Nagoya Castle, Aichi Prefecture, Japan
Photo: A.Davey via Flickr · CC BY 2.0
愛知CHŪBU
CHŪBU · 愛知県 · Japan

Aichi

Nagoya's castle and industry, plus samurai-era history.

Aichi, centered on Japan's fourth-largest city Nagoya, is the heartland of the auto industry (home to Toyota) and home to feudal landmarks like Nagoya Castle and the ancient Atsuta Shrine. Its Mikawa Bay coast offers small islands and the original wooden keep of Inuyama Castle, one of Japan's oldest.

Aichi (愛知) produced three of Japan's great unifiers — Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu. Nagoya (名古屋) later became an industrial giant and the birthplace of Toyota.

Nagoya 名古屋Inuyama 犬山Takeshima 竹島
Where it isAichi, CHŪBU
Nagoya Castle, Aichi Prefecture, Japan
Nagoya Castle
Atsuta Jingu, Aichi Prefecture, Japan
Atsuta Jingu
Inuyama Castle, Aichi Prefecture, Japan
Inuyama Castle
Tokoname Pottery Footpath, Aichi Prefecture, Japan
Tokoname Pottery Footpath
Arimatsu Shibori district, Aichi Prefecture, Japan
Arimatsu Shibori district

Photos: Nagoya Castle — bryan... via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Atsuta Jingu — bryan... via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Inuyama Castle — digi0712 via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Tokoname Pottery Footpath — Hyppolyte de Saint-Rambert via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 · Arimatsu Shibori district — Tomio344456 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

01

Getting there

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Nagoya is ~1h40m from Tokyo and ~50 min from Kyoto by Tōkaidō Shinkansen.

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02

What to see

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Nagoya Castle, Aichi Prefecture, JapanTop pick

Nagoya Castle (名古屋城)

Former seat of the Owari Tokugawa, famous for its golden shachihoko (tiger-fish ornaments) and the lavishly restored Honmaru Palace with gold-leaf screen…

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Top pick

Atsuta Jingu / Atsuta Shrine (熱田神宮)

One of Japan's most revered Shinto shrines (over 1,900 years old), enshrining the sacred sword Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi; its Treasure Hall holds a large rotating…

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Inuyama Castle, Aichi Prefecture, JapanTop pick

Inuyama Castle (犬山城)

Japan's oldest existing wooden castle keep, a designated National Treasure perched above the Kiso River, with a historic castle town below.

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03

What to eat

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Miso katsu, Aichi Prefecture, JapanMust-eat

Miso katsu (味噌カツ)

Panko-breaded deep-fried pork cutlet smothered in a rich red aka-miso sauce made from Aichi's signature long-aged soybean (Hatcho) miso. A definitive 'Nagoya…

Hitsumabushi, Aichi Prefecture, JapanMust-eat

Hitsumabushi (ひつまぶし)

Charcoal-grilled freshwater eel over rice, said to have originated in Nagoya. Eaten in three styles: plain, with condiments (nori, wasabi, green onion), and…

Miso nikomi udon, Aichi Prefecture, JapanMust-eat

Miso nikomi udon (味噌煮込みうどん)

Thick, firm udon noodles simmered in a hearty red-miso broth with chicken, tofu and vegetables, served bubbling in a clay pot. A comforting Aichi staple.

04

Aichi at a glance

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05

Say it in Aichi

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Ask a local
Osusume wa nan desu ka?
What do you recommend?
Test yourself
Local word
miso-katsu
pork cutlet with rich red-miso sauce, a Nagoya classic
Test yourself
One more
Koko no aji wa kakubetsu desu ne.
The flavor here is really exceptional, isn't it?
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Nagoya Castle, Aichi Prefecture, Japan

Sleep in Aichi

Compare ryokan, business hotels and local inns.

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07

Next door

GifuThatched mountain villages and the riverside old town of Takayama.MieJapan's holiest shrine at Ise and the pearl-diving Ama tradition.Play the 47-prefecture mapUnlock Aichi in the RPG-style explorer.

Links marked PR are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Photos: Nagoya Castle — A.Davey via Flickr, CC BY 2.0 · Nagoya Castle — bryan... via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Atsuta Jingu — bryan... via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Inuyama Castle — digi0712 via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Tokoname Pottery Footpath — Hyppolyte de Saint-Rambert via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 · Arimatsu Shibori district — Tomio344456 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Nagoya Castle — bryan... via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Inuyama Castle — bethom33 via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Miso katsu — *_* via Flickr, CC BY 2.0 · Hitsumabushi — t-mizo via Flickr, CC BY 2.0 · Miso nikomi udon — amanderson2 via Flickr, CC BY 2.0. Map: Geolonia (MIT).