Mino — Washi Paper Town
A thousand-year-old washi (Japanese paper) production town with a preserved merchant street whose second-storeys are screened with hanging washi panels instead of shutters. Mino washi is designated a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. Visitors can make their own sheets at several workshops along the Udatsu townscape.
2–3 hours
Free (workshops ¥800)
Town always accessible; Udatsu Gallery and shops: typically 9:00–17:00; washi workshops: bookable
Year-round (October for Akari Art Festival — washi lanterns line every street)
Nagaragawa Railway from Gifu to Mino-shi Station, then bus or shared taxi to washi district (allow 40+ min total from Gifu)
Location
Why Visit
- 1
Mino washi is UNESCO-designated Intangible Cultural Heritage — production unchanged for 1,300 years
- 2
The Udatsu townscape has washi paper hanging in windows as screens — a unique architectural tradition
- 3
Paper-making workshops let you create your own postcards and book covers from mulberry fibre
Local Tips
Mino washi is the most refined of Japan's traditional papers — the preserved udatsu-style merchant town streetscape is a bonus. The autumn Washi no Hi (Paper Day) festival in November covers the town in handmade lanterns. Paper-making workshops (1–2 hours) are bookable at multiple studios for ¥800–1,500 and make for an ideal souvenir.
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