Gifu Castle

Gifu Castle is a Japanese hill castle, founded in 1201 by the Nikaidō clan and listed as a Historic Site of Japan. It sits on the summit of Mt. Kinka, and the city recommends going up on the Kinkazan Ropeway from Gifu Park rather than on foot. The trade-off is a big one at the moment: the castle keep and the Gifu Castle Archives Museum are closed for a renovation that runs for several years, with reopening planned but not confirmed, and for part of that time the keep is wrapped in protective sheeting and cannot be seen. The path from the ropeway summit station to just in front of the keep stays open. Hiking up from Gifu Park instead takes about an hour, and the city asks visitors who are unsure of their fitness or lightly dressed not to try it. During the closure the summit toilets cannot be reached from the Mizunote-michi and Hanataka hiking trails; the pages do not say whether they can be reached from the ropeway side. Arriving at Gifu Park by route bus or the GIFU HEART BUS earns a discount coupon for paid facilities around the park, though the size of the discount is not stated.