Ayu Sweetfish Regional Dining Experience in Gifu

Kawaramachi in Gifu Prefecture was a prosperous port during the Edo era, located along the Nagara River. This charming neighborhood in Gifu City is renowned for its traditional crafts and confectioneries, as well as its well-preserved old architecture. History is alive in Kawaramachi, and today, it is famous for the 1300-year-old practice of Ukai (cormorant fishing), which uses cormorant birds to catch ayu sweetfish in the evening, by the light of a burning fire. This ayu dining experience will allow guests to taste the local cuisine of Kawaramachi, featuring ayu sweetfish prepared in a variety of ways over the 9-course meal, including charcoal-grilled, as tempura, and in a sushi roll. The masterfully-crafted meal places a spotlight on this regional delicacy, culminating with an exceptional bowl of ayu ramen. The broth is light, but packed with umami, and topped off with a fillet of ayu that has been grilled over charcoal. Join this dining experience to experience the authentic and unique ayu cuisine of the Nagara River region. If you’re visiting Gifu Prefecture, this ayu dining experience must be a part of your itinerary, and if not, the local traditions make Gifu worth a special trip. The dishes in this ayu course meal include: -Appetizer platter -Grilled sweetfish sushi roll -Ayu rillette, white ripe cream and seasonal vegetable salad -Charcoal-grilled / natural ayu salt-yaki -Charcoal grilled / ayu urakayaki (cultured sweetfish) -Tempura of young ayu and seasonal vegetables (ayu sansho salt) -Pickles / tsukudani -Homemade gelato -Ayu ramen