Mino Travel Guide

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Mino Washi Museum (Japanese paper Museum) is a place you should never miss when you visit Mino. Its a great fun and learning experience to participate in a short paper production course. Your teacher will assist you in all processes and produce your own Washi paper masterpiece. It requires many many years to become a real expert but you can produce your own work in 20 minute and one hour is required for drying your paper print.

Its better to make an appointment for paper production but not for just visit to the Museum.

Its a small small local train run by Nagaragawa Rainlway with one/two compartments. It runs back and forth between Mino Ohata and Gojo. The covered distance is only 72.1km. Its a cozy and slow train and one enjoys the ride very much
with country side views on both sides of the train. The train staff members were friendly and extremely helpful. The bullet train is efficient and fast but this train is slow but enjoyable.

From Nagoya, you take JL Takayama Line and change to this train to come to Mino paper town,

There are a few festival or events in the mino area during April.....

1.-Mino city has a very unique festival call HANA MIKOSHI or flowery portable shrine where pink ornaments made of "mino washi paper" parade the historical section..

The second saturday in April, 30 portable shrines walk the street shouting "oisa, Oisa"..

2.-Also the HINKOKO or puppet show held on a mountainside of the OYADA area, praying to the gods for a good harvest..The puppets which resemble scarecrow dance to the tune of flute, drum and gong..

This event happen on the second saturday of April and on November 23 , everyear..

3.- YAMA, a parade of float from 6 different region , find themself parading down to the HACHIMAN SHRINE.. This aprade has been pass down from the Edo era..

Sunday following the second saturday in April..

4.-The MINO NAGASHI-NIWAKA is a very unique play to mino area, performed in the mino dialect and local costume..

Second saturday and the following sunday in April...

Kozuchi Kawaminato Lighthouse is standing off the city border on the bank of Nagaragawa river. It was built by Nagachika Kawamori, a feudal lord of the region, to transport Japanese paper (washi), silk and other goods. It a relatively small but its shape is uniquely charming.

Address: 1489-3, Minato-machi, Mino City

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Favorite thing: Mini City conserved the streets and houses of Edo ("Shougun) era. Being in and strolling in Mino, is easily caught by the feeling that one's clock rolled back 200-300 hundred years. Its a good town to see how traditional architecture and arts have been so carefully cherished and conserved.

Fondest memory: Participationn in Washi (Japanese paper) is a very interesting experience. Walking along the Edo period streets and dine in a typically Japanese restaurant is really a fun. To be surrounded by the natural beauty on the Nagaragawa River is very refreshing and peaceful.