Gifu Prefecture is located in the Japanese Alps (日本アルプス, Nihon Arupusu) and is famous for its panoramic mountain views, as well as traditional Japanese townscapes. On the northern side of the prefecture, you can find Takayama (高山), a city located deep in the mountains with rows of machiya (町家, Traditional wooden townhouse) and markets that serve up plenty of Hida Beef (飛騨牛, Hida Gyū) and Nihonshu (日本酒, Japanese rice wine). The traditional gassho-zukuri (合掌造り, Gasshō-zukuri) thatched roof villages can also be found in the UNESCO World Heritage Site (世界遺産, Sekai Isan) of Shirakawa-go (白川郷).
On the southern side of the prefecture, you can find Kiso Valley, which is home to the Nakasendo hiking route that used to connect Kyoto (京都, Kyōto) and Tokyo (東京, Tōkyō). Today, you can find many preserved old buildings along the shukubas (宿場, Post Town) that used to serve travellers, and today serves as pitstops for hikers. Kiso Valley is located just to the north of Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture (愛知県, Aichi-ken).
