What Is the Setogawa Canal in Hida-Furukawa, and When Are the Carp Away?
This guide is for visitors who have seen photos of the white-walled storehouses and the carp in Hida-Furukawa. They want to know what the place is and when the carp are not there. It covers the canal, the seasons, the winter move of the carp and what the old town looks like around it.
We used the official tourism site of Hida City, which is in Japanese, and translated the facts ourselves. All pages were read on 2026-10-04. We name no shops, hotels or restaurants.
What the Setogawa canal is
The tourism site's spot page calls the Setogawa canal and the white-walled storehouse district the face of the castle town of Hida-Furukawa. It says the setting is rich in atmosphere. The site's page on standard sights says it is a five-minute walk from Hida-Furukawa Station.
It says that behind the canal stand the white-walled storehouses of two sake breweries and the stone wall of the Enkoji temple. It says more than a thousand colorful carp swim in the canal. The page says both breweries are listed as registered tangible cultural properties.
Seasons by the water
The spot page says each season gives a different feeling. It lists new green leaves in spring, the cool sound of water in summer, autumn leaves and snow in winter. It adds that visitors can feed the carp, which has become a popular activity.
The page says the carp are fed regular special pellets, and also the wafer shells discarded when a local company makes its ice cream. If you want to feed them, ask staff or follow any signs, because we did not read rules about feed that visitors may bring.
When the carp are away
Both pages say the carp are moved for the winter. The spot page says they are usually moved from late November to early April to a pond at the Masushima castle site, and that they return to the canal in spring. The sights page words the same rule as no carp from late November to early April.
That means the canal looks different in winter. If the carp are the reason for your trip, plan to come between spring and early November. We did not read the exact return date, so ask at the information center if your trip is near either end.
The streets around the canal
The tourism site's page on Hida City's charms says the center of Furukawa was almost entirely lost in a great fire in 1904. It says the people then rebuilt their homes in the traditional style. Some traditional townhouses remain, mainly on the Tonomachi, Ichinomachi and Ninomachi streets, and newer houses also use the carpenters' techniques.
The page lists bay windows, latticed windows, plastered walls and a decoration called kumo, or cloud, under the eaves. It says each Hida carpenter makes the cloud in his own shape, like an emblem. It adds that walking maps are handed out at the tourist information centers and at the Takumi Bunkakan museum.
The temples and the January lights
The sights page names three large temples in the town: Enkoji, Honkoji and Shinshuji. It says Enkoji survived a great fire, that Honkoji is the biggest wooden building in Hida, and that Shinshuji has a roof with a beautiful curve set against a red bridge. It suggests walking between them and comparing them.
On the night of January 15, the town's candle custom called Sanji-mairi puts a thousand candles along the canal, according to the tourism site's 2026 announcement. The candles burned from 16:00 to 20:30 that year. Our guide to the festivals has the details.
Getting there and parking
The spot page says to use the free parking at Hida City Hall or the lot behind the station if you come by car. Our guide to visiting on foot, by bicycle or by car covers lockers, bicycles and the information centers.
What we could not verify, and therefore left out
- The exact dates when the carp leave and return in your year.
- Kimono rental terms for ordinary days, which the spot page mentions for one shop only.
- Snow and ice conditions on the paths in winter.
- Any claim about the number of visitors.
Related guides
- How do you visit Hida-Furukawa on foot, by bicycle or by car?
- What is the Furukawa Festival, and what other festivals does Hida-Furukawa hold?
Sources
All URLs retrieved 2026-10-04.
- Setogawa and the white-walled storehouses (Hida City official tourism site, in Japanese) — (carp, seasons, parking)
- Standard sights of Hida-Furukawa (Hida City official tourism site, in Japanese) — (canal, temples, breweries)
- Sanji-mairi (Hida City official tourism site, in Japanese) — (candles in January)
- Six reasons to visit Hida City (Hida City official tourism site, in Japanese) — (the 1904 fire and the townhouses)