Mino Washi Akari Exhibition 美濃和紙あかりアート展

Come to Mino City and enjoy a traditional form of papermaking called Mino washi. Every October, a festival of art and light, the Mino Washi Akari Exhibition, celebrates this famous local craft.

Mino City is accessible by train. From Gifu Station take the JR Takayama Line to Mino-Ota Station. Change to the Nagaragawa Railway for Minoshi Station. The trip takes a little over an hour.

Mino has long been synonymous with Mino washi, a traditional style of paper produced in the area since the eighth century. In 2014 UNESCO recognized the paper and its production method as an intangible cultural heritage.

On the weekend before Sports Day (the second Monday of October), Mino devotes itself to an impressive international arts festival. Akari art, the technique of shining light through Mino washi, is the highlight. During the festival, the whole town is illuminated by approximately 400 pieces of Akari art.

In the evenings of the festival, visitors from all around Japan mix with artists from every corner of the globe to view the art and enjoy local food and drink. The old town of Mino is immersed in a joyous, festive spirit.