Aichi Prefecture

Relatively few travelers have chosen Aichi Prefecture for a vacation so far, which is a mistake. The region around Nagoya is the industrial heart of Japan, but it was also the home of the three unifiers of Japan: Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu. Castles, shrines, a distinctive cuisine and good connections to the Alps make it an underrated destination.

Between Ise Bay and Mikawa

Aichi lies on the Pacific coast in the middle of Honshū. The fertile Nōbi Plain covers the west, where the Kiso and Shōnai rivers flow into Ise Bay. In the east, in the former Mikawa Province, rolling hills give way to the Atsumi Peninsula, which draws visitors with its flower fields and surf beaches. Besides Nagoya, cities such as Toyohashi, Toyota, Okazaki, Ichinomiya, Kasugai, Anjō and Kariya shape the prefecture, many of them closely tied to the auto and parts-supply industries.

Discovering Nagoya

Nagoya Castle, built in 1612 by Tokugawa Ieyasu, is crowned by two golden shachihoko, mythical creatures with a fish's body and a tiger's head. The main keep was destroyed in the war and rebuilt in concrete; the neighboring Honmaru Palace has since been reconstructed using traditional techniques and features magnificently painted sliding doors. The Atsuta Shrine in the south is one of the most important Shintō shrines and, according to tradition, houses the sacred sword of the imperial regalia. Around the Ōsu Kannon Temple you'll find a shopping district with electronics stores, vintage fashion and street stalls. Railway fans visit the SCMaglev and Railway Park, while art lovers head to the Tokugawa Art Museum, which holds picture scrolls illustrating The Tale of Genji.

Sights in Aichi Prefecture

Inuyama Castle on the Kiso River has one of the few original keeps still standing in Japan and is designated a National Treasure. Below the castle, cormorant fishing takes place at night in summer. Nearby, the open-air museum Meiji-mura gathers buildings from Japan's modernization era, including the entrance hall of Frank Lloyd Wright's Imperial Hotel. Okazaki is Ieyasu's birthplace and has its own castle and park. In Toyota, the Toyota Kaikan Museum and factory tours show how cars are made, while in autumn the Kōrankei gorge turns brilliant red. Seto and Tokoname are among Japan's six ancient kilns; the word