Gifu Cormorant Fishing 2026: Ukai on the Nagara River

On summer nights in Gifu City, the Nagara River fills with firelit boats for ukai — cormorant fishing, a craft practised here for some 1,300 years and held under the protection of the Imperial Household Agency. Master fishermen in straw skirts work trained cormorants by torchlight to catch ayu sweetfish, a spectacle few foreign visitors ever see. This guide explains the season, how to book a viewing boat, what actually happens on the water, and what else is worth doing in Gifu City around it.

At a glance

• What it is: traditional torchlit cormorant fishing on the Nagara River, ~1,300 years old
• 2026 season: May 11 – October 15 (nightly, weather and water permitting)
• Boarding: roughly 18:15–19:15; fishing after dark; back ~20:30–21:00
• Cost markers: normal fare adult ~¥4,200, child ~¥2,100; peak nights more (approx., 2026)
• Booking: reservation required (tel 058-262-0104)
• Getting there: ~20 min by bus from JR/Meitetsu Gifu stations to the Nagara riverside

What ukai is, and what you actually see

Cormorant fishing is exactly what it sounds like, refined over more than a millennium. A master fisherman — an usho — stands at the prow of a wooden boat lit by a hanging iron brazier, managing up to a dozen cormorants on long cords. The birds dive into the firelit water for ayu, the slender, faintly melon-scented river fish of the Nagara; a snare at the base of the throat lets them catch but not swallow the larger fish, which the usho retrieves. The usho of the Nagara hold a hereditary imperial appointment, and a portion of the catch is still presented to the Imperial Household.

As a spectator, you board a roofed viewing boat that drifts alongside the fishing boats in the dark, close enough to see the flames reflected on the water, the birds working, and the usho’s practised handling of the cords. The climax is the sogarami, when all the fishing boats sweep downriver abreast, driving the fish together — a genuinely thrilling finale. The whole experience leans on atmosphere: darkness, firelight, the sound of the river and the usho’s calls to the birds.

Season, booking and prices

The 2026 season runs May 11 to October 15, with fishing held nightly except on the harvest-moon night and when the river runs too high after rain. Viewing boats board around 18:15 to 19:15 and return roughly 20:30 to 21:00; the fishing itself begins once it is fully dark. Normal fares are about ¥4,200 for adults and ¥2,100 for children, with higher rates on peak nights (approx., 2026).

Reservations are required and can be made through the Gifu City Cormorant Fishing Observation Boat Office (tel 058-262-0104) or through many local hotels and ryokan, which can arrange boarding as part of a stay. Book ahead for weekends and the summer peak. Bring a light layer even in summer, as it cools on the water after dark, and note that you are watching from a boat — there is some sitting on the floor in traditional style, so dress for comfort. If you cannot get a viewing boat, parts of the spectacle can be seen for free from the riverbank near the Nagarabashi bridge.

A practical caution: outside the May–October season, ukai does not run at all. If you are visiting Gifu City in the colder months, build your trip around the city’s other strengths — the craft and the old town — rather than the fishing.

What else to do in Gifu City

Gifu City rewards a full day around the evening’s fishing. The Gifu Great Buddha at Shoho-ji is a 13.7-metre seated figure counted among Japan’s “three great Buddhas” and unlike any other — built around a bamboo-and-wood frame, wrapped in paper sutras and finished in lacquer and gold, the country’s largest dry-lacquer Buddha. The Mount Kinka Ropeway climbs from Gifu Park for a wide view over the Nagara winding across the Nobi plain; note that the reconstructed hilltop Gifu Castle keep is closed for seismic reinforcement from May 2026 until late 2027, so this is a ride for the summit views rather than entering the keep. Gifu Park, on the site of the warlord Oda Nobunaga’s riverside residence, makes the cultural anchor at the mountain’s foot.

For lunch, the Kawaramachi old-town row of dark-timbered merchant houses beside the river holds long-established ayu specialists such as Izumiya (since 1869) — eating the sweetfish by day before watching the cormorants catch it by night ties the experience together. A riverside ryokan like Juhachiro, founded in 1860, puts the bath, the river and the fishing within a few steps. Our Gifu City cormorant-fishing and craft itinerary builds the full day around the ukai and adds a second day in the blade town of Seki.

Practical notes

Getting there. Gifu City is about twenty minutes by Shinkansen from Nagoya to Gifu-Hashima, or a short local train to JR Gifu / Meitetsu Gifu, then a bus of around twenty minutes to the Nagara riverside. It is an easy add-on to a Nagoya or Kyoto–Tokyo itinerary.

When to go. The ukai season (May 11–October 15, 2026) is the only window for the fishing. Summer evenings are warm and lively; early and late season can be cooler and quieter on the water. Combine with the craft of Seki and the old town for a rounded two days. Japan’s international departure tax rises from ¥1,000 to ¥3,000 per person from July 1, 2026.

For the craft side of the trip, see how the same metallurgy that armed the samurai now makes world-class knives in our wider Gifu water-towns and crafts coverage.

FAQ

When is the cormorant fishing season in Gifu? The Nagara River ukai season in Gifu City runs from May 11 to October 15, 2026, with fishing held nightly except on the harvest-moon night and when the river is too high after heavy rain. There is no cormorant fishing outside this window, so plan a Gifu City visit around it if the ukai is your goal.

How do I book a cormorant-fishing boat? Reservations are required and can be made through the Gifu City Cormorant Fishing Observation Boat Office (tel 058-262-0104) or via many local hotels and ryokan, which can arrange boarding for guests. Book ahead for weekends and the summer peak. Boats board around 18:15–19:15 and return by about 21:00.

How much does ukai cost? Normal viewing-boat fares are around ¥4,200 for adults and ¥2,100 for children, with higher prices on peak nights (approx., 2026). Some operators offer boats with meals or premium boarding at higher rates. Parts of the spectacle can also be watched for free from the riverbank if you cannot secure a boat.

Is the cormorant fishing cruel to the birds? The usho describe a close working relationship with their cormorants, which are well cared for, live long lives and are not made to swallow large fish only by a loose throat snare. As with any animal-based tradition, views differ; the practice is a designated Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property and is regulated. Visitors can decide for themselves.

What else is there to do in Gifu City? Plenty for a full day: the lacquer Gifu Great Buddha at Shoho-ji, the Mount Kinka Ropeway for summit views (the castle keep itself is closed for renovation into late 2027), Gifu Park and Nobunaga’s residence ruins, and the riverside Kawaramachi old town for an ayu-sweetfish lunch. The blade town of Seki, famous for swords and cutlery, makes an easy second day.

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