What to Do in Inuyama

In the shadow of the Inuyama Castle, the Inuyama Shitamachi, literally “low town,” is a finely preserved slice of traditional urban life. The walk from Inuyama Station to Inuyama Castle threads through narrow streets that evoke different eras of local history: there are ancient temples, well-preserved townhouses, a taste of the ‘50s and ‘60s on Showa Yokocho, and the jokamachi, the road leading up to the elegant fortress that anchors the town.

Inuyama

Aichi Pref

View All

Go here

Rent a kimono

Renting a kimono or yukata from one of the local rental outfits is a great way to immerse oneself in history—there are selfie-snapping girls in elaborate kimono, as well as couples decked out in traditional garb, the men in sober black and women in colorful yukata. Stroll the shops on the lanes south of the castle, and try local treats like the brown sugar and soybean flour confection, genkotsu-ame, or ice cream concocted from the local pickled daikon.

Showa Yokocho

Many here remain nostalgic for the days of the late-Showa, a time of baby booms and a runaway economy that restored prosperity to postwar Japan. Showa Yokocho is a recreation of the once-ubiquitous dining-and-drinking alleys—perhaps the American equivalent would be a 1950s-style diner playing Frankie Avalon’s greatest hits over a vintage hi-fi.

昭和横丁

愛知県犬山市犬山西古券

View All

Go here

Eat miso katsu don

Showa Yokocho is the perfect spot to sample a local treat: miso katsu don. A thin pork cutlet is smothered with a sauce of red bean paste, aka miso. It pushes all the flavor and texture buttons: crispy and rich pork, sour, sweet and salty sauce, a faint bite of mustard—and a pillow of white rice to cradle it.

Inuyama Castle

Unlike other castles in the prefecture, Inuyama Castle, looking out over the Kiso River, was spared the cycle of decay, demolition and rebuilding, leaving an interior that is comparatively untouched. The attached Shiro-to-Machi Museum is also worth a visit for its impressive diorama alone.

A National Treasure, Inuyama Castle

4.5

1053 Reviews

Aichi Pref. Inuyamashi Inuyama Kitakoken 65-2

0568611711

9:00-17:00(Last entry16:30)

View All

Go here

indigo Inuyama Urakuen Garden

103-1 Aza Kitakoken, Oaza Inuyama Aichi

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Sanko Inari Shrine

On the castle grounds, Sanko Inari Shrine's tunnel of vermilion tori gates lead up to a picturesque shrine that was called upon for centuries by the guardians of Inuyama Castle. Take a picture under the tori and then make a wish for luck in love or finance.

Sanko Inari Shrine

4.0

132 Reviews

Aichi Pref. Inuyamashi Inuyama Kitakoken 65-18

0568610702

8:30-16:30

View All

Go here

indigo Inuyama Urakuen Garden

103-1 Aza Kitakoken, Oaza Inuyama Aichi

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Narita-san Temple

The Narita-san Temple is a complex associated with the founder of Shingon Buddhism and with its mother temple near what is now Narita Airport in Chiba Prefecture, outside Tokyo. The temple, like Inuyama Castle, is perched above the Kiso River. After offering incense and enjoying the views out across the city and the Nobi Plain, the nearby Urakuen Garden, on the path back to the castle, is worth stopping by.

Naritasan Nagoya Betsuin Temple

4.0

67 Reviews

Aichi Inuyama-shi Inuyama Kita Hakusan

0568612583

[Prayer] 7:00-15:00 (every 2…

View All

Go here

Meiji Mura

The chaotic history of Japan before the Meiji Restoration in 1868, and the warfare and natural disasters that Japan experienced in the century that followed, have reduced many historical buildings to rubble. The Meiji Mura, a thirty minute ride by bus from Inuyama Station, gathers historical buildings from the previous hundred and fifty years, and displays them, carefully preserved in an open-air museum. One can stroll through the main gate of Kanazawa Prison (seen above), visit a half-timber prefectural post office from Mie, and even step foot in the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Imperial Hotel—all accessible by steam train tour. This is a museum not to be missed.

Museum Meiji-Mura

4.5

501 Reviews

Aichi Pref. Inuyamashi Uchiyama 1

0568670314

[Mar.--July, Sep.--Octo.] 9:…

View All

Go here

Meiji Mura Admission in Aichi

¥0

Update date：2024/04/24