Inabe plum garden to Gifu castle cycling（F-9）⭐⭐⭐ ‘26.7th.Mar

2026年3月16日2026年3月22日

This route F-9 is in Area-F “Kinki". See Area-F map/ See Japan map

Sight & Entertainment ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Food & drinks ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Easiness ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Road condition ⭐⭐

Safety ⭐⭐

This is the plum season in Japan. A few years ago, I found a beautiful picture of Inabe plum garden and I was secretly planning to visit someday. So though the weather was questionable, I decided not to cancel my Shinkansen ticket and hotel and went there since it was the best timing for plum.

Kuwana station, 20min from Nagoya by JR train was the nearest station to start cycling. I started at AM8:30 and went up on R-421 to the mountain. The temperature was around 10C and sometimes rain fell. But most unconfortable thing was that the road was busy but narrow(pic.1).

When I turned right into prefectural R-107 along the guide of “Inabe plum garden" board, there were fewer cars(pic.2). And gradually the slope became steeper. But in 30km from Kuwana station, I could reach the garden.

The cyclists also pay the parking fee(\500-) like a car driver at the parking area but this also covered the garden entrance fee. When I came to the parking area, the beautiful plum garden trees came into my sight below the parking, so I could take a pic with my bike from the parking area(pic.3).

It was very beautiful spectacle. The right hand side, you can enjoy the wide plum trees with Suzuka mountainous. Of course after parking the bike, I could walk through the trees and enjoy various types of fully blossomed plum trees. Many tourists were also enjoying the right pink garden.

Since I had a chance there, I tried a plum juice made of the plums in the garden(pic.3-2). It was very natural sweet, a little sour but genuine fruit juice.

I left the garden around AM11:00. Next destination was Sekigahara, one of the three greatest historic battlefield in the world. We learned this very historically important showdown from our childhood but I’d never been there.

After coming down from the Inabe mountain, suddenly I met a harsh rain with hail and I had to wait for 15min under a small stock house eaves(pic.4). After that I didn’t meet any rain.

I reached the museum of battlefield at 12:00 and entered it. Taking pic was prohibited at most places but I could get the sence of distances between East forces and West forces. From the top of the museum, the Western force’s commandar, Ishida’s position(pic.6-3, many flags visible far away in the middle of the pic). He was cornered at that place by East force, Tokugawa who opened Edo era after this battle.

After eating a lunch at the museum, I came near to the Ishida’s position. Just a few hunderd meters behind that, there was a stone monument which commemorates the final battle(pic.7).

Now my plan was to go East and visit Gifu castle. Since the battlefield was located at the pass area, it was a few KM down slope on R-21. Then I took a historical main route, Nakasen-do(pic.8). From the ancient era, many soldiers and tourists used to travel on this route.

Somewhere Nakasen-do disappeared in Hozumi city. And gradually Kinkasan(Gifu castle on its hill top) could be seen as Pic.9. The road again became narrow but busy. Besides the North wind became very strong, so sometimes I was blown toward road side.

I reached Nagara river bridge at PM2:50 where the Kinkasan mountain and the castle were clearly visible(pic.10). Since the castle’s open time was until PM4:00, I had to hurry up but after passing the bridge and the route headed North, I faced very stron head wind. So it took 30min to reach Gifu park from which the cable car to hill top started.

From the hill top station, 10min climbing brought me to the castle main building(pic.11-2). The entrance fee of the main building was only \200-. Inside there were many exhibit on Oda Nobunaga who conquered this affluent region in mid of civil war era, and also I could enjoy the spectacle of Nomi plain below this mountain(pic.11-3).

I came down from the hill at PM4:00. From the park to my hotel, near Gifu station, there were a few km. After reaching the hotel, I called some restaurants for my dinner but mosty fully booked. I narrowly got a seat at Tavern “Haru" at 17:30 under the promise to leave there by 19:00.