Udatsu Streets of Mino

Mino's old town is one of the best preserved merchant districts in Gifu. The streets are lined with wooden houses from the Edo and Meiji periods, many built by families who grew rich from the washi paper trade, and the area is protected as a historic preservation district.

What makes these streets special are the udatsu: raised, tiled firewalls at the ends of the roofs. They were built to stop fire spreading from house to house, but as the merchants got richer their udatsu got bigger and more decorative, and became a way to show off. Only a successful family could afford them, which is where the Japanese saying 「うだつが上がらない」 (udatsu ga agaranai), "the udatsu won't go up", comes from. It describes someone who never manages to get ahead in life.

A bowl of shaved ice with a brown syrup and cubes of jelly on top — Kakigori shaved ice, the best way to cool down on a hot afternoon.

The Kyu Imai house (旧今井家住宅) belonged to a family who were village heads and washi merchants. It is one of the largest houses in town and has the oldest udatsu in Mino. In the garden there is a suikinkutsu, a buried water jar that rings softly when water drips into it, chosen as one of the 100 Soundscapes of Japan. At the back are the Mino History Museum and old storehouses with displays on the town.

An old wall telephone, an abacus and ledgers on a wooden desk — An old telephone and abacus at the merchant's desk in the Imai house.

A narrow stone path between tall dark wooden walls — A narrow stone path between the wooden walls.

An entrance with a wooden door and a glass window — One of the entrances around the house.

Indigo festival coats hanging on a wooden wall beside a lantern — Festival coats hanging on the walls.

A quiet street of old houses at night with a lit bank sign — The main street at night.

An old storehouse lit up at night at the end of a lawn — An old storehouse lit up after dark.

Old wooden merchant houses lit up at night with the moon above the rooftops — The moon over the old rooftops.

After dark the old town gets very quiet, and with the lights on in the old houses it is a lovely time to walk the streets. The Mino Washi Akari Art Gallery is in the same streets, Mino Bridge over the Nagara River is a short walk north, and the Mino Washi Museum, where you can make your own paper, is a short trip up the valley.

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Mino Washi Akari Art Gallery

Making Paper at the Mino Washi Museum

Mino Bridge on the Nagara River

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