I recently had some free time, so I hopped on a train to Gifu. Since coming to Japan, I have never been to Gifu City, though I have worked in several schools in the prefecture. I thought it was time to remedy that.
The train ride was pretty short, since I took a rapid train. It was the afternoon rush hour (weekday), so I had to stand the entire trip, but the ride was only about fifteen minutes.
The station is pretty impressive, with a large plaza for meeting people and a long wooden boardwalk.
Nearby is Tower 43, a shopping mall, condominium, and observation area all in one. The observation area is completely free, which is nice. It is rather small however.
You can see a lot from the large windows and a one- sided-glass elevator connecting the first four floors and the forty third.
I ended up staying only about ten minutes, since there isn’t that much to see or do. The observation area is attached to a fancy restaurant, but when I was there it wasn’t open yet and really out my price range.
I would like to come back at night some time, to see the city lit up. I have a feeling it would be beautiful.
