I highly recommend witnessing the old Japanese tradition of ukai (cormorant fishing). It is definitely worth it.

We didn't originally intend to do the cormorant fishing tour, but our Ryokan had a river view and it looked like so much fun, so we decided to check it out the next night. It was such a unique and enjoyable expereince. We did the early boat, 18:30, so we brought food and drink aboard and were able to catch the sunset while we waited for the other, later boats to arrive. It wasn't explained well, but basically all the different boat times still see the cormorant fishing at the same time once it gets dark. The earlier boats just have more time on the water before and you are able to leisurely eat while waiting for the event to take place. The cormorant fishing itself was both bizarre, slightly cruel to the birds, yet mystefying because it is a nearly 1000 year old tradition that has been ongoing in this region. I'm really glad I got to witness it because there was a genuineness to the ritual of this very unique fishing method. Our only complaint was that it was bit of a challenge for us to book the time using their website.

I didn’t go on the boat, I felt that fishing with birds who have their throats tied up so they can’t swallow makes me uncomfortable. But it was interesting to watch from the shore and the bridge. When people start boarding, you can sometimes see the fisherman showing the bird and how they tie them up to the crowd

One of the wonderful places to visit in Gifu. We had our fav Bento box on the boad with beautiful sunset.When it's dark,old traditional fishing started.Very interesting❗️🏞

Great experience, even if you don't understand any Japanese. Been there, done that. Managed to gather information from the web before the trip.

I randomly found this in a train guidebook and it was a fantastic cultural experience i'll forever remember. They don't speak much English but it was fun and unique. Bring your own bento box!

I was both happy that this part of Japanese culture is still being kept alive through this small spectacle but happy that it isn't more than that. It was a nice experience.

The experience was lovely and extra effort was put in to explain to us in English the history and description of the equipment and practice. The hosts were kind. It was very thrilling and fun to see it up close. I would recommend getting a full meal to enjoy the experience. I was able to eat an Ayu fish cooked on the boat, which was fun and delicious.

Nice experience when you visit Gifu. There was some English information on the website and at the venue, but on the boat there is no English information or translation. Furthermore, our boat didn't get to go close to the cormorant boats at the end, and we went back to the shore 15 minutes earlier than scheduled. The ending was a bit disappointing, but the overall experience was great.

Every year it is a great pleasure to attend this event that shows how reach is Japanese culture.