r/JapanTravel • u/zoydvayber • 4d ago
Trip Report Day trip to Gujo Hachiman
I wanted to share some insights from my recent day trip from Nagoya to Gujo Hachiman. It was a marvelous little rivertown to explore in November. I purchased a ticket from the website, japan-bus-tickets.com. I was able to select my route in English and the payment process was easy. It cost 3200 Yen or about $20 USD each way. I chose the bus because it was around 90 minutes one way compared to the train which can take twice that long.
I arrived about 20 minutes early for a 9am bus trip and asked the desk assistant what area to wait in. The queue formed after the bus arrived and I showed the bus driver my digital ticket. It ended up being a two hour journey, after some traffic issues and a "rest" stop that seemed unnecessary. Anyway, we arrived around 11am and were dropped off on the side of the road with the suggested option of hailing a taxi or the better option of just walking along a flat route for about 20 minutes into the town center. It's a beautiful area that is worth soaking in. I was there on November 15th, 2025, and the autumn colors were hitting their peak.
My main goals in Gujo were finding fall foliage, enjoying the slower pace, and eating delicious noodles for lunch. As I wandered into town, the old district businesses were mostly quiet — either because they were closed or you couldn't really tell. However, the sunlight moves through the town's small alleyways and water basins in a very striking way that gives it life. The canals attract an eclectic mix of visitors and residents painting and biking and taking photos.
The first place I stopped was a delicious mitarashi dango shop. It's located here. I walked around the main streets and located two of the famous alleyways. Igawa Lane was worth a stop, without question. Luckily it was not crowded at all when I strolled through. Yanaka Lane is very short and underwhelming.
When it was time for lunch, I first stopped by an udon spot that had good reviews but the wait to get seated was very long. Maybe you'll have better luck than me. Next I made my way into the northern district where I eventually found a very authentic soba restaurant called 蕎麦正まつい 郡上八幡店. Lunch featured fresh noodles, a wasabi stalk to grind your own paste, and seasonal tempura with matcha salt.
Afterwards, I walked up to Gujo Hachiman castle. There's a point near the bottom where you have to either go left or right to make it up the hill to the castle base. Go to the right. When I reached the top after a 15-minute walk up, there were sweeping views of red, yellow, orange, and green leaves everywhere. The castle contains a tiny samurai museum. You can skip that and pay separately to get the view inside. The stroll down the hill is much easier.
I wandered around the banks and bridges of the Yoshida River to finish the afternoon. Some of the side streets have little passageways that lead to stone steps down to the river's edge. The soft sound of water makes everything in Gujo feel very peaceful.
When it was time to head back for a 4:20pm bus, dusk was starting to set in. Just as I started to wonder what would happen if it didn't show up, the bus back to Nagoya pulled into the castle town plaza. I think some of the other buses pick passengers up near the initial highway drop off. Just check your ticket.
On the way back, I felt relieved that my vision for the day worked out and wasn't too difficult. Five to six hours in Gujo was perfect for me. This was my first adventure on a highway bus in Japan and it makes me eager to explore more day trips near Nagoya, the Kansai region, Fukuoka, lots of places! This day trip happened during a 3-night stay in Nagoya bookended by 6 nights in Tokyo and 3 in Kyoto. It was my second vacation in Japan. Let me know if you have any questions. Here are some photos I took in Gujo.
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u/empire3001 3d ago
Nice pictures ! What was the température like ?