MONET'S POND in GIFU 〈岐阜のモネの池〉

I have always been a fan of Claude Monet. The way he uses the colors especially on the water lilies series took my breath away when I saw it for the first time at exhibition in Tokyo. So when I got the news that there is a pond that actually looks like Monet's painting in Gifu prefecture in Japan, I gathered my things and went to see it right away.

Not trying to compare with the actual painting but pretty amazing right?

The very first thing you'll notice is how clear the water is. They say it's because of the 100% spring water which contains no microorganisms, preventing the water from getting polluted. There are dozens of beautiful Koi fishes swimming around which also gives irreplaceable taste to the pond, making it look like the fishes are flying around the atmosphere.

And also the funny thing that we have noticed is when you see the pond with your own eyes, it doesn't look like painting that much but once you take a picture of it with your camera or i-phone, it suddenly turns into Monet's painting. Hmm... wonders but don't know why.

The pond is located in middle of nowhere but the surrounding nature is absolutely gorgeous. A small shrine is next to the pond which number of prayers visiting have dramatically increased within these couple of years after the discovery of the pond.

Do not use public transport to visit this place.

Put the near restaurant address in your navigation and you'll find the parking space near by. "400-1, Itadori, Seki-shi, Gifu, 501-2901, Japan"

3 tips for happy traveling!

1. Do NOT go if it's raining or cloudy! The sunlight is everything to this pond. Otherwise you'll be seeing a normal pond.

2. Visit in the morning. The pond is getting famous and there are some camera geeks taking over the space!

3. If you want to capture full bloomed lotus flower, visit at beginning of June. If you want capture red/orange colored maples, visit during beginning of November - December.

Oh, and one last thing... DON'T FORGET YOUR CAMERA!

I hope you'll enjoy the beautiful pond and the nature of Gifu Prefecture if you have a chance.

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モネの水連シリーズは初めて東京の展示会で見たときから好きだったので、岐阜県関市にあるモネの池のニュースを聞いたときはすぐにかけつけました。

山からの新鮮な湧き水には養分がなく微生物がいないためこれほど透き通っているとのこと。

あまりにも透明な水の中に鯉が泳いでいるため、光の当たり具合によっては空を飛んでいるような感じでした。

なんか個人的に不思議だったのは、肉眼で見た場合最初の数秒は「ん？これだけ？そんなに絵画っぽくなくない？」って思ったんだけど、いざi-phoneやカメラで写真を撮り画像を確認すると、「あ！モネの絵画だ！」ってなりました。よくわからないけど不思議な感覚。

まわりには何もないので車でいくことがおススメ。すぐ横には根道神社があり、周りの自然は圧巻の美しさです。

「風土や」という飲食店があるのでそこの住所をナビにいれていけば駐車場も近くにありました。〒501-2901岐阜県関市板取400-1

楽しむための３つのポイント

1. 曇りや雨の日には行かないこと！日光の当たり具合がすべての池です。曇っていたり雨が降っていると全く意味がありません。

2. 午前中にいくのがおススメ。有名になってきて最近ではカメラさん達が定位置を動きません。笑

3. 蓮の花を映しこむには6月上旬、紅葉を入れたいのであれば１１月上旬～１２月上旬にいくべき。

あとカメラを忘れずに！

岐阜の美しい池と自然を楽しんでください。

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