Gifu Seiryu Satoyama Park

Gifu Seiryu Satoyama Park is located in Minokamo, Gifu Prefecture, and recreates the atmosphere of a quiet Japanese mountain village from the 1930s during the Showa period (1926-1989). Previously known as Japan Showa Village, this 100-hectare park was renovated in 2019 and designed around the satoyama concept, where people and nature coexist harmoniously. The park preserves traditional Japanese farming practices and biodiversity through its forests, clear streams, rice terraces, tea fields, and mulberry orchards.

The park features the Yamabiko School, a relocated wooden elementary school building from the Meiji era (1868-1912), which now serves as a workshop space for traditional crafts including music box making, washi paper production, and pottery. Visitors can explore nostalgic streetscapes, mom-and-pop candy stores, and thatched-roof houses that capture rural Japanese life from a bygone era. The park showcases seasonal flower gardens year-round, with tulips and nemophila in spring, sunflowers in summer, and cosmos in fall.

The park offers a range of activities including a 333-meter zip line, the longest in the Chukyo area, and features the largest adventure park in the Tokai region with 30 different challenges reaching heights of 9 meters. Additional attractions include go-karts on a 500-meter forest course, grass slides, trampolines, swan boat rides on the lake, and the Satoyama Fureai Farm where visitors can interact with horses, goats, and sheep.

Hands-on experiences such as rice planting, tofu making, soba noodle preparation, and bread baking allow guests to engage with traditional Japanese culture. The park also features Satoyama no Yu, an open-air hot spring bathhouse, and complimentary foot baths.

From Nagoya Station, take the JR Tokaido Line to JR Gifu Station, transfer to the Takayama Main Line to Mino-Ota Station, then board the Minokamo Aiai Bus on the Bunka no Mori/Koen line to reach the park in approximately 10-17 minutes. By car, exit at Mino-Kamo IC on the Tokai Ring Expressway. Admission to Gifu Seiryu Satoyama Park is free, though individual attractions and activities require separate fees.