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1868). A number of machiya houses still line the streets, both cozy and massive, and the people of those days enjoyed a vibrant life. The area still retains the ambiance from that time and welcome visitors to the classical Japanese world (Important Preservation District of Historic Buildings). Gujo Odori DanceAbout 400 years ago from today, the castle master in those days encouraged and supported promoting local dance in order to unite people in the town. This was how the famous Gujo Odori dance started. Every night through mid-July to early September, people dance 31 nights in a row in di■erent venues. Particularly noteworthy is the Urabon-e from August 13th to 16th in which people continue to dance throughout the night every night. It is such an energetic and magni■cent festival, attracting an audience of more than 50,000 each night.Yanaka San-kan Three MuseumsYudo-kan collects and exhibits art works by Masao Mizuno (1938 – ) who creates lovely art pieces featuring local objects with washi Japanese paper. Omodaka Yamin Museum exhibits local folk arts and crafts collected by Ryujin Mizuno who is a painter specialized in depicting ayu sweet ■sh. Saito Museum is where visitors can experience an extensive array of tea ceremony utensils and calligraphy works collected by the Saito Family, a prosperous merchant family of the town at one time. These three museums are collectively called “Yanaka San-kan” and impress visitors with the local beauty and folk cultures from Gujo Hachiman.Please visit the website here.Gujo City, Gifu Prefecture29