Ena-kyo Valley恵那峡

Popular for its scenery, with cherry, azalea and autumn leaves. A valley with many unusually-shaped stones and rocks.

The Ena Valley is located in the eastern part of Gifu, stretching from the artificial lake where Oi Dam dams the Kiso-gawa River to the upper stream of the Nakatsu-gawa River. The valley has precipitous cliffs with many unusually shaped stones and rocks that were created by erosion. "Kasa-iwa" is a rare rock that looks as if it is piercing the land, and has been designated a natural monument. "Beni-iwa," covered entirely by a reddish brown moss, is another special rock that represents the valley. The Ena Valley is also popular for its scenery with cherry, azalea, and autumn leaves looking even more attractive with the huge rocks.

The Ena Valley can also be seen and enjoyed on board from the sightseeing boats on the river and from the Enakyo Ropeway (gondola). On the north bank of Ena Valley, there is an amusement park called Enakyo Wonderland, where you can enjoy 40 different attractions including a big Ferris wheel from which you can have a 360-degree view of the Ena Valley and the Southern Japanese Alps.

To the south of the Ena Valley runs the Nakasen-do Highway connecting Edo (today's Tokyo) and Kyoto. The area from Magome-juku to Ochiai-juku is called Jikkyoku-toge Pass. This stone-paved, dark, quiet old highway running through a dense hinoki (Japanese cypress) wood remains just as it used to be in the 17th to 19th centuries.