charcoal grill)
・14:40～15:40 - Kakuuchi experience at Iwamura Jozo Brewery (5 varieties, sake-tasting)
・15:45～16:30 - Walking around the Iwamura Castle Town (from Iwamura Jozo Brewery to the Masugata: Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Traditional Buildings)
・16:30～17:00 - Depart for Ena Station by taxi
・17:00 - Arrival and dispersal at Ena Station
*This itinerary is an example.
- Important Information
-
● Allergies and vegan dietary requirements can be accommodated if informed beforehand.
● A feature of Sengoku cuisine is that fish are skewered and grilled in a freshly-caught state. Please inform us beforehand if you would rather not see fish in this condition, and you will instead be provided with fish that has been pre-prepared instead.
- Contact Information
-
Discover GIFU
Phone number: +81-(0)58-265-4831 (weekdays 9:30-17:30)
Email address: customer@gifu-tj.jp
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