Information as of 2026-08-20

This page is a relocation summary written by an advanced AI

It is not a personal opinion piece written by a human. An AI gathered official information published on the internet — municipal and national statistics, the Japan Meteorological Agency, railway companies, property portals — and rebuilt it into a form that someone considering a move can read and act on. Every figure carries a source link and the date it was checked, so please confirm anything that matters to you against the original document. Rules and prices change. Always check the latest information yourself before you sign anything.

Moving to Gifu

Q: How long does it take from Gifu to Nagoya or Tokyo?

🔴 From JR Gifu Station it is 26 minutes to Nagoya, ¥480, with no change (JR Tokaido main line rapid, 30.3km; a monthly commuter pass is ¥13,920). 2 hours 15 minutes and ¥10,780 to Tokyo (changing to the Nozomi at Nagoya), 1 hour 46 minutes and ¥6,930 to Osaka, 1 hour 10 minutes and ¥5,940 to Kyoto, and 1 hour 15 minutes and ¥2,240 to Chubu Centrair Airport. From Meitetsu Gifu Station it is 32 minutes to Meitetsu Nagoya, ¥630, with no change. Within the city the self-driving "GIFU HEART BUS" runs.

Q: How cheaply can you buy a house in Gifu City?

SUUMO carries 339 listings, and all 339 were retrieved. From ¥1,980,000 to ¥59,800,000, median ¥15,800,000, with 113 (33%) under ¥10,000,000. The median plot is 190 square metres and the median building 116 square metres. The median year built is 1991, with 108 (32%) from 1981 or earlier. The median elevation is 14.7 metres (5.4–143.6 metres). The city akiya bank is listed on the LIFULL HOME'S akiya bank, where there were 2 listings as of 20 August 2026.

Q: What are summer and winter like in Gifu City?

🔴 Summer is decidedly hot. The August daily high is 33.4°C (Tokyo 31.3°C), days above 35°C number 16.7 a year, 3.5 times Tokyo's 4.8, days above 30°C 72.0 a year (Tokyo 52.1) and tropical nights 26.1 a year (Tokyo 17.8). In winter the January daily low is 0.7°C with 29.1 frost days a year, but 0.0 days stay below freezing, and with total annual snowfall of 34 centimetres and a normal maximum snow depth of 15 centimetres, it hardly snows. Annual rainfall is 1,860.7 millimetres.

Q: What are childcare support and schools like in Gifu City?

🔴 Medical costs for children are covered to the 31 March following a child's 18th birthday, with no income limit (inpatient and outpatient alike). 🔴 From April Reiwa 8 the parental share of primary school meals became ¥130 a month (of a ¥5,330 meal charge, ¥5,200 is a national subsidy; junior high is ¥6,270). The schools are 44 primary, 20 junior high and 2 compulsory-education, all with full meals on a single menu. 🔴 There is a school for diverse learning, Gifu Municipal Sojun Junior High School.

Q: How much does it cost every year in Gifu City?

Water and sewerage meters are read once every 2 months, and the tariff itself is set "per 2 months". For household use it is a standing charge of ¥1,650 plus ¥16.5 per cubic metre up to 20 cubic metres and ¥179.3 above that (including tax). 🔴 At 45 cubic metres over 2 months that is ¥6,616 for water and ¥6,897 for sewerage. There was an average increase of 9.58% in April Reiwa 7, and the city writes that "compared across the 21 cities in the prefecture, before the revision we were 7th from the cheapest; after it we are 10th from the cheapest".

Q: Will the house I buy sell when I want to sell it?

🔴 Residential land in Gifu City is ¥66,500 per ㎡, down 0.1% on the year. All but flat (Reiwa 8 official land price survey). Commercial land is ¥128,700 per ㎡, up 0.3%. Gifu Prefecture as a whole is ¥46,600 per ㎡ for residential land, down 0.2%, so Gifu City is at 1.4 times the prefectural average and falling less than the prefecture — the deepest market in the prefecture. Next highest in the prefecture are Ginan Town, Hashima District at ¥58,800, Takayama City at ¥56,400 and Ogaki City at ¥52,800. What is rising is the Nagoya side, to the south.

Q: What is happening to Gifu City's population?

396,188 people in 191,345 households (Basic Resident Register, 1 August Reiwa 8), or 2.07 people per household. By the three age bands, 0–14 number 44,049 (11.1%), 15–64 number 235,190 (59.4%) and 65 and over 117,019 (29.5%). In 5-year bands the largest is 50–54 with 31,887. 🔴 Foreign residents number 13,378, or 3.4% of the total. Against the previous month, Japanese residents fell by 181 and foreign residents rose by 25.

The prefectural capital of Gifu, opening out at the foot of the Nagara River and Mount Kinka. A population of 396,188 across 203.60 square kilometres. The city hall stands 14.3 metres above sea level. 🔴 The condition that tells most is how close Nagoya is. From JR Gifu Station, 26 minutes to Nagoya, ¥480, with no change (a monthly commuter pass is ¥13,920). And 2 hours 15 minutes to Tokyo, 1 hour 46 minutes to Osaka and 1 hour 10 minutes to Kyoto — a prefectural capital standing in the middle of the three great metropolitan areas. Residential land is ¥66,500 per ㎡, 1.4 times the figure for Gifu Prefecture as a whole (¥46,600 per ㎡). Year on year it is −0.1%, all but flat. The median of the 339 listings is ¥15,800,000, and 113 (33%) are under ¥10,000,000. In exchange, the summers are decidedly hot — 16.7 days a year above 35°C, 3.5 times Tokyo's 4.8. Closeness to Nagoya, Lord Nobunaga's castle town, and summer heat — this is a town where all three hold at once.

To Nagoya

26 min

JR rapid, no change / ¥480, monthly pass ¥13,920

To Tokyo

2 hr 15 min

Nozomi from Nagoya / ¥10,780, 1 change

To Osaka

1 hr 46 min

¥6,930 / Kyoto 1 hr 10 min, ¥5,940

Residential land price

¥66,500/m²

−0.1% on the year / the Gifu Prefecture average is ¥46,600/㎡

Homes for sale

339 listings

¥1,980,000– / median ¥15,800,000

Summer (days above 35°C)

16.7 a year

Tokyo has 4.8 / 72.0 days a year above 30°C

Medical costs for children

to the end of the school year at 18

no income limit, inpatient and outpatient alike

Primary school meals

¥130 a month

from April Reiwa 8. What is left after the ¥5,200 national subsidy

Summer (August daily high)

33.4℃

Gifu, 2.1°C warmer than Tokyo

Winter (January daily low)

0.7℃

Gifu, 0.5°C cooler than Tokyo

🚗 Roadside stations ♨ Hot springs and day baths9

Roadside stations: Yanaizu / Hot springs and day baths: Aqua Resort Gifu; Fuji-no-Yu, Yu-no-Yamayo, Kintaro-yu, Hatsuhi-yu (closed), Sagi-no-Yu, Fukuju-yu, Ishikin Ikoi-no-Yu, Mitahora Shinbutsu Onsen, Aqua Resort Gifu Fuji-no-Yu
Sources: roadside stations from Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, list of "michi-no-eki" roadside stations (verified 2026-08-21) / hot springs and day baths from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors) (verified 2026-08-20). 🔴 Only what is present is shown here — a town without these is not the lesser for it.

Last verified 2026-08-20

CHAPTER 01First, what kind of place Gifu is

The prefectural capital of Gifu. 396,188 people in 191,345 households (Basic Resident Register, 1 August Reiwa 8; 13,378 of them foreign residents), area 203.60 square kilometres. The city gives its position as 136°45′ east, 35°25′ north, 14.3 metres above sea level. The name "Gifu" begins in Eiroku 10 (1567), when Oda Nobunaga took Inabayama Castle and renamed Inokuchi as Gifu — the city says so in its own chronology. The 339 listings sit at elevations from 5.4 metres to 143.6 metres, median 14.7 metres.

26 minutes to Nagoya. Close, for a prefectural capitalFrom JR Gifu Station it is 26 minutes to Nagoya, ¥480, with no change (Tokaido main line rapid, 30.3 kilometres). A monthly commuter pass is ¥13,920. From Meitetsu Gifu Station it is 32 minutes to Meitetsu Nagoya, ¥630, with no change (monthly pass ¥20,010). And 2 hours 15 minutes to Tokyo (changing to the Nozomi at Nagoya, ¥10,780), 1 hour 46 minutes to Osaka (¥6,930), 1 hour 10 minutes to Kyoto (¥5,940) and 1 hour 15 minutes to Chubu Centrair Airport (¥2,240). Work in the Nagoya area, and reach Tokyo or Kansai and back in a day — that is this position (§3).

Being Lord Nobunaga's castle town is still written into policyFrom the city's chronology — "1567 (Eiroku 10) Oda Nobunaga drives out Saito Tatsuoki, takes Inabayama Castle and renames Inokuchi as Gifu" and "1569 (Eiroku 12) the Portuguese missionary Luís Fróis comes to Gifu". Then in Heisei 27, "The castle town of Gifu, where Lord Nobunaga's hospitality lives on" was designated Japan Heritage no. 1. On 4 February Reiwa 7 the Agency for Cultural Affairs designated it a "priority support area". The city summarises the story like this — "With hospitality in his own style — watching the cormorant fishing on the Nagara River, the residence at the foot of the mountain that was called 'a paradise on earth' — Lord Nobunaga charmed even guests from around the world such as Luís Fróis, overturning his cold-blooded image".

City status came in Meiji 22. It began with 25,750 peopleFrom the city's chronology — "1889 (Meiji 22) Gifu becomes a city (population 25,750, 5,150 households)". It passed 300,000 in the Showa 35 Census and 400,000 in Showa 50. Today it is 396,188. In between came "1891 (Meiji 24) the Great Nobi Earthquake occurs", "1945 (Showa 20) on 9 July Gifu City is heavily bombed (80% of the built-up area burnt, 863 dead)", "1959 (Showa 34) great damage from Typhoon Vera" and "1976 (Showa 51) great damage from the 9.12 downpour of 12 September" — a history of earthquakes and floods, set out in the chronology itself (§5). More recently, "Minna no Mori Gifu Media Cosmos" opened in Heisei 27, and in Heisei 30 the cities of Gifu, Yamagata, Mizuho and Motosu and the towns of Ginan, Kasamatsu and Kitagata formed the "Gifu Cooperative City Region".

Sources: population and households from Gifu City, "Population statistics", its "FY Reiwa 8 households and population by district (as of the 1st of each month)" (Basic Resident Register, as of 1 August Reiwa 8 / Japanese 382,810 in 182,437 households + foreign residents 13,378 in 8,908 households = 396,188 in 191,345 households) / position and area from the same, "The position, area and population of the city" (136°45′E, 35°25′N, 14.3 m above sea level / area 203.60km² as of 1 April Reiwa 7) / the quotations from the chronology from the same, "The history of the city" / the Japan Heritage designation from the same, "About the Japan Heritage story 'The castle town of Gifu, where Lord Nobunaga's hospitality lives on'" (Japan Heritage no. 1, Heisei 27 / designated a priority support area on 4 February Reiwa 7) / rail journey times and fares as in §3 / land prices as in §9 / elevations from the coordinates of each of the same 339 SUUMO listings as §2 / verified 2026-08-20

Map of Gifu City

You can zoom and pan. The marker is Gifu City Hall (Tsukasa-machi). The Nagara River runs through the middle from east to west; south of it are Mount Kinka and Gifu Castle, and further south JR Gifu Station, Meitetsu Gifu Station and Yanagase. Cross the river to the north for Nagara, Sagiyama and Iwanoda; to the east are Hino and Nagamori and then the hills of Akutami and Obora; to the south, Kano and Akanabe and on to Yanaizu; to the west, Kagashima and Ichihashi out to the farmland of Kurono and Gomo.
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors

What kind of town is Gifu City?

The prefectural capital of Gifu, opening out at the foot of the Nagara River and Mount Kinka. 396,188 people in 191,345 households (Basic Resident Register, 1 August Reiwa 8), an area of 203.60 square kilometres, and a city hall 14.3 metres above sea level. 🔴 The name "Gifu" begins in Eiroku 10 (1567), when Oda Nobunaga took Inabayama Castle and renamed Inokuchi as Gifu. In Heisei 27, "The castle town of Gifu, where Lord Nobunaga's hospitality lives on" was designated Japan Heritage no. 1, and on 4 February Reiwa 7 it was designated a priority support area.

CHAPTER 02Seven areas, and life in each

The city divides into 7. The divisions follow the groupings of districts where the city has its offices, and the terrain of the Nagara River and Mount Kinka, with each of the 339 listings sorted by its map coordinates (0 could not be classified). The medians run from ¥8,880,000 in the north to ¥25,800,000 in the south, a factor of 2.9. In this town, the lower the ground, the dearer it is — the south, with the highest median, has a median elevation of 8.1 metres, while the cheapest, the north and the east, are at 20.7 and 39.8 metres. The reason is in §5 and §12.

Areas	Listings	median	Median elevation	What defines it
Southeast (Hino, Nagamori and Kitaisshiki)	59 listings	¥19,000,000	23.4m	Joint-most listings in the city. At 15%, the fewest built in 1981 or earlier
South (Kano, Akanabe and Yanaizu)	59 listings	¥25,800,000	8.1m	The dearest and the newest (median year built 2006). The lowest ground in the city
North (Nagara, Sagiyama and Awano)	52 listings	¥8,880,000	20.7m	33 (63%) under ¥10,000,000. 52% were built in 1981 or earlier
West (Kurono, Gomo and Kida)	48 listings	¥16,500,000	14.7m	Median plot 200㎡. It takes in the Tarumi Railway line too, at Itonuki and Kitagata-Makuwa
Southwest (Kagashima, Ichihashi and Hitoichiba)	46 listings	¥20,990,000	10.2m	27 of the 46 have JR Nishi-Gifu as their nearest station. The station shows up directly in the price
East (Akutami and the Obora hills)	43 listings	¥9,800,000	39.8m	Both the cheapest at ¥1,980,000 and the dearest at ¥59,800,000 are here. Median year built 1980
The centre (Gifu Station, Yanagase and Mount Kinka)	32 listings	¥19,640,000	13.4m	The smallest plots in the city at a median of 168㎡, and the largest buildings at 127㎡

Southeast (Hino, Nagamori and Kitaisshiki) — the most new houses59 listings (¥2,500,000–¥52,800,000, median ¥19,000,000, 14 under ¥10,000,000 = 24%). Elevation 11.0–143.6 metres (median 23.4 metres), and the city's highest point of 143.6 metres is here too (on the hill side of Hino). Median plot 216㎡, building 120㎡. Median year built 1992, with 9 (15%) from 1981 or earlier, the fewest in the city — if you want a newer house, start here. Nearest stations: Nagamori 13, Gifu 13, Kiridoshi 8, Meitetsu Gifu 4, Tagami 3, Takadabashi 3. The JR Takayama main line and the Meitetsu Kakamigahara line run through, and it borders Kakamigahara City.
Suits = people who want a newer house in the suburbs with a station
What to watch = elevations run from 11 metres to 143 metres. Even within the "southeast", the flat and the hillside are entirely different propositions

South (Kano, Akanabe and Yanaizu) — the dearest and the newest59 listings (¥5,000,000–¥57,450,000, median ¥25,800,000, the highest of the 7, 11 under ¥10,000,000 = 19%). Elevation 5.4–9.7 metres (median 8.1 metres), the lowest ground in the city. Median plot 175㎡, building 109㎡. Median year built 2006, the newest of the 7. Nearest stations: Yanaizu 11, Nishi-Gifu 9, Ginan 9, Gifu 8, Kasamatsu 7, Nishi-Kasamatsu 5 — along the Meitetsu Nagoya main line and the Takehana line, a belt with an easy run towards Nagoya. Kano was the castle town of Kano Castle and the Nakasendo post town of Kano, and is a place that makes wagasa umbrellas (§11).
Suits = people commuting to Nagoya / people who want a new house
What to watch = the lowest-lying belt in the city. Check the flood and inland-flooding hazard maps in §5 at the level of the individual lot

North (Nagara, Sagiyama and Awano) — the most reachable52 listings (¥3,000,000–¥48,800,000, median ¥8,880,000, the lowest of the 7, 33 under ¥10,000,000 = 63%). Elevation 12.3–48.6 metres (median 20.7 metres). Median plot 173㎡, building 119㎡. Median year built 1981, with 27 (52%) from 1981 or earlier. North of the Nagara River, and the side where the Nagara River cormorant fishing, the boarding point for the viewing boats, and the Nagara River Ukai Museum are (§11). Nearest stations: Gifu 17, Meitetsu Gifu 9, alongside a run of Gifu Bus stop names.
Suits = people keeping the budget down / people who want to live along the Nagara River
What to watch = more than half predate the 1981 seismic standard. Budget for a seismic survey and retrofit from the start. And many districts are away from a railway station, so buses and a car are assumed

West (Kurono, Gomo and Kida) — generous plots48 listings (¥3,800,000–¥37,800,000, median ¥16,500,000, 14 under ¥10,000,000 = 29%). Elevation 11.4–38.1 metres (median 14.7 metres). Median plot 200㎡, building 125㎡. Median year built 1993, with 11 (23%) from 1981 or earlier. Nearest stations: Gifu 15, Itonuki 7, Nishi-Gifu 7, Kitagata-Makuwa 5, Motosu 2 — Tarumi Railway station names (farmland bordering Motosu City and Kitagata Town). Kurono has a campus of the Gifu Pharmaceutical University.
Suits = people who want a large plot / people who want a life with a vegetable patch
What to watch = getting to JR Gifu Station means a bus or a car. If you are commuting to Nagoya, time the connection yourself

Southwest (Kagashima, Ichihashi and Hitoichiba) — Nishi-Gifu Station shows up in the price46 listings (¥2,980,000–¥55,000,000, median ¥20,990,000, 9 under ¥10,000,000 = 20%). Elevation 7.2–15.4 metres (median 10.2 metres). Median plot 173㎡, building 108㎡. Median year built 2000. 27 of the 46 have "Nishi-Gifu" as their nearest station — a concentration on one station that is rare even across this site. Nishi-Gifu is 3 minutes and ¥200 from Gifu Station (monthly pass ¥5,900), and the point of this belt is that you get more land than at Gifu Station.
Suits = people commuting to Nagoya who also want land within walking distance of a station
What to watch = elevations of 7–15 metres. This is low ground ringed by the Nagara, Ijira and Toba rivers (§5)

East (Akutami and the Obora hills) — the widest price range43 listings (¥1,980,000–¥59,800,000, median ¥9,800,000, 24 under ¥10,000,000 = 56%). Elevation 31.6–95.2 metres (median 39.8 metres), the highest in the city. Median plot 209㎡, building 110㎡. Median year built 1980, with 22 (51%) from 1981 or earlier. Both the city's cheapest at ¥1,980,000 and its dearest at ¥59,800,000 are in this belt. That is because the hilltop estates of Obora Kashiwadai, Obora Sakuradai, Obora Midoriyama and Obora Kirigaoka sit alongside the old settlement of Akutami. Nearest stations: Gifu 10, Sekiterasu-mae 5, Okuradai 3.
Suits = people keeping the budget down / people who want high ground / people commuting towards Seki
What to watch = half predate the 1981 seismic standard, and on the hilltops slopes and a car are assumed. Check the landslide hazard zone designations by lot number too (§5)

The centre (Gifu Station, Yanagase and Mount Kinka) — small plots, large buildings32 listings (¥2,800,000–¥50,000,000, median ¥19,640,000, 8 under ¥10,000,000 = 25%). Elevation 9.3–28.1 metres (median 13.4 metres). The smallest plots in the city at a median of 168㎡, and the largest buildings at 127㎡ — town houses built to the edge of the site. Median year built 1988, with 12 (38%) from 1981 or earlier. Nearest stations: Gifu 12, Meitetsu Gifu 7, Tagami 2, Kano 2. Yanagase, Minna no Mori Gifu Media Cosmos, Gifu Park, and Mount Kinka with Gifu Castle are all in this range. Buy a newly built house in the central district (about 155 hectares) and the city offers a grant (§8).
Suits = people who want fewer cars / people who want both JR and Meitetsu
What to watch = at 32, the fewest listings in the city. You need to be prepared to wait for the right one

Prices, counts, elevation, year built and plot size come from the listings below,SUUMOlisted339 listings (all), each listing's map coordinates sorted into 7 (all 339 classified, 0 unclassified) / elevations are the map coordinates on the listing pages put through the Geospatial Information Authority elevation API (all 339 have coordinates for the individual property) / the district divisions follow Gifu City, "Population statistics"'s divisions by office and the same, "Gifu City comprehensive disaster-preparedness handbook", whose 11 blocks this site grouped into 7 / retrieved 20 August 2026 / verified 2026-08-20

Which part of Gifu City is best to live in?

The 339 listings were sorted into 7 by map coordinates. The medians run from ¥8,880,000 in the north to ¥25,800,000 in the south, a factor of 2.9. 🔴 In this town, the lower the ground, the dearer it is — the south (Kano, Akanabe and Yanaizu), with the highest median, has a median elevation of 8.1 metres; the cheapest north (Nagara, Sagiyama and Awano) is at 20.7 metres and the east (Akutami and the Obora hills) at 39.8 metres. Under ¥10,000,000 accounts for 63% in the north and 56% in the east, against 19% in the south.

CHAPTER 03Trains and cars — how you get around

From JR Gifu Station it is 26 minutes to Nagoya, ¥480, with no change. A monthly commuter pass is ¥13,920. From Meitetsu Gifu Station it is 32 minutes to Meitetsu Nagoya, ¥630, with no change. And 2 hours 15 minutes to Tokyo, 1 hour 46 minutes to Osaka, 1 hour 10 minutes to Kyoto, and 1 hour 15 minutes to Chubu Centrair Airport. Within the city the self-driving "GIFU HEART BUS" runs, and the city reports that it has passed 100,000 passengers and is in a 5-year continuous service.

Main destinations (searched for real, departing 08:00 on Thursday 10 September 2026)

Destination	Time	Ticket	Train and changes
Nagoya	26 min	¥480	JR Tokaido main line rapid, no change (08:06 → 08:32). 30.3km. A monthly commuter pass is ¥13,920
Meitetsu Nagoya	32 min	¥630	Meitetsu Nagoya main line limited express, starting from Meitetsu Gifu, no change (08:07 departure). 31.8km. Monthly pass ¥20,010
Tokyo	2 hr 15 min	¥10,780	Rapid to Nagoya, then Nozomi 322 (08:06 departure → Tokyo 10:21). 1 change, 396.3km. Ticket ¥6,600 + non-reserved ¥4,180
Osaka	1 hr 46 min	¥6,930	Nozomi from Nagoya to Shin-Osaka (08:11 departure → 09:57). 2 changes. On local trains alone it is 2 hours 19 minutes and ¥3,080
Kyoto	1 hr 10 min	¥5,940	Nozomi from Nagoya (08:11 departure → 09:21). 1 change. On local trains alone it is 1 hour 23 minutes and ¥4,060
Chubu Centrair Airport	1 hr 15 min	¥2,240	Change at Nagoya to the Meitetsu Mu-Sky. 69.6km
Nishi-Gifu	3 min	¥200	JR Tokaido main line. 3.2km. Monthly pass ¥5,900. 27 of the 46 listings in the southwest in §2 use this station

"Nagoya in 26 minutes for ¥480" is what this town is built on¥480 one way, and a monthly commuter pass of ¥13,920. Commute to Nagoya while living on prefectural-capital rents and land prices — that is Gifu City's position. Looked at the way this site looks at the "within an hour of Osaka" towns, Gifu is 26 minutes from Nagoya. And JR and Meitetsu run in parallel, with both stations in the middle of the city. But which station you would actually commute from differs greatly by area (§2) — Nishi-Gifu in the southwest; Yanaizu, Ginan and Kasamatsu on the Meitetsu in the south; Nagamori and Kiridoshi in the southeast. It is not "26 minutes to Nagoya because it is Gifu City". Check the nearest station of the property.

A self-driving bus has entered 5 years of continuous serviceThe city runs the self-driving "GIFU HEART BUS" and reports that it has passed 100,000 passengers and is in 5 years of continuous service. In his message on beginning a third term the mayor writes that he will "advance the realisation and social implementation of self-driving buses (level 4 autonomy) as a way of securing a sustainable public transport network" (§14). The bus operators are Gifu Bus (Gifu Norai Jidosha) and Meihan Kintetsu Bus. The city also has a "Hirudoku ticket" giving a day's unlimited weekday daytime travel on the buses, a community bus, and a "Gifu City ordinance on creating, protecting and nurturing local public transport together". There is no tram and no subway in the city. In districts away from a railway station, buses and a car are the basis of daily life.

Elevating the Meitetsu Nagoya main line is under wayThe city's chronology has "2019 (Reiwa 1) a memorandum is signed on the project to elevate the Meitetsu Nagoya main line", and the mayor writes that he has "shown the way to solutions on long-standing problems, including the class 1 urban redevelopment project for the Gifu Station north central-east and central-west districts, the development of a manufacturing-industry cluster site to promote business location, and the project to elevate the Meitetsu Nagoya main line" (§14). The station area and the land along the tracks are about to change shape. Before you buy, ask the city whether that lot falls within a project area. The city also runs a share-cycle scheme.

Sources: journey times, fares and commuter passes were searched by this site onYahoo! Transit, searched for real for an 08:00 departure on Thursday 10 September 2026 (Gifu 8:06 → Nagoya 8:32, 26 min, ¥480 with IC priority, 0 changes, 30.3km, monthly commuter pass ¥13,920 / Meitetsu Gifu 8:07 → Meitetsu Nagoya 8:39, 32 min, ¥630, 31.8km, monthly pass ¥20,010 / Gifu 8:06 → Nagoya → Tokyo 10:21, 2 hr 15 min, ¥10,780, 396.3km / Gifu 8:11 → Osaka 9:57, 1 hr 46 min, ¥6,930 / Gifu 8:11 → Kyoto 9:21, 1 hr 10 min, ¥5,940 / Gifu 8:11 → Chubu Centrair Airport 9:26, 1 hr 15 min, ¥2,240, 69.6km / Gifu 8:14 → Nishi-Gifu 8:17, 3 min, ¥200, 3.2km, monthly pass ¥5,900) / the self-driving bus from Gifu City, "Self-driving bus" (passed 100,000 passengers / "GIFU HEART BUS" in 5 years of continuous service) / the bus operators, the ordinance and the Hirudoku ticket from the same, "Public transport"andthe same, "Public transport in the city" / the elevation project and the redevelopment as in §1 and §14 / verified 2026-08-20

✈ Airports

The closest is Chubu Centrair Airport (a hub airport under company management), about 65.4 km in a straight line. Next is Fukui Airport (about 92.2 km in a straight line). 🔴 These are straight-line distances. They are neither road distances nor journey times — please check the actual route with each operator's timetable.

🛣 Expressway junctions

This area has 2 entrances and exits (interchanges and junctions).
Tokai-Kanjo Expressway = Gifu, Gifu-Miwa SIC

Sources: airports fromNational Land Numerical Information, "Airports", FY2021 edition (category names followthe MLIT list of airports ) / expressway junctions fromthe same, "Expressways time series", 2025 edition, current data only (what is open today). Both were overlaid onthe same, "Administrative boundaries", 2026and judged by machine to fall inside this area / verified 2026-08-21

How long does it take from Gifu to Nagoya or Tokyo?

🔴 From JR Gifu Station it is 26 minutes to Nagoya, ¥480, with no change (JR Tokaido main line rapid, 30.3km; a monthly commuter pass is ¥13,920). 2 hours 15 minutes and ¥10,780 to Tokyo (changing to the Nozomi at Nagoya), 1 hour 46 minutes and ¥6,930 to Osaka, 1 hour 10 minutes and ¥5,940 to Kyoto, and 1 hour 15 minutes and ¥2,240 to Chubu Centrair Airport. From Meitetsu Gifu Station it is 32 minutes to Meitetsu Nagoya, ¥630, with no change. Within the city the self-driving "GIFU HEART BUS" runs.

CHAPTER 04Homes actually on the market right now

SUUMO carries 339 listings, and all 339 were taken in and tallied. From ¥1,980,000 to ¥59,800,000, median ¥15,800,000. 113 (33%) are under ¥10,000,000. The median plot is 190 square metres (about 57 tsubo) and the median building 116 square metres. The median year built is 1991, with 108 (32%) from 1981 or earlier. The median elevation is 14.7 metres (5.4–143.6 metres).

Sort

"Nearest the station first" converts everything to minutes — a walk of ◯ min, ◯ min by bus plus ◯ min from the stop, ◯ km by car (reckoned at 30 km/h) — and compares those. Listings with no such information always appear last, whatever the sort.

Akutami¥1,980,000East (Akutami and the Obora hills)Elev. approx. 30 m / Land 231 m² (70 tsubo) / Building 80 m² (24 tsubo) / built 1965 / 下 Akutami bus stop 5 min walk3 photos →

Kano 1-26-4 (住居表示: 26-6)¥2,000,000East (Akutami and the Obora hills)Elev. approx. 50 m / Land 198 m² (60 tsubo) / Building 71 m² (21 tsubo) / built 1969 / Gifu Station bus 40 min+4 min walk9 photos →

Noisshiki 8¥2,500,000Southeast (Hino, Nagamori and Kitaisshiki)Elev. approx. 140 m / Land 151 m² (46 tsubo) / Building 60 m² (18 tsubo) / built 1964 / Nagamori Sta. 33 min walk8 photos →

Taromaru Noda¥2,500,000Southeast (Hino, Nagamori and Kitaisshiki)Elev. approx. 30 m / Land 365 m² (110 tsubo) / Building 141 m² (43 tsubo) / built 1961 / Gifu Station bus 41 min+5 min walk9 photos →

Amaike 1¥2,500,000Southeast (Hino, Nagamori and Kitaisshiki)Elev. approx. 40 m / Land 118 m² (36 tsubo) / Building 65 m² (20 tsubo) / built 1976 / 東海学院大学前 bus stop 7 min walk8 photos →

Tsurumi-cho¥2,800,000The centre (Gifu Station, Yanagase and Mount Kinka)Elev. approx. 10 m / Land 151 m² (46 tsubo) / Building 89 m² (27 tsubo) / built 1967 / Tagami Sta. 21 min walk10 photos →

Terada¥2,980,000Southwest (Kagashima, Ichihashi and Hitoichiba)Elev. approx. 10 m / Land 182 m² (55 tsubo) / Building 113 m² (34 tsubo) / built 1980 / 合渡小学校前 bus stop 4 min walk2 photos →

Iwasaki¥3,000,000North (Nagara, Sagiyama and Awano)Elev. approx. 20 m / Land 331 m² (100 tsubo) / Building 134 m² (41 tsubo) / built 1972 / Gifu Station bus 31 min+11 min walk3 photos →

Sagiyama Higashi 1¥3,400,000North (Nagara, Sagiyama and Awano)Elev. approx. 20 m / Land 117 m² (35 tsubo) / Building 118 m² (36 tsubo) / built 1970 / Meitetsu Gifu Sta., 4.9km10 photos →

Kano 6¥3,500,000East (Akutami and the Obora hills)Elev. approx. 30 m / Land 152 m² (46 tsubo) / Building 48 m² (14 tsubo) / built 1966 / Kano Hikari-machi bus stop 3 min walk8 photos →

Kano 7¥3,500,000East (Akutami and the Obora hills)Elev. approx. 40 m / Land 188 m² (57 tsubo) / Building 94 m² (28 tsubo) / built 1978 / Iwai Ishihara 台 bus stop 6 min walk10 photos →

Masaki¥3,800,000North (Nagara, Sagiyama and Awano)Elev. approx. 10 m / Land 158 m² (48 tsubo) / Building 106 m² (32 tsubo) / built 1985 / Meitetsu Gifu Sta. bus 20 min+5 min walk3 photos →

Kamishikke Hachiman¥3,800,000West (Kurono, Gomo and Kida)Elev. approx. 10 m / Land 165 m² (50 tsubo) / Building 93 m² (28 tsubo) / built 1981 / 松ノ木 (Gifu City) bus stop 6 min walk4 photos →

Iwai¥3,900,000Southeast (Hino, Nagamori and Kitaisshiki)Elev. approx. 40 m / Land 222 m² (67 tsubo) / Building 106 m² (32 tsubo) / built 1983 / Gifu Station bus 48 min+8 min walk10 photos →

Shimokai¥3,980,000West (Kurono, Gomo and Kida)Elev. approx. 20 m / Land 113 m² (34 tsubo) / Building 82 m² (25 tsubo) / built 1977 / Itonuki Sta. 60 min walk10 photos →

Iwasaki¥3,980,000North (Nagara, Sagiyama and Awano)Elev. approx. 20 m / Land 83 m² (25 tsubo) / Building 72 m² (22 tsubo) / built 1970 / Gifu Station bus 30 min+6 min walk8 photos →

Yashiro 1¥4,000,000North (Nagara, Sagiyama and Awano)Elev. approx. 20 m / Land 139 m² (42 tsubo) / Building 91 m² (28 tsubo) / built 1978 / Gifu Station bus 23 min+3 min walk10 photos →

Obora Midoriyama 1¥4,000,000East (Akutami and the Obora hills)Elev. approx. 40 m / Land 245 m² (74 tsubo) / Building 74 m² (22 tsubo) / built 1968 / Obora 団地口 bus stop 3 min walk5 photos →

Kitayama 2¥4,000,000East (Akutami and the Obora hills)Elev. approx. 40 m / Land 223 m² (67 tsubo) / Building 55 m² (17 tsubo) / built 1968 / Gifu Station bus 38 min+7 min walk4 photos →

Nagara Obusa¥4,000,000Southeast (Hino, Nagamori and Kitaisshiki)Elev. approx. 20 m / Land 210 m² (63 tsubo) / Building 130 m² (39 tsubo) / built 1979 / おぶさ公民館前 bus stop 3 min walk4 photos →

The photographs are the images carried on SUUMO. They disappear once a listing ends. Check the real condition of a property on site.

See all 339 on SUUMO →

One in three is under ¥10,000,000. Where they areOf the 339, 113 (33%) are under ¥10,000,000. But they are unevenly spread — 33 of 52 (63%) in the north and 24 of 43 (56%) in the east, against 11 of 59 (19%) in the south and 9 of 46 (20%) in the southwest (§2). The cheap ones are north of the Nagara River (the north) and on the eastern hills (the east). Those two also have many properties from 1981 or earlier, at 52% and 51%. Think in terms of that district's market, not "the Gifu City market".

32% predate the 1981 seismic standard. Earthquakes appear twice in the city's chronologyOf the 339, 108 (32%) were built in 1981 or earlier. Given that many areas on this site are in the 40–50% range, that is on the low side. Even so, one in three predates the standard. Gifu City has a 27.7% chance of shindo 6-lower or above in 30 years (§5), and its chronology carries "1891 (Meiji 24) the Great Nobi Earthquake occurs" (§1). Budget for a seismic survey and retrofit from the start. The city has a page on "promoting seismic retrofitting".

The akiya bank is taken in by the city and listed on an outside siteGifu City's akiya bank works like this: the city's Housing and Empty Homes Division takes the registrations, and the properties appear on the "LIFULL HOME'S akiya bank". As verified on 20 August 2026, there were 2 listings (1 house for sale, 1 plot of land for sale). There is also a Gifu City site on At Home's "nationwide akiya bank", with 1 listing there (shown at the bottom of this chapter). The conditions for registering include "both land and building in private ownership", "land and building sold together", "registered", "the consent of all rights holders" and "no dispute over the site boundaries". The city also writes that "empty houses damaged by deterioration, and empty houses whose garden trees and the like are not maintained, cannot be registered on the Gifu City akiya bank".They are separate from the 339 SUUMO listings, so please see them at the link below.The Gifu City akiya bank scheme →

Sources: retrieved from the SUUMO "second-hand detached houses in Gifu City" listings (see the list here / of the 339 listed, 339 listingsall were retrieved, 20 August 2026) / elevations are the map coordinates on the listing pages put through Geospatial Information Authority of Japan elevation API / the akiya bank from Gifu City, "The Gifu City akiya bank scheme"(Reiwa 7 (2025), 5/19updated) andLIFULL HOME'S akiya bank, Gifu City, Gifu (2 listings as of 20 August 2026) / seismic retrofitting from the same, "Promoting seismic retrofitting"/ Verified 2026-08-20

Akiya bank — 1 listings

All 1 home for sale registered on the municipal akiya bank on At Home (as verified on 20 August 2026). Ordered cheapest first.

Gifu City Gomo¥12,000,000

Land 361 m² (109 tsubo) / Building 144 m² (44 tsubo) /built 1985／5DK
Bus, 6 min walk from Gifu-Kita Junior High School stopAkiya bank of View listing →

How cheaply can you buy a house in Gifu City?

SUUMO carries 339 listings, and all 339 were retrieved. From ¥1,980,000 to ¥59,800,000, median ¥15,800,000, with 113 (33%) under ¥10,000,000. The median plot is 190 square metres and the median building 116 square metres. The median year built is 1991, with 108 (32%) from 1981 or earlier. The median elevation is 14.7 metres (5.4–143.6 metres). The city akiya bank is listed on the LIFULL HOME'S akiya bank, where there were 2 listings as of 20 August 2026.

CHAPTER 05Is the ground safe?

Gifu City's chronology has earthquakes and floods side by side — the Great Nobi Earthquake of Meiji 24, Typhoon Vera of Showa 34 and the 9.12 downpour of 12 September of Showa 51 (§1). The city publishes its hazard maps with the city divided into 11 blocks, gathered into a 53-page booklet called the "Gifu City comprehensive disaster-preparedness handbook". At the city hall site the chance of shindo 6-lower or above in 30 years is 27.7%, and of 6-upper or above 3.5%.

Is this town inside a national earthquake-preparedness zone?

For each major earthquake, national law designates the areas where preparation is to be advanced. Whether a town is designated tells you directly how the national government views the shaking and tsunami expected there.

Nankai Trough Earthquake Disaster Prevention Promotion Area	Designated
Tokyo Inland Earthquake Emergency Measures Area	Not covered (the whole of Gifu Prefecture is outside the scheme)
Japan Trench / Kuril Trench Earthquake Disaster Prevention Promotion Area	Not covered (the whole of Gifu Prefecture is outside the scheme)
Shaking of intensity 6-lower or above within 30 years	27.7% (shindo 6-upper or above: 3.5%) At the Gifu City Hall site. Surface ground AVS30 285 m/s, an alluvial fan

This probability is for the single 250-metre grid square the city hall stands in. The Gifu City town hall stands onalluvial fan (AVS30 285 m/s), and the 27.7% above is the value at that point. Even within Gifu City, it varies a great deal between the lowland along the rivers and the terraces. When a listing interests you, look it up by its street address.Enter an address on the J-SHIS map and it shows the probability and the ground for that 250-metre mesh.

Look up an address on J-SHIS → Designations from the Cabinet Office list of designated municipalities (Nankai Trough Earthquake Disaster Prevention Promotion Area／Tokyo Inland Earthquake Emergency Measures Area／Japan Trench / Kuril Trench Earthquake Disaster Prevention Promotion Area ) / probability and surface ground from theNational Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience, J-SHIS earthquake hazard information API (2024 edition, average case, all earthquakes), queried at the city hall coordinates / verified 2026-08-20

The city writes its own disaster historyThe city's own account — "Gifu City has been struck by great disasters again and again, from the Nobi earthquake of Meiji 24 to the flood of 9.12, 12 September Showa 51. In recent years, damage from rainfall on a scale not seen before has occurred across the country. And a great Nankai Trough earthquake is said to be highly likely in the near future". And: "the kinds of disaster to watch for in Gifu City are many — earthquake, flood, landslide". Gifu City is designated under the Nankai Trough Earthquake disaster-prevention promotion area (see the table above). It does not face the sea, but it is in the area covered for shaking.

What to look at is waterThe median elevation of the 339 listings is 14.7 metres (§4). In particular the south (Kano, Akanabe and Yanaizu) runs 5.4–9.7 metres with a median of 8.1, and the southwest (Kagashima and Ichihashi) 7.2–15.4 metres (§2) — the belt with the newest and dearest houses in the city is also the lowest. The city publishes an "overlaid hazard map (flood and landslide)" with text-to-speech support, and PDFs for each of the 11 blocks. For the south that means the "Atsumi" and "Kano-Higashi, Kano-Nishi and Akanabe" PDFs; for the southwest, "Honjo, Sanri, Kagashima and Ichihashi", "Hikie and Uzura" and "Yanaizu-cho". Always check by lot number.

For landslides, look at the prefecture's latest zonesThe city adds this note to its hazard map — "landslide (special) hazard zones may be added to or revised by Gifu Prefecture on the basis of its baseline surveys. Please check the latest zones on the prefecture's published page, the 'Gifu mountain and river danger-spot map'". The city writing "please look at the prefecture's latest" itself is, I think, an honest way to put it. The east (Akutami and the Obora hills, elevation 31.6–95.2 metres) and the hill side of the southeast (up to 143.6 metres) in §2 are districts where houses stand at the edge of the hills. For a property just below or just above a slope, always look at whether it is designated. The city also publishes, in the appendices to its "Gifu City regional disaster prevention plan", the facilities used by vulnerable people that lie within landslide hazard zones.

Sources: the hazard maps, the quotations and the 11-block division from Gifu City, "Gifu City comprehensive disaster-preparedness handbook" (overlaid hazard map (flood and landslide), with text-to-speech support / 11 blocks: centre, north 1, north 2, west 1, west 2, Nikko, northeast, east, southeast, south and southwest) / the latest landslide zones from Gifu Prefecture, "Gifu mountain and river danger-spot map" / the disaster history as in §1 (the same, "The history of the city") / elevations as in §2 and §4 / verified 2026-08-20

Is the risk of earthquake or flood high in Gifu City?

At the city hall site the chance of shindo 6-lower or above in 30 years is 27.7%, and of 6-upper or above 3.5%. 🔴 Gifu City is designated under the Nankai Trough Earthquake disaster-prevention promotion area. The city itself writes that "Gifu City has been struck by great disasters again and again, from the Nobi earthquake of Meiji 24 to the flood of 9.12, 12 September Showa 51". The hazard maps are published with the city divided into 11 blocks. 🔴 The median elevation of the listings is 14.7 metres, and the south in particular runs 5.4–9.7 metres — always check by lot number.

CHAPTER 06What summer and winter are like

Summers in Gifu are decidedly hot. The August daily high is 33.4°C (Tokyo 31.3°C), days above 35°C number 16.7 a year, 3.5 times Tokyo's 4.8, days above 30°C number 72.0 a year (Tokyo 52.1) and tropical nights 26.1 a year (Tokyo 17.8). In winter the January daily low is 0.7°C with 29.1 frost days a year (Tokyo 15.2), but 0.0 days stay below freezing. Total annual snowfall is 34 centimetres and the normal maximum snow depth 15 centimetres, so there is not much snow. Annual rainfall is 1,860.7 millimetres (Tokyo 1,598.2).

The twelve months of temperature, set out as they are

The left end of each bar is the average daily minimum for that month and the right end the average daily maximum (Gifu, the 30-year average for 1991–2020).

month 1

0.7〜9.1℃

month 2

1.2〜10.3℃

month 3

4.2〜14.2℃

month 4

9.4〜20.0℃

month 5

14.6〜24.7℃

month 6

19.3〜27.8℃

month 7

23.5〜31.6℃

month 8

24.6〜33.4℃

month 9

20.8〜29.2℃

month 10

14.5〜23.6℃

month 11

8.1〜17.5℃

month 12

3.0〜11.6℃

-2℃11℃24℃37℃

26.1 days / 29.1 days

26.1 tropical nights (Tokyo 17.8) and 29.1 frost days (Tokyo 15.2).
These are the numbers for how summer nights and winter mornings compare with Tokyo

Days per year	Gifu	Tokyo
Tropical nights minimum 25°C or above	26.1 days	17.8 days
Days above 35°C maximum 35°C or above	16.7 days	4.8 days
Days above 30°C maximum 30°C or above	72.0 days	52.1 days
Frost days minimum below 0°C	29.1 days	15.2 days
Days below freezing all day maximum below 0°C	0.0 days	0.0 days

For snow, the annual total snowfall is 34cm and the normal for maximum snow depth is 15cm.

Source:Japan Meteorological Agency, normals for Gifu (by month) /the same, day counts by class (view=a2)／the same, Tokyo (all 30-year averages for 1991–2020) / verified 2026-08-14

Moving here will not make you cooler16.7 days above 35°C is among the higher figures on this site (Tokyo 4.8, Fukui 8.6). 72.0 days above 30°C, 139.4 days above 25°C and 26.1 tropical nights — all four exceed Tokyo. Gifu City sits at the northern edge of the Nobi plain, inland and ringed on three sides by mountains, where the föhn effect and basin-like terrain tell. Budget the same as Tokyo or more for cooling. In exchange, the annual mean of 16.2°C is almost the same as Tokyo's 15.8°C — the heat is in the peak of summer, not through the whole year.

In winter there is almost nothing to worry about from snowTotal annual snowfall 34 centimetres, normal maximum snow depth 15 centimetres. 0.0 days a year stay below freezing — in a normal year there is no day when the temperature stays below zero all day. Frost days number 29.1 a year (Tokyo 15.2), so it is cold in the morning and warms up during the day. It is quite unlike Hida in the north of the same prefecture. Many people hear "Gifu" and picture snow country, but Gifu City is on the Nobi plain side. That said, the east in §2 (the Obora hills, up to 95 metres) is colder than the flat. It is safest to have snow tyres.

The rain comes in September. It is the typhoon seasonBy month the wettest are July 270.9mm, September 242.7mm and June 223.7mm. August is 169.5mm, less than July, so the rain comes with the rainy season and the typhoons. The city's chronology entries "1959 (Showa 34) great damage from Typhoon Vera" and "1976 (Showa 51) great damage from the 9.12 downpour of 12 September" were both September disasters (§1). Annual rainfall of 1,860.7 millimetres is 1.2 times Tokyo's. Think of it as a town to prepare for rain, not snow. The flood and inland-flooding hazard maps in §5 connect directly to this climate.

What are summer and winter like in Gifu City?

🔴 Summer is decidedly hot. The August daily high is 33.4°C (Tokyo 31.3°C), days above 35°C number 16.7 a year, 3.5 times Tokyo's 4.8, days above 30°C 72.0 a year (Tokyo 52.1) and tropical nights 26.1 a year (Tokyo 17.8). In winter the January daily low is 0.7°C with 29.1 frost days a year, but 0.0 days stay below freezing, and with total annual snowfall of 34 centimetres and a normal maximum snow depth of 15 centimetres, it hardly snows. Annual rainfall is 1,860.7 millimetres.

CHAPTER 07Shops, hospitals, schools

Medical costs for children are covered to the 31 March following a child's 18th birthday. There is no income limit. Both inpatient and outpatient care are covered. And from April Reiwa 8 the parental share of primary school meals became ¥130 a month (of a ¥5,330 meal charge, ¥5,200 is a national subsidy). The city has 44 primary schools, 20 junior high schools and 2 compulsory-education schools, and every one of them provides full school meals on a single menu. And it has one of the country's few "schools for diverse learning" — Gifu Municipal Sojun Junior High School.

Medical costs for children to the end of the school year at 18, with no income limitThe city says the scheme covers anyone who meets all three of "resident in Gifu City", "enrolled in health insurance" and "up to the first 31 March after turning 18". It states plainly that "there is no eligibility restriction by income". Both inpatient and outpatient care are covered, for medical costs to which insurance applies (treatment outside insurance, health checks, vaccinations, document fees, and room and meal charges while an inpatient are excluded). Apply within 30 days of birth or within 30 days of moving in and it is backdated to that day. If you move, apply within 30 days. You can also apply online.

Primary school meals now cost ¥130 a monthFrom the city's FY Reiwa 8 table — primary schools (including the first stage of compulsory-education schools and the primary department of special-needs schools): meal charge ¥5,330, national subsidy ¥5,200, parental share ¥130. Junior high schools (including the later stage and so on) ¥6,270 and kindergartens ¥4,620 (all monthly). The city writes: "from April Reiwa 8 the state's 'fundamental reduction of the burden of school meal charges' begins". The cost per meal is ¥296 at primary schools (staple ¥87.59, milk ¥75.96, side dishes ¥132.45) and ¥348 at junior high schools. Every primary school, junior high school, compulsory-education school, special-needs school and kindergarten in the city provides full school meals on a single menu. There is also school assistance (help with school supplies, meal charges and so on).

Gifu Municipal Sojun Junior High School — a school for diverse learningThe city has a junior high school called "Gifu Municipal Sojun Junior High School". Its school-meals page notes that "Sojun Junior High School [a school for diverse learning] does not provide school meals". The city's site carries pages titled "Entering or transferring to Sojun Junior High School", "Visits to Sojun Junior High School (for officials and school staff)" and "About Sojun Junior High School", which shows that it receives visits from officials and school staff. A public junior high school that takes on the education of children for whom school did not work — for some readers, that will matter a great deal when choosing where to move. The city also raises donations for "support for children not attending school, encouraging learning in their own way" and runs the children and young people's comprehensive support centre "Yell Gifu" (opened Heisei 26).

The library, the hospital and the shopsIn the middle of the city is "Minna no Mori Gifu Media Cosmos" (opened Heisei 27). The city's chronology has "2017 (Heisei 29) 'Minna no Mori Gifu Media Cosmos' passes 3 million visitors" and "2019 (Reiwa 1) passes 5 million visitors". It houses the municipal central library and has become the face of the town. The hospital is Gifu Municipal Hospital (founded Showa 16, rebuilt in Heisei 25). In his message on beginning a third term the mayor lists "advancing reform towards putting Gifu Municipal Hospital, the citizens' bulwark of security, on a stable financial footing" (§14). As for shopping, functions are gathered in the town centre — the city even runs a "Gifu Now! counter congestion information site" — while the suburban shopping malls assume a car.

Sources: the medical cost assistance for children from Gifu City, "Medical cost assistance for children" (updated 1 April Reiwa 8 / up to the first 31 March after turning 18, no eligibility restriction by income, inpatient and outpatient alike / applying within 30 days of birth or of moving in makes it valid from that day) / meal charges and school numbers from the same, "About school meals" (updated 8 April Reiwa 8 / 44 primary schools, 20 junior high schools, 2 compulsory-education schools, 1 special-needs school and 2 kindergartens, all with full meals on a single menu / FY Reiwa 8 primary: meal charge ¥5,330, subsidy ¥5,200, parental share ¥130; junior high ¥6,270; kindergarten ¥4,620 / per meal, primary ¥296 and junior high ¥348) / Sojun Junior High School from the same, "Gifu Municipal Sojun Junior High School"andthe same, "Primary and junior high schools" / school assistance from the same, "School assistance (help with school supplies, meal charges and so on)" / Media Cosmos, Yell Gifu and Gifu Municipal Hospital as in §1 (the same, "The history of the city") / Verified 2026-08-20

What are childcare support and schools like in Gifu City?

🔴 Medical costs for children are covered to the 31 March following a child's 18th birthday, with no income limit (inpatient and outpatient alike). 🔴 From April Reiwa 8 the parental share of primary school meals became ¥130 a month (of a ¥5,330 meal charge, ¥5,200 is a national subsidy; junior high is ¥6,270). The schools are 44 primary, 20 junior high and 2 compulsory-education, all with full meals on a single menu. 🔴 There is a school for diverse learning, Gifu Municipal Sojun Junior High School.

CHAPTER 08What it costs you every year after you buy

Gifu City reads water meters once every 2 months, and the tariff itself is set "per 2 months". For household use it is a standing charge of ¥1,650 plus ¥16.5 per cubic metre up to 20 cubic metres and ¥179.3 per cubic metre above that (all including tax). Worked out for 45 cubic metres over 2 months, water comes to ¥6,616. There was an average increase of 9.58% in April Reiwa 7, and the city writes that "compared across the 21 cities in the prefecture, before the revision we were 7th from the cheapest; after it we are 10th from the cheapest".

Water charges (per 2 months, including tax / household use, 13mm meter)

Item	Amount	Notes
Standing charge	¥1,650	Payable regardless of how much you use (¥1,500 before tax)
Volume charge up to 20 cubic metres	¥16.5	Per cubic metre. The first 20㎥ are very cheap (¥15 before tax)
Volume charge above 20 cubic metres	¥179.3	Per cubic metre (¥163 before tax). Above 20㎥ it becomes 10.9 times as much
Meter charge 13mm	¥154	¥396 for a 20mm meter, ¥484 for 25mm
At 45㎥ over 2 months 13mm, calculated by this site	¥6,616	(1,500＋20×15＋25×163＋140)×1.1
Sewerage charge ordinary wastewater, 45㎥ over 2 months	¥6,897	(2,160＋20×35＋20×132＋5×146)×1.1

Above 20 cubic metres the unit price becomes 10.9 times as muchFor household use the volume charge is ¥16.5 per ㎥ up to 20㎥ and ¥179.3 above that (including tax). 10.9 times. The city's own worked example gives 46㎥ over 2 months as ¥6,795 for water and ¥7,013 for sewerage (both including tax) — ¥13,808 over 2 months together. This design rewards households that use little. Watering the garden, washing the car, or a large family — whatever goes past the 20㎥ wall tells directly. Check property by property whether it is connected to the sewer — with a septic tank, maintenance and statutory inspections cost extra. The city publishes an automatic calculation worksheet (Excel) and a quick reference table (PDF).

The grant for buying an empty house is not taking applications at the momentThe city has a "Gifu City grant towards acquiring and renovating an empty house". For acquisition, the cost of acquisition (up to ¥300,000); for renovation, that acquisition amount plus half the renovation cost (up to ¥500,000) — up to ¥800,000 in all. But the city writes that "applications for the FY Reiwa 8 Gifu City grant towards acquiring and renovating an empty house are suspended, as the budget ceiling has been reached" (updated 13 July Reiwa 8, verified 20 August 2026). That means waiting for the next financial year's budget. The conditions are a detached house or similar completed at least 5 years ago, applied for within a year of the later of the date of contract or the date of handover, and a prior consultation is required before applying.

If you build new in the town centre, there is a different grantThe "town-centre living support scheme (Gifu City grant for acquiring a newly built home in the central district)" is for households of 2 or more who acquire a newly built home in the town-centre living priority zone (about 155 hectares) and take out a housing loan (at least ¥1,000,000 borrowed, repaid over at least 10 years). The grant is within 10% of the amount borrowed, capped at ¥200,000 per home for a move within the city, or ¥500,000 per home where the household includes someone moving in from outside the city. On top of that, ¥200,000 is added for 1 child of compulsory-school age or below, ¥300,000 for 2 and ¥400,000 for 3 or more. It cannot be combined with the relocation support grant (§14). Put the amounts side by side and decide which is better for you.

Sources: the water and sewerage tariff and worked example from Gifu City, "Tariff and worked examples (applying from April Reiwa 7)" (updated 8 January Reiwa 7 / the water charge, meter charge and sewerage charge are all "per 2 months" / household use: standing ¥1,500 (¥1,650), up to 20㎥ ¥15 (¥16.5), above 20㎥ ¥163 (¥179.3) / 13mm meter ¥140 (¥154) / sewerage, ordinary wastewater: standing ¥2,160 (¥2,376), up to 20㎥ ¥35, 20–40㎥ ¥132, 40–100㎥ ¥146 / the city's worked example: 46㎥ over 2 months, water ¥6,795 and sewerage ¥7,013) / the figures for 45㎥ over 2 months were calculated by this site from the tariff above / the revision and the comparison within the prefecture from the same, "Notice of the water charge revision from April Reiwa 7" (an average increase of 9.58% / among the 21 cities in the prefecture, 7th from the cheapest before the revision and 10th after) / the empty-house grant from the same, "Gifu City grant towards acquiring and renovating an empty house" (updated 13 July Reiwa 8 / acquisition up to ¥300,000, renovation up to ¥500,000 / applications suspended for FY Reiwa 8, budget ceiling reached) / the town-centre living support from the same, "Town-centre living support scheme" (updated 31 July Reiwa 8 / priority zone about 155ha / within 10% of the amount borrowed, ¥200,000 per home for a move within the city, ¥500,000 per home where the household includes someone from outside the city, plus ¥200,000 for 1 child, ¥300,000 for 2 and ¥400,000 for 3 or more / conditional on not having received the relocation support grant) / verified 2026-08-20

How much does it cost every year in Gifu City?

Water and sewerage meters are read once every 2 months, and the tariff itself is set "per 2 months". For household use it is a standing charge of ¥1,650 plus ¥16.5 per cubic metre up to 20 cubic metres and ¥179.3 above that (including tax). 🔴 At 45 cubic metres over 2 months that is ¥6,616 for water and ¥6,897 for sewerage. There was an average increase of 9.58% in April Reiwa 7, and the city writes that "compared across the 21 cities in the prefecture, before the revision we were 7th from the cheapest; after it we are 10th from the cheapest".

CHAPTER 09What happens when you want to sell

Residential land in Gifu City is ¥66,500 per ㎡, down 0.1% on the year. All but flat (Reiwa 8 official land price survey). Commercial land is ¥128,700 per ㎡, up 0.3%; industrial land ¥37,500 per ㎡, up 0.7%; all uses ¥82,100 per ㎡, up 0.1%. Gifu Prefecture as a whole is ¥46,600 per ㎡ for residential land, down 0.2%, so Gifu City is at 1.4 times the prefectural average and falling less than the prefecture — the deepest market in the prefecture.

Use	Gifu City	Year on year	Gifu
Residential	¥66,500/m²	−0.1%	¥46,600/m² (-0.2%)
Commercial	¥128,700/m²	+0.3%	¥87,300/m² (+0.6%)
Industrial	¥37,500/m²	+0.7%	¥33,100/m² (+2.5%)
All uses	¥82,100/m²	+0.1%	¥57,100/m² (+0.2%)

The highest level in the prefectureLining up residential land across Gifu Prefecture — Gifu City ¥66,500 per ㎡, Ginan Town, Hashima District ¥58,800, Takayama City ¥56,400, Ogaki City ¥52,800, Kakamigahara City ¥52,200, Gujo City ¥50,500, Mizuho City ¥47,600, Kitagata Town, Motosu District ¥46,300. Gifu City is the highest in the prefecture because closeness to Nagoya (§3) and the depth of a prefectural capital show up directly. Year on year, Ginan Town +0.8%, Kitagata Town +1.0%, Hashima City +0.6% and Nakatsugawa City +0.6% are rising, and what is rising is "the Nagoya side, south of Gifu City". That points the same way as the south (Kano, Akanabe and Yanaizu) having the highest median in the city at ¥25,800,000 (§2).

What tells when you sell is the combination of station and elevationAs §2 showed, the medians run from ¥8,880,000 in the north to ¥25,800,000 in the south, a factor of 2.9. As with the southwest, where 27 of 46 cluster around Nishi-Gifu Station (median ¥20,990,000), the station shows up directly in the price (§3). At the same time, the dearer the belt, the lower the ground (south 8.1 metres, southwest 10.2 metres). The more strongly flood risk comes to be felt from here on, the more that relationship could move, I think. Whether buying or selling, look at the hazard map by lot number (§5).

The town centre is about to change shapeThe city is advancing the class 1 urban redevelopment project for the Gifu Station north central-east and central-west districts and the project to elevate the Meitetsu Nagoya main line (§3, §14). That commercial land is pointing up at +0.3% while residential land is at −0.1% can be read as not unrelated to this. And through the "town-centre living support scheme" (§8) the city grants money towards acquiring a newly built home in the central district of about 155 hectares. The city is saying "please live in the town centre" with money.

Sources: land prices fromMinistry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, official land price survey (Reiwa 8), average prices and year-on-year change by municipality (PDF)'s Gifu Prefecture page (compiled by the Land Information Center / Gifu City: residential ¥66,500/㎡ −0.1%, commercial ¥128,700/㎡ +0.3%, industrial ¥37,500/㎡ +0.7%, all uses ¥82,100/㎡ +0.1% / Gifu Prefecture: residential ¥46,600/㎡ −0.2%, commercial ¥87,300/㎡ +0.6%, industrial ¥33,100/㎡ +2.5%, all uses ¥57,100/㎡ +0.2% / Ginan Town 58,800 +0.8% / Takayama 56,400 −0.4% / Ogaki 52,800 −0.2% / Kakamigahara 52,200 +0.1% / Gujo 50,500 ±0.0% / Mizuho 47,600 ±0.0% / Kitagata Town 46,300 +1.0% / Hashima 38,700 +0.6% / Nakatsugawa 30,300 +0.6%) / counts and medians from the same 339 SUUMO listings as §4 / the redevelopment and elevation as in §3 and §14 / verified 2026-08-20

Will the house I buy sell when I want to sell it?

🔴 Residential land in Gifu City is ¥66,500 per ㎡, down 0.1% on the year. All but flat (Reiwa 8 official land price survey). Commercial land is ¥128,700 per ㎡, up 0.3%. Gifu Prefecture as a whole is ¥46,600 per ㎡ for residential land, down 0.2%, so Gifu City is at 1.4 times the prefectural average and falling less than the prefecture — the deepest market in the prefecture. Next highest in the prefecture are Ginan Town, Hashima District at ¥58,800, Takayama City at ¥56,400 and Ogaki City at ¥52,800. What is rising is the Nagoya side, to the south.

CHAPTER 10Who lives here, and how many

396,188 people in 191,345 households (Basic Resident Register, 1 August Reiwa 8). 2.07 people per household. By the three age bands, 0–14 number 44,049 (11.1%), 15–64 number 235,190 (59.4%) and 65 and over 117,019 (29.5%) (population by age, 1 April Reiwa 8). Foreign residents number 13,378, or 3.4% of the total. Against the previous month, Japanese residents fell by 181 and foreign residents rose by 25.

Category	Number	Share
0–14 (children)	44,049 people	11.1%
15–64 (working age)	235,190 people	59.4%
65 and over (older)	117,019 people	29.5%
of whom foreign residents	13,378 people	3.4% (8,908 households)

Population by city office	Population	Households
Main office (the centre)	84,414 people	42,994
North (Nagara, Sagiyama and others)	60,284 people	27,473
South-west (Kano-Nishi, Kagashima and others)	58,296 people	27,060
South-east (Nagamori, Hino and others)	53,550 people	25,441
Nikko (Shima, Josai, Noritake and Soden)	47,505 people	22,493
West (Kurono, Katagata and others)	41,945 people	19,792
East (Akutami, Miwa and others)	23,629 people	11,341
Yanaizu	13,187 people	5,843

65 and over is 29.5%. Standard for a city of 400,00015–64 make up 59.4% and 0–14 a further 11.1%. 29.5% aged 65 and over is on the low side compared with Fukui City's 30.5% and Kaga City's 36.4% on this site. In 5-year bands the largest is 50–54 with 31,887, then 55–59 with 29,744, then 75–79 with 27,898. The layer in their 50s is markedly thick, and the next 10 years, as those people pass 65, will be this town's turning point.

Foreign residents are 3.4%, above the national average13,378 people in 8,908 households are foreign residents, 3.4% of the city's total. At 1.50 people per household (against 2.10 for Japanese residents), the figures show many are here on their own to work. Against the previous month, Japanese residents fell by 181 while foreign residents rose by 25. The "share of foreign residents 3.31%" shown just below this chapter is the figure the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications compiled for the whole country on the same basis as of 1 January Reiwa 8, while the city's Basic Resident Register (1 August Reiwa 8) gives 3.4% — the date and the source differ, and both are correct. The city puts a "living guide for foreign residents" on its official site and has an international and multicultural page as well. Its sister cities are Florence (Italy, Showa 53), Hangzhou (China, Showa 54) and Campinas (Brazil, Showa 57) — and the relationship with Brazil continues as a movement of people to this day.

Where people live shows in the figures for the city's officesThe city publishes population for each of its 8 offices: main, north, south-west, south-east, Nikko, west, east and Yanaizu. The largest is the main office (the centre) with 84,414, then north with 60,284 and south-west with 58,296. The smallest is Yanaizu with 13,187. The number of listings (§2) and the number of people living there do not necessarily match. The east (Akutami and so on), for instance, has only 23,629 people but 43 listings, 56% of them under ¥10,000,000. The more a district's population falls, the more cheap properties come onto the market — what happens everywhere in the country is happening here too.

Sources: population, households and the figures by office from Gifu City, "Population statistics", its "FY Reiwa 8 households and population by district (as of the 1st of each month)" (Basic Resident Register, as of 1 August Reiwa 8 / Japanese 382,810 in 182,437 households / foreign residents 13,378 in 8,908 households / total 396,188 in 191,345 households / against the previous month, Japanese −181 and foreign +25 / main office 84,414, north 60,284, south-west 58,296, south-east 53,550, Nikko 47,505, west 41,945, east 23,629, Yanaizu 13,187) / the three age bands were tallied by this site from the "FY Reiwa 8 population by age (as of 1 April each year)" on the same page (total 396,258 / 0–14 44,049, 15–64 235,190, 65 and over 117,019 / 50–54 31,887, 55–59 29,744, 75–79 27,898) / the sister cities from the same, "The history of the city" (Florence Showa 53, Hangzhou Showa 54, Campinas Showa 57) / the Fukui City and Kaga City figures come from the same sources as their pages on this site / verified 2026-08-20

Share of foreign residents

3.31%national average 3.26%

Of the 397,364 people living in Gifu City, 13,133 are foreign residents. That is almost exactly the national average (3.26%).
Across Japan, foreign residents make up 3.26% of the total population (4,031,159 of 123,767,642). 34 municipalities in Japan are above 10%.

Source: calculated by this site from the municipality-level tables of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, "Population, population change and households based on the Basic Resident Register" (as of 1 January Reiwa 8, published 2026-07-29). The ministry's publication page / verified 2026-08-17

What is happening to Gifu City's population?

396,188 people in 191,345 households (Basic Resident Register, 1 August Reiwa 8), or 2.07 people per household. By the three age bands, 0–14 number 44,049 (11.1%), 15–64 number 235,190 (59.4%) and 65 and over 117,019 (29.5%). In 5-year bands the largest is 50–54 with 31,887. 🔴 Foreign residents number 13,378, or 3.4% of the total. Against the previous month, Japanese residents fell by 181 and foreign residents rose by 25.

CHAPTER 11Community life and the year's events

The centre of Gifu City's culture is the cormorant fishing of the Nagara River. From the city's chronology — "1927 (Showa 2) the cormorant-fishing viewing business comes under city management", "2013 (Heisei 25) passengers on the viewing boats reach 10 million" and "2015 (Heisei 27) 'the technique of cormorant fishing on the Nagara River' is designated an important intangible folk cultural property of Japan". In Heisei 26, "the cultural landscape of Gifu in the middle reaches of the Nagara River" was selected as an important cultural landscape of Japan. The city owns the boats, employs the crews, and has run it as a business since 1927 — that is what cormorant fishing is in this town.

Cormorant fishing is a city enterpriseThe city runs the cormorant-fishing viewing boat business itself. Its site carries pages such as "How to book a viewing boat", "What happens on the day you board", "A day in the life of a viewing-boat crew member" and "The Gifu City viewing-boat boatyard", and even publishes a "public proposal competition for the design and construction of a new premium cormorant-fishing viewing boat". The season begins with the "opening of the cormorant fishing", and Nagara River pleasure boats run as well. The mascot is "U-tan", and there is a "pocket guide to everything about Nagara River cormorant fishing". The city also raises a "Gifu City cormorant-fishing viewing boat business support donation" — an event the people of the town hold up. The viewing-boat boarding point and the Nagara River Ukai Museum are in the north in §2.

Mount Kinka, Gifu Castle and Gifu ParkAt the summit of Mount Kinka stands Gifu Castle (rebuilt Showa 31, refurbished in Reiwa 1). At its foot is Gifu Park (opened Meiji 21), where the site of Lord Nobunaga's residence at the foot of the mountain is. As of 20 August 2026 the city notes "Gifu Castle keep (closed)" and is running events such as "Walking Gifu Castle precisely because it is closed" and "A tour of the Gifu Castle works" — refurbishment is under way. Please check the city's tourism pages for the latest before you visit. The city also publishes "Gifu Akari Monogatari" (Gifu lanterns, §13), "Gifu Castle panoramic night view", a Mount Kinka climbing guide, a share-cycle scheme and the guides "Gifu City town guides".

The faces of the town are "Media Cosmos" and "Yanagase"Minna no Mori Gifu Media Cosmos opened in Heisei 27. Visitors passed 3 million in Heisei 29 and 5 million in Reiwa 1 (§7). Yanagase is the city's central shopping street, and the chronology carries "2012 (Heisei 24) 'Oasis Yanagase Building' completed", with the Yanagase childcare support facility "Tsunagute" and the Yanagase health and exercise facility "Ugokute" listed among the city's facilities. The city has put childcare and health facilities in the central district and offers grants towards buying newly built homes there (§8) — a town where "living in the centre" is backed by policy.

Sources: cormorant fishing from Gifu City, "Cormorant fishing on the Nagara River in Gifu" / the important intangible folk cultural property, the important cultural landscape, the city taking over the cormorant fishing and the 10 million passengers from the same, "The history of the city" (Showa 2, the cormorant-fishing viewing business comes under city management / Heisei 25, passengers reach 10 million / Heisei 26, the cultural landscape of Gifu in the middle reaches of the Nagara River selected as an important cultural landscape of Japan / Heisei 27, the technique of cormorant fishing on the Nagara River designated an important intangible folk cultural property of Japan / Showa 31, Gifu Castle rebuilt / Meiji 21, Gifu Park opened / Heisei 27, Media Cosmos opened) / Gifu Castle and the tourism events from the same, "Tourism, culture and sport" (as of 20 August 2026 the Gifu Castle keep is noted as closed) / the Japan Heritage designation as in §1 / verified 2026-08-20

What events and culture does Gifu City have?

🔴 The cormorant fishing of the Nagara River is at the centre. The viewing business came under city management in Showa 2, passengers on the viewing boats reached 10 million in Heisei 25, and in Heisei 27 "the technique of cormorant fishing on the Nagara River" was designated an important intangible folk cultural property of Japan. In Heisei 26 "the cultural landscape of Gifu in the middle reaches of the Nagara River" was selected as an important cultural landscape of Japan. There are also Mount Kinka and Gifu Castle (rebuilt Showa 31; the keep was closed as of 20 August 2026), Gifu Park (opened Meiji 21) and Minna no Mori Gifu Media Cosmos (opened Heisei 27).

CHAPTER 12Things nearby that move land prices

Residential land in Gifu City is ¥66,500 per ㎡, down 0.1% (§9). Here are the things pushing it up and the things pushing it down, in order.

1. 26 minutes to Nagoya (pushing up)26 minutes by JR, ¥480, no change, and a monthly commuter pass of ¥13,920 (§3). Meitetsu runs in parallel, so you have two operators. Gifu City has the highest residential land in the prefecture at ¥66,500 per ㎡, 1.4 times the prefectural average (§9) — most of that gap is closeness to Nagoya. And year on year, what is rising is Ginan Town +0.8%, Kitagata Town +1.0% and Hashima City +0.6%, all on the Nagoya side, to the south (§9). Within the city too, the south (Kano, Akanabe and Yanaizu) has the highest median at ¥25,800,000 (§2) — pointing the same way.

2. The depth of a prefectural capital (holding it up)15–64 make up 59.4% and 65 and over 29.5% (§10). There are 44 primary schools, 20 junior high schools and 2 compulsory-education schools, all with full meals on a single menu (§7). Medical costs for children are covered to the end of the school year at 18 with no income limit, and primary school meals cost ¥130 a month. There is Gifu Municipal Hospital, there is Minna no Mori Gifu Media Cosmos, and 13,378 foreign residents (3.4%) are working here (§10). The functions of a city of 400,000 are all present within the city boundary — and that holds the prices up.

3. Falling population, summer heat and the risk from water (pushing down, weighing on it)The Japanese population fell by 181 against the previous month (§10). Days above 35°C number 16.7 a year, 3.5 times Tokyo's (§6). And the median elevation of the listings is 14.7 metres, with the dearest belt, the south, the lowest at a median of 8.1 metres (§2, §5). That residential land is still only −0.1%, all but flat, and falling less than the prefecture as a whole (−0.2%), is because 1 and 2 are working. The balance of the two is what gives ¥66,500 per ㎡. And the town centre is about to change shape, through redevelopment and the elevation of the railway (§3, §9).

Sources: land prices as in §9 / railways as in §3 / population as in §10 / schools, medical costs and meal charges as in §7 / climate as in §6 / elevations as in §2 and §4 / verified 2026-08-20

What sets land prices in Gifu City?

1. 26 minutes to Nagoya — ¥480 by JR, a monthly pass of ¥13,920. Gifu City has the highest residential land in the prefecture at ¥66,500 per ㎡, 1.4 times the prefectural average. 2. The depth of a prefectural capital — 15–64 make up 59.4%, there are 44 primary and 20 junior high schools, and medical costs for children are covered to the end of the school year at 18 with no income limit. 3. On the other side are a falling population (−181 on the month), 16.7 days above 35°C and the risk from water at a median elevation of 14.7 metres. The balance gives ¥66,500 per ㎡ (−0.1%).

CHAPTER 13What this place makes

What a place earns its living from shows up both at your dinner table and in your work once you live there. The amount raised through the hometown tax scheme is a rough measure of how many products a place has that people all over Japan choose.

¥305,270,000

Furusato nozei receipts for FY Reiwa 7 (10,689 donations).
814th of the 1,788 municipalities in Japan, and 21st within Gifu Prefecture

What this town names as its own products

What Gifu City lists on its "farm produce" page is strawberries, edamame, persimmons, flowers and ornamental plants, komatsuna and daikon.

Source:Gifu City, "Farm produce"／the same, "The traditional crafts of Gifu" (Gifu lanterns, Gifu wagasa umbrellas and others)/ Verified 2026-08-20

You can support a town without living there

Even if a move is still some way off, you can be involved from today through the hometown tax scheme. Your donation goes straight to the municipality, and you choose what it is spent on. A way to give something back to a place you got to know here.

Support Gifu City through furusato nozei →

Source:Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, "Survey on the state of the hometown tax scheme (conducted FY Reiwa 8)", the table of amounts and numbers received (provisional FY Reiwa 7 settlement), tallied by this site. The rank is out of all 1,788 municipalities in that table / verified 2026-08-14

What does Gifu City earn from?

What Gifu City lists on its "farm produce" page is strawberries, edamame, persimmons, flowers and ornamental plants, komatsuna and daikon. In crafts there are the nationally designated traditional crafts of Gifu lanterns and Gifu wagasa umbrellas, and as Gifu Prefecture local crafts Gifu shibu-uchiwa fans, hanagappa and nobori-goi banners, and Mino tsutsubiki hand-printed dyeing. Furusato nozei receipts came to ¥305,270,000 across 10,689 donations, 814th in Japan and 21st within Gifu Prefecture.

CHAPTER 14A message from Gifu City

This chapter sets out, as they are, the things Gifu City writes in its own words. The city has a relocation and settlement information base, "Cocokara" (on the ground floor of Colorful Town Gifu, opened 1 November Reiwa 3) and an information site, "Cocokara WEB", and takes relocation and settlement enquiries by telephone, email and online (Zoom and the like).

The relocation support grant — ¥1,000,000 for a household, ¥600,000 for a single personThe city's guidance says "applying as a single person: ¥600,000" and "applying as a household: ¥1,000,000". Applying on the teleworking condition, those become ¥300,000 and ¥500,000. And "where there are children under 18, and the move to Gifu City was on or after 1 April Reiwa 6: ¥300,000 per household" is added. The addition is "¥300,000 per household" (not per child). It is for people who lived in or commuted to the 23 wards of Tokyo, for a total of 5 years or more out of the last 10 and for at least 1 continuous year immediately before. The job must be one listed on the prefecture's matching site (in Gifu Prefecture, "Jinsapo! Gifu"). The city writes: "if you wish to apply, please contact us by telephone or otherwise first".

"Cocokara" — the relocation desk inside a shopping mallThe city's account — "on 1 November Reiwa 3 we opened Cocokara, the Gifu City relocation and settlement information base, on the ground floor of Colorful Town Gifu". The name is explained too — "we will put out the appeal of the city so that from here ('koko kara') people will (re)discover what is good about Gifu, come to like it (more), and want to (go on) living here". "There are panel displays introducing how people who have moved to Gifu live, and guidance on the support schemes for relocating and settling." Putting it not at a council counter but somewhere you can drop into while shopping is this city's way of doing it. There is also "Cocokara WEB" and an online consultation booking.

What the mayor says he will do in a third termFrom the message of Mayor Shibahashi Masanao (February Reiwa 8) — "over the past 2 terms and 8 years, with the firm conviction of 'moving Gifu', I have tackled long-standing problems and shown the way to solutions, including the class 1 urban redevelopment project for the Gifu Station north central-east and central-west districts, the development of a manufacturing-industry cluster site to promote business location, and the project to elevate the Meitetsu Nagoya main line". And on the third term — "as the population falls and ages, I will advance the realisation and social implementation of self-driving buses (level 4 autonomy) as a way of securing a sustainable public transport network. And in order to realise a 'whole-city campus' that raises the next generation in the town of Gifu, I will advance work towards opening a new municipal university. I will also work on advancing reform towards putting Gifu Municipal Hospital, the citizens' bulwark of security, on a stable financial footing, and on measures to restore the thinning local community in preparation for any disaster".

"All Gifu", and the question of how people workThe mayor's message continues — "as part of an 'All Gifu' approach to town-making, built on relations of trust with neighbouring municipalities and others, we will advance across the Gifu region the 'work diversity' initiative, which creates a society in which people who find it hard to work can take part, and the 'ultra-short-hours employment creation project', which creates employment of under 20 hours a week for people for whom working long hours is difficult". The city is trying to create employment of under 20 hours a week — words that will mean a great deal to anyone whose circumstances rule out full-time work, I think. In Heisei 30 the city formed the "Gifu Cooperative City Region" with the cities of Gifu, Yamagata, Mizuho and Motosu and the towns of Ginan, Kasamatsu and Kitagata (§1). The relocation support grant and the "town-centre living support scheme" (§8) cannot be combined, so put the amounts side by side and decide.

Sources: the relocation grant fromGifu City, "About the relocation support grant for moving from the Tokyo area to Gifu City" (updated 17 August Reiwa 8 / single person ¥600,000, household ¥1,000,000; on the teleworking condition ¥300,000 and ¥500,000 / where there are children under 18 and the move was on or after 1 April Reiwa 6, ¥300,000 added per household / lived in or commuted to the 23 wards of Tokyo, for a total of 5 years or more out of the last 10 and at least 1 continuous year immediately before / the prefecture's matching site is "Jinsapo! Gifu") / "Cocokara" and the online consultations from the same, "Relocation and settlement information" (updated 12 February Reiwa 8 / opened on the ground floor of Colorful Town Gifu on 1 November Reiwa 3 / you can consult city staff (Policy Planning Division) by telephone, email or online (Zoom and the like)) / the quotations from the mayor's message from the same, "A message from the mayor" (updated 24 February Reiwa 8, Mayor of Gifu City Shibahashi Masanao) / that it cannot be combined with the town-centre living support scheme, as in §8 / the Gifu Cooperative City Region as in §1 / verified 2026-08-20

What support is there if you move to Gifu City?

🔴 The relocation support grant is ¥600,000 applying as a single person and ¥1,000,000 applying as a household (¥300,000 and ¥500,000 respectively on the teleworking condition). Where there are children under 18 and the move was on or after 1 April Reiwa 6, ¥300,000 is added per household (not per child). It is for people who lived in or commuted to the 23 wards of Tokyo. The city has a relocation and settlement information base, "Cocokara" (on the ground floor of Colorful Town Gifu), and takes relocation enquiries by telephone, email and online.

CHAPTER 15A year in Gifu

Temperatures and rainfall are the Japan Meteorological Agency normals for the Gifu Local Meteorological Observatory (the 30-year mean, 1991–2020). The year in this place is set by the heat of summer — 16.7 days above 35°C, 72.0 above 30°C and 26.1 tropical nights, all well above Tokyo. In exchange, there is almost no snow in winter.

Season	Temperature (daily high / daily low)	Rainfall	About this season
Winter December–February	month 1 9.1°C / 0.7°C	January 65.9mm (the driest month)	34cm of snow a year, a normal maximum snow depth of 15cm, and 0.0 days a year below freezing. Frost days number 29.1 a year (Tokyo 15.2). Cold in the morning, warming up during the day
Spring March–May	month 4 20.0°C / 9.4°C	month 4 162.4mm month 5 192.6mm	Mount Kinka and Gifu Park (§11). The season for walking the Nagara River embankment
Summer June–August	month 8 33.4°C / 24.6°C	July 270.9mm (the wettest month)	16.7 days above 35°C, 72.0 above 30°C and 26.1 tropical nights (Tokyo 4.8, 52.1 and 17.8). Also the season of the Nagara River cormorant fishing (§11)
Autumn September–November	month 10 23.6°C / 14.5°C	September 242.7mm (the typhoon season)	Typhoon Vera (Showa 34) and the 9.12 downpour of 12 September (Showa 51) were both in September (§1, §5). Preparing for rain tells in September

Annual rainfall of 1,860.7 millimetres is 1.2 times Tokyo's (1,598.2), heaviest in July and next in September. A town to prepare for rain, not snow. And the annual mean of 16.2°C is almost the same as Tokyo's 15.8°C, yet days above 35°C are 3.5 times as many — a climate where only the peak of summer breaks through. If you can, see the place in summer. And then always open the hazard map for that lot (§5).

Sources: temperatures, rainfall and snow as in §6 (Japan Meteorological Agency normals for the Gifu Local Meteorological Observatory, the 30-year mean 1991–2020; the Tokyo comparisons from the same source) / Typhoon Vera and the 9.12 downpour of 12 September as in §1 and §5 / the cormorant fishing and Mount Kinka as in §11 / verified 2026-08-20

The information on this site is gathered by an AI that visits primary sources — municipalities, the Japan Meteorological Agency, national statistics — on a regular cycle, and it is updated with a source and a date of verification attached.

What is a year in Hadano like?

🔴 The year is set by the heat of summer. An August daily high of 33.4°C, 16.7 days above 35°C, 72.0 above 30°C and 26.1 tropical nights — all well above Tokyo. In exchange, with 34 centimetres of snow a year and 0.0 days below freezing, there is almost nothing to worry about from snow in winter. The rain is heaviest in July at 270.9 millimetres and September at 242.7, and annual rainfall of 1,860.7 millimetres is 1.2 times Tokyo's (1,598.2). 🔴 Typhoon Vera and the 9.12 downpour of 12 September were both in September. If you can, see the place in summer.

CHAPTER 16The people who run this city

When you are thinking about moving, who is running this town now and where they are taking it is something the people about to live here want to know more than the people already living here. This chapter lines up only what Gifu City publishes itself, with sources. 🔴 As of 22 August 2026, following the official site, I (an AI) could find 5 of the 6 items below. The mayor of Gifu City is Shibahashi Masanao (confirmed on the city's own introduction page).

What is published	Published	What you can read
About the mayor	The mayor's room	Name, career, greeting
Policy address	The mayor's explanatory statements	What they say they will do this year
List of council members	List of assembly members	Who the members are, and their groupings
Council broadcasts and recordings	Broadcasts and minutes search	Whether you can watch the council in session
Searchable minutes	Broadcasts and minutes search	Whether you can search past debates by wording
Master plan	Could not find one	How many years ahead this town has decided

Mayor of Gifu CityShibahashi Masanao. The page carrying that name was last updatedReiwa 8 (2026), 2/24.Heisei 30 (2018), month 2is when the career summary says he took office.Reiwa 8 (2026), month 2 it says he was re-elected.
🔴 Age and gender have not been guessed from the name.Only what is published is reproduced here, as published.Gifu City introduction page →

How much of the council can you see?A list of members, live or recorded broadcasts of full sessions, and searchable minutes — where these three are published, you can read a town's debates for yourself before you ever move there.
🔴 The names, photographs and social media of individual council members are not carried on this site. We point you to where you can read them.
Once you have moved, when your own turn to decide comes round is something those three will tell you.

🔴 We could not find a master planFollowing the official site, we could not find a page for a master plan or basic vision (checked 2026-08-22).That does not mean there is none.🔴 To municipalities and local organisations — tell us the URL and we will put it here.Get in touch here →

🔴 What I will not do in this chapter1. I will not guess gender or age from a name. Only what is published appears here. 2. I will not write that anything is good or bad. Only what is being put forward, and where it comes from. 3. I will not compare election candidates.
🔴 And mayors change. This site always records the date it checked (2026-08-22), and reopens the original page each time to confirm by machine that the name is still there. If you notice something has nonetheless gone out of date, please let us know.

Source: allofficial site (Gifu City ), followed on 2026-08-22. What this site counted wasonly whether something is published or not ; the content has not been judged / verified 2026-08-22

Who runs Gifu City now?

The mayor of Gifu City is Shibahashi Masanao (confirmed on the city's introduction page on 22 August 2026). What this site looks for is six things: an introduction to the head of the municipality, the policy address, the list of assembly members, live broadcasts of the assembly, a search of the minutes, and the comprehensive plan. 🔴 No judgement of good or bad is made here. Only whether something is published or not.

CHAPTER 17Where to go on a day off

What does not show up in the numbers of a house search, but bears directly on how satisfied you are once you live there, is days off. This chapter counts, on the same measure for every area, the places you can go on a day off in Gifu and the places family and friends can stay when they visit. In this area there are now 9 hot springs and day baths, 1 amusement park, zoo or aquarium and 1 roadside station. 🔴 All counts are the numbers registered in the map data (OpenStreetMap) — in reality there may be more.

What	Number counted, and names
♨ Hot springs and day baths	Aqua Resort Gifu; Fuji-no-Yu, Yu-no-Yamayo, Kintaro-yu, Hatsuhi-yu (closed), Sagi-no-Yu, Fukuju-yu, Ishikin Ikoi-no-Yu, Mitahora Shinbutsu Onsen and 9 facilities in all
🏯 Castles and castle sites	Kurono Castle Ruins Park, Gifu Castle (2 places)
🎡 Amusement parks, zoos and aquariums	Mount Kinka Squirrel Village
🖼 Museums, galleries and memorial halls	Gifu University Faculty of Education Local History Museum, Gifu City Museum of History annexe, Kato Eizo and Tokazu Memorial Art Museum, Museum of Fine Arts Gifu, the Museum of Teeth, Gifu Women's University Digital Museum, Gifu Prefectural Museum of History and Archives, Gifu City Museum of History, Gifu Castle Museum and 15 museums in all
⛩ Shrines and temples	139 shrines and 120 temples. Those with a Wikipedia entry are Mieji, Yakushi-ji, Seikan-ji, Jion-ji, Jodo-ji, Zenrin-ji, Kashimori Shrine and Kogane Shrine
🚗 Roadside stations	Yanaizu
🐕 Dog runs	Not found in the map data
🛣 Expressway service and parking areas	Gifu-Miwa PA

Somewhere to stay — for family and friends, and for your own travels

What	Number counted
🏨 Hotels and ryokan	25
🏠 Guesthouses and hostels	Not found in the map data
⛺ Campsites and auto-campsites	Campsites
🏕 Glamping	Not found among the campsite or hotel names
🚐 RV parks (overnight in your vehicle)	Not found in the map data

This table is the result of me (an AI) putting the same question to the map data for every area (areas are retrieved in batches, so the verification date on some pages is a day apart). Facilities not registered on the map are not counted. "Not found" does not mean "there are none" — nor that the town is any the lesser for it.

Sources: the counts and names of facilities fromOpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL) / RV parks fromJapan RV Association, list of certified "Kuruma-tabi" RV parks / roadside stations fromMinistry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, list of "michi-no-eki" roadside stations / expressway service and parking areas, and the shops inside them, also from OpenStreetMap (judged by machine on whether they fall within the site outline) / verified 2026-08-20

Are there places to go on a day off, and places to stay?

Counting from the map data (OpenStreetMap) and the lists kept by the Japan RV Association and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, there are 9 hot springs and day baths, 1 amusement park, zoo or aquarium, 1 roadside station and 25 hotels and ryokan. Facilities not on the map are not counted, so in reality there may be more (see §17).

What I (an AI) was able to find on this town's official site

This site reads the official websites of every area it covers against the same 30 items, out of 100, measuring how quickly someone thinking of moving can reach the information they need. What was measured is the official website of Gifu City, and the total was 56 points (measured 20 August 2026).

"Not found" does not mean "there is none." It means I followed the official site and could not find it. Tell us the published page and the next measurement will reflect it.

Area	Score	What was found
Getting started with a move	11 / 20	There is a relocation and settlement page; a contact point (department, telephone, opening hours); support schemes state amounts and conditions
Housing	0 / 15	Not found
The money side of living here	7 / 15	Water and sewerage charges are readable from a rate table; child-raising support is specific about amounts and scope; there are explanations of national health insurance tax and fixed asset tax; and 1 more
Disaster information	17 / 20	Hazard maps are published by district; flood, landslide and earthquake are all covered; they are machine-readable (a map system or text PDF); and 1 more
Industry and local produce	8 / 10	A list of local speciality products is on the official site; hometown tax results are published year by year; there are support schemes for businesses and industry
Transport	7 / 10	There is a community bus timetable; fares are stated
Can an AI read it?	6 / 10	Every page shows an update date / site search runs server-side / statistics are published as Excel or CSV

See all 30 items and the pages used to judge them

3 / 3　There is a relocation and settlement page
Settlement support　Go and see → 0 / 3　There is a dedicated relocation site
Only pages within the official site 3 / 3　A contact point (department, telephone, opening hours)
3 of department, telephone and opening hours were stated　Go and see → 5 / 5　Support schemes state amounts and conditions
Both amounts and conditions　Go and see → 0 / 3　There is trial housing or a trial-stay scheme
Not found 0 / 3　Vacancies in trial housing are published
Not found 0 / 4　There is an akiya bank
Not found 0 / 4　Listings carry photographs, price, year built and floor area
There is no property data this site can take in 0 / 4　Completed deals are organised
As above 0 / 3　The conditions of use are stated
Not found 1 / 5　Water and sewerage charges are readable from a rate table
There is a water and sewerage page　Go and see → 3 / 5　Child-raising support is specific about amounts and scope
Grants are described　Go and see → 1 / 3　There are explanations of national health insurance tax and fixed asset tax
There is a tax page　Go and see → 2 / 2　Tie-ups with banks for mortgages and the like
　Go and see → 5 / 5　Hazard maps are published by district
6 documents by district　Go and see → 5 / 5　Flood, landslide and earthquake are all covered
Flood / landslide / earthquake　Go and see → 0 / 3　The year the assumptions were last reviewed is stated
Not found　Go and see → 4 / 4　Is it machine-readable (a map system or a text PDF)?
Viewable in a map system　Go and see → 3 / 3　Disasters are announced through more than one channel
Disaster email / social media / disaster radio / TV and radio　Go and see → 5 / 5　A list of local speciality products is on the official site
6 items (the city's official site)　Go and see → 1 / 3　Hometown tax results are published year by year
Not found　Go and see → 2 / 2　There are support schemes for businesses and industry
Promotion of local industry　Go and see → 4 / 4　There is a community bus timetable
　Go and see → 3 / 3　Fares are stated
　Go and see → 0 / 3　The date of the last revision is given
Not found　Go and see → 3 / 3　Every page carries an updated date
19 of the 20 pages read　Go and see → 0 / 2　There is a sitemap.xml
Not found 2 / 2　Site search runs on the server side
　Go and see → 1 / 2　Statistics are published as Excel or CSV
There is a statistics page　Go and see → 0 / 1　Open data is published
Not found

Compare with other towns → 　For municipalities and local organisations (get in touch here) →

Measurement by this site. The URL of each official site was taken from the municipal information published by Furusato Choice. The score is a score for publishing information, not a score for how good the place is to live / verified 2026-08-20

Compare with other areas

Every page has the same 17 chapters in the same order. Move between them and you can compare the same line.

Areas in the Chubu region

Fukui (Ichijodani and the Asuwa River, the Hokuriku Shinkansen)Fukui City, Fukuilistings145 listings / ¥2,200,000–AtamiAtami City, Shizuokalistings180 listings / ¥2,300,000–Kofu (1 hr 28 min to Shinjuku by limited express; the castle town of Takeda Shingen and a city of jewellery)Yamanashi Prefecture, Kofu Citylistings239 listings / ¥1,600,000–Saku (the Sakudaira plain)Saku City, Naganolistings46 listings / ¥2,500,000–

Places you could look at for a similar price

Ikoma (no change to Hommachi)Ikoma City, Naralistings181 listings / ¥1,980,000–Utsunomiya (53 min from Tokyo by shinkansen, a town with a brand-new LRT line)Utsunomiya City, Tochigilistings618 listings / ¥1,980,000–Takarazuka (revue and hot springs, 28 min to Osaka)Takarazuka City, Hyogolistings507 listings / ¥1,990,000–Akita (the Kanto festival and the port, on the Sea of Japan side of Tohoku)Akita City, Akitalistings259 listings / ¥2,000,000–

Compare areas by budget and region →

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