Okazaki · 岡崎市

In the winter of 1543, a boy was born in Okazaki Castle who would go on to unite Japan and found a dynasty that lasted 260 years: Tokugawa Ieyasu. A trip to Okazaki takes you in his footsteps, to dark miso that has been aging in cedar barrels for centuries, and to a river over which one of the region's largest fireworks displays lights up the sky each summer.

Okazaki Castle and Ieyasu

The castle keep on a hill above the Oto River was rebuilt in the historical style in 1959 and houses an exhibition on the Matsudaira family, from which Ieyasu descended. In the surrounding Okazaki Park, you'll find a well from which water is said to have been drawn for his first bath, as well as the Mikawa Bushi no Yakata Ieyasu-kan museum, with suits of armor and dioramas of the Battle of Sekigahara. In spring, around 800 cherry trees bloom here, and the castle is illuminated in the evening. Since the NHK series about Ieyasu aired in 2023, noticeably more visitors have been coming.

Sights in Okazaki

Northwest of the center lies Daiju-ji Temple, the Matsudaira family temple and the burial site of several ancestors. From the main gate, you look in a straight line to the castle; even today, no tall buildings are allowed along this sight line. Iga Hachimangū Shrine, with its magnificently lacquered main hall and a red bridge over a lotus pond, was also patronized by the Tokugawa. Along the banks of the Oto, numerous workshops demonstrate the traditional craft of stonemasonry: Okazaki is known throughout Japan for granite stone lanterns that adorn gardens and temples.

Hatchō Miso and Eating in Okazaki

About eight chō, or roughly 870 meters, west of the castle lies the village of Hatchō, which gave its name to the region's most famous miso. Two family-run businesses have made it there since the Edo period: from soybeans and salt, stacked in huge wooden barrels, weighted down with river stones piled in a cone shape, and aged for at least two years. On tours of the breweries, you can smell the deep, slightly bitter aroma. In the city's restaurants, the miso appears in miso-nikomi udon, on fried cutlets as miso katsu, or on dengaku skewers.

Festivals and Going Out

In early August, the Okazaki Fireworks Festival lights up the Oto, with a tradition traced back to the Tokugawa's gunpowder makers; hundreds of thousands watch from the riverbank. In spring, during cherry blossom season, the Ieyasu Gyōretsu takes place, a procession in historical armor. In the evening, nightlife spreads across the alleys around Higashi-Okazaki Station and Kōsei Street, with izakaya, yakitori counters, and a few quiet bars. If you stroll through the city by day, you'll still find a few merchant houses, confectionery shops, and small breweries selling soy sauce and sake along the old Tōkaidō. A walk along the Oto, where cherry trees and stone lanterns stand, pleasantly ties together the castle, workshops, and miso district.

Getting There and Best Time to Visit

On the Meitetsu line, the trip from Nagoya to Higashi-Okazaki takes about 30 minutes; from JR Okazaki Station, you can reach the castle by bus. The Aichi Loop Line connects to Toyota. The best time to visit is cherry blossom season from late March to early April, as well as autumn; summer is hot but rewards you with the fireworks.