A canal town where you make plastic food
Gujo Hachiman, a castle town in the mountains of Gifu, is the hometown of Iwasaki Takizo, who pioneered the lifelike plastic food shown in restaurant windows, and workshops in town still make it. Make your own replica tempura and lettuce, then walk the lanes beside clear canals to Sogisui spring. It is about 1.5 hours from Nagoya by express bus.
In a renovated townhouse, you make your own replica tempura and lettuce by hand, guided by the staff. Old replicas are on display, and the shop sells lifelike miniatures of food. Workshops must be booked ahead.
The main shop of the company started by Iwasaki Takizo, the pioneer of food replicas, where staff guide you as you make your own. Book ahead by phone or online; closed on Tuesdays. About 5 minutes on foot from Gujo-Hachiman Station.
The first spring chosen as one of Japan's 100 best waters, in 1985, with a small roofed shelter over it by the river. It is named after Sogi, a 15th-century poet who is said to have loved its water. Locals still use it, so look quietly.
A lane along a canal that runs behind the houses, with koi swimming in the clear water. Shared washing spots, where locals rinse vegetables and dishes, still remain along it.
A lane paved with round river stones, with a canal, a row of willows and old townhouses. A townhouse cafe nearby serves matcha made with spring water.
A wooden keep rebuilt in 1933, said to be the oldest wooden reconstruction of a castle keep in Japan, on a hill north of town. From the top you look down on the roofs and canals of the town, a good way to end your walk.