The main attraction of this orange-and-white temple is the papier-mâché daibutsu (Great Buddha; c 1832), one of the three Great Buddha statues of Japan. It's 13.7m tall and is said to have been fashioned over 38 years using a tonne of paper sutras.
Shōhō-ji (Gifu Great Buddha)
Central Honshū
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
9.94 MILES
A National Treasure, Japan's oldest standing castle is said to have originated as a fort in 1440. The current donjon (main keep), built atop a 40m rise…
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13.79 MILES
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19.05 MILES
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13.12 MILES
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12.53 MILES
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Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry & Technology
18.26 MILES
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Nearby Central Honshū attractions
0.09 MILES
Located within the grounds of Gifu-kōen, this museum focuses on the Sengoku period, when daimyō Oda Nobunaga was at the height of his power. Enthusiastic…
0.12 MILES
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0.22 MILES
At the foot of Kinka-zan, this is one of the loveliest city parks in Japan, with plenty of water and trees set into the hillside. People have been living…
0.23 MILES
Gifu's castle is most easily reached by this cable car within Gifu-kōen, whisking you 329m to the summit in under five minutes.
0.54 MILES
Perched atop Kinka-zan and with sweeping views over the cities of Gifu and Nagoya, this castle is a 1956 concrete replica of daimyō Oda Nobunaga's…
0.7 MILES
This newish museum is one of a kind, featuring exhibits on everything you could possibly want to know about cormorant fishing in Japan.
9.94 MILES
A National Treasure, Japan's oldest standing castle is said to have originated as a fort in 1440. The current donjon (main keep), built atop a 40m rise…
8. Inuyama Artifacts Museum/Castle & Town Museum
9.99 MILES
This museum houses two float from the Inuyama Matsuri and various artefacts related to cormorant fishing, Inuyama-jō and the town's history.