2 Best Sights in Gifu, Nagoya, Ise-Shima, and the Kii Peninsula

In Gifu Park, five minutes south of the cable-car station, sits this well-presented hands-on-museum, with exhibits covering Gifu from the prehistoric age through to feudal and premodern Japan. On the second floor you can dress up in traditional clothing and play old Japanese games such as bansugoroku (similar to backgammon).

Seki has a 700-year-old sword-manufacturing heritage, and you'll appreciate the artistry and skill of Japanese sword smiths at this museum. Three types of metal are used to form blades, which are forged multiple times and then beaten into shape with a hammer. Demonstrations are held on the first Sunday of each month, except in October, when special displays occur during the Seki Cutlery Festival in the middle of the month. You can get details of these from the tourist office at Gifu Station. From Gifu take the JR Takayama Line to Mino-Ota (30 minutes), then the Nagatetsu Railway to Seki (20 minutes).