This article was originally published in Stripes Japan; ideally I’ll do full blown pieces on each of these locations. Plus Meiji-mura, again.
Nagoya is an easy access point into Japan’s cultural heartland. It is also one which samurai armies fought for over centuries and several aspects of this history are still preserved there to this day. We spent a week in the Nagoya City and the surrounding countryside for a look at the castle towns, 20th Century architectural works of art and other wonders this region has to offer.
Day 1 and 2: Meiji-mura, Aichi
Our trip began, as it always does, when we come to Aichi, with two days at Meiji-mura in Inuyama. About 45 minutes from Nagoya, Meiji-mura is an open-air architectural park composed of more than 60 real historic buildings from the late 1800s and early 1900s from all over Japan brought together like a small village to teach about the era. These include everything from the homes of famous authors to a hotel designed by Frank Lloyd Wright with interiors made to look as if still in use or converted into a museum with lots of era-relevant information. Like all good parks, Meiji-mura has rides including a real vintage steam engine with cars and a 1910 Kyoto streetcar! We made our time more memorable by spending a day in vintage costume and kimono for photographs.
Day 3 and 4: Nagahama
Nagahama Castle
10-10 Koencho, Nagahama, Shiga 526-0065
749-63-4611
Kurakabe Square
12-38 Motohamacho, Nagahama City, Shiga 526-0059
749-65-2330
Ando Merchant’s House
8-24 Motohamacho, Nagahama, Shiga 526-0059
0749-65-3935
Our stay in Nagahama brought us closer to the remnant of the Warring States Era. Here, the reconstructed castle has helped the town keep ties to its castle town heritage. This was Totoyotomi Hideyoshi’s first domain as ruler of Japan, and he, along with Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu, is credited for uniting Japan. Thought the impressive rebuilt castle is the centerpiece of the town, there are many historic buildings and temples from the feudal to modern era to enjoy. We stopped at a Kurakabe Square, which was a Victorian bank, and the Ando merchant’s home which is both traditional and artistic with a nice collection of calligraphy made by a renowned master.
Former Kaichi School
2-3 Motohamacho, Nagahama, Shiga 526-0059
On our way to the old Train Station Museum, we came across a group of Noh mask carvers inside the former Kaichi School, an elementary school from the 19th century. Though they don’t do public demonstrations, they invited us in to watch them carve and explain their craft with us.
Nagahama Station Museum
1-41 Kitafuna-cho, Nagahama City, Shiga 526-0057
749-63-4091
Keiunkan
2-5 Minato-cho, Nagahama City, Shiga 526-0067
749-62-0740
A short ways down from the castle town stands Japan’s oldest train station, which today is a railway museum. This was our chance to walk through a preserved 1880s train station and see a few classic train engines. Across from it is Keiunkan Garden, a tranquil spot which cost a small fortune and was constructed to serve as a rest area for the Meiji Emperor while he waited an hour to catch his train (Meiji emperor was kind of a big deal).
Kunitomo Matchlock Museum
534 Kunitomo-cho, Nagahama-shi, Shiga 526-0001
0749-62-1250
http://www.kunitomo-teppo.jp/
Of all the places we visited, Kunitomo Matchlock Musuem was the only one we had to drive out to. The city, Kunitomo-cho, was home to a gunsmith enclave during the Warring States and Edo eras and this museum contains the biggest collection of firearms I’ve ever seen in Japan.
Day 5: Hikone and Sekigahara
Hikone Castle
1-1 Konki-cho, Hikone City, Shiga 522-0061
749-22-2742
Though Nagahama’s rebuilt castle is nice, Hikone is the real deal! Getting there is about a half-hour train ride and it is worth venturing out to as it is a National Treasure and one of the few remaining original Japanese castles left. Its keep is small, but still ringed with walls and towers and surrounded by a moat giving it a sense of scale that most recreations and even surviving castles lack. The castle grounds also house one of Japan’s most beautiful gardens and the castle museum displays the real armor and weapons of Hikone’s daimyo, Ii Naomasa, who fought at Sekigahara. Hikone Castle grounds hold a lot of history that can be easily and affordably taken in making it an excellent day trip for anyone wanting to learn more about feudal Japan.
In both Nagahama and Hikone we stayed at a machiya traditional town house. Our Hikone machiya was owned by a master of the tea ceremony and as part of the stay we were able to participate in a tea ceremony practice session. Good machiya maintain the feel of staying in an old Japanese house, sleeping on tatami mat floors in rooms with sliding doors. In my experience the hosts are always very hospitable and they provide full, seemingly endless meals made from fresh, local produce and meat.
Because of Go to Travel campaign the Hikone machiya cost 5580 yen for both of us with breakfast included. Normally the price would have been 6600 yen per person. The campaign discounts are applied automatically without a need to apply. Hikone also had a Go to Hikone travel campaign that gave us free tickets to visit castle and vouchers for tourism-related activities and shopping which we received when we checked into the machiya. I’d recommend having a Japanese speaking spouse or friend call to make arrangements or use an online booking site. The two machiya we went to had staff that could speak some English.
Gifu Sekigahara Battlefield Museum
894-55 Sekigahara, Sekigahara Town, Fuwa District, Gifu Prefecture 503-1501
0584-47-6070
https://sekigahara.pref.gifu.lg.jp/
Towards the end of the day, we left Hikone and stopped at Sekigahara. This was the most important battle in Japanese history as its victor would rule a peaceful Japan for the next two and a half centuries. By sheer luck we visited on opening day for the new Gifu Sekigahara Battlefield Museum. (Check out our story about it here) The observatory on the top floor lets visitors survey the rural town and countryside and can compare where different armies encampment and see how they moved.
Day 6: Yoro
Senzairo
1079 Yorokoen, Yoro, Yoro District, Gifu 503-1254
0584-32-1118
http://senzairou.com/english.html
Our last night and day before returning to Nagoya was spent at Yoro. This town is one fo the country’s true hidden gems as it used to be a getaway for anyone who was anyone from the crown prince to some of Japan’s great literary and artistic figures in the early 20th century. It has since faded from popular memory, but its fabled waters tasted of sake, could cure illness and rejuvenate the old leading an empress to visit 1300 years ago and name an era after Yoro. Today, it’s a quite green mountain retreat; affordable and unassuming but still home to beautiful nature and healthy water. The biggest natural attraction is Yoro Falls, one of Japan’s 100 best waterfalls.
We stayed at Senzairo, a family-owned inn that’s been around since 1764. Though renovated through the year, Senzairo’s current iteration is from 1880, which gives it a very old, yet warm and inviting vibe. We slept in the same room Crown Prince Yoshihito used when he visited in 1910. Despite the big name guests, Senzairo was only about $140 a night and the Hida beef shabu shabu for dinner was almost too much for us!
Day 7: Nagoya
City Archives
1-3 Shirakabe, Higashi-ku, Nagoya 461-0011
52-953-0051
https://www.futabakan.jp/english/data/ef002.html
Shumoku Café
18 Shumoku-cho 2-chome, Higashi-ku, Nagoya 461-0014
Futabakan
23 Shumoku-cho 3-chome, Higashi-ku, Nagoya 461-0014
52-936-3836
https://www.futabakan.jp/english/history.html
Toyoda Sasuke Residence
8 Chikara-machi 3-chome, Higashi-ku, Nagoya 461-0018
52-972-2732
Returning to Nagoya, but not fully to the current Reiwa Era, our vacation’s last full day was spent walking the Cultural Path, a collection of historic buildings not far from city hall. There were too many to see so we visited the City Archives, Shumoku Café, Futabakan and Toyoda Sasuke Residence before capping the day off with a stroll through Tokugawa Gardens. The City Archives is a former court house whose early 20th century artistry would be at home in Washington D.C. Futabakan is a whimsical and colorful home built for Japan’s first modern actress and her lover, “The King of Electricity.” So I guess they were Japan’s first real “Power Couple.”
Day 8: Handa
Handa Red Brick Place
8 Enokishitacho, Handa, Aichi 475-0867
0569-24-7031
http://handa-akarenga-tatemono.jp/en/
Before flying back to Okinawa we stopped off in Handa, home of the former Kabuto Beer brewery. The brewery one of the largest Victorian red brick buildings in Japan and is now both a beer museum and restaurant where you can drink recreated 1890s and 1920s style Kabuto Beer.