Exploring Aichi

This is the first prefecture I’m talking about in my new Exploring Japan series.

Aichi Prefecture is situated in the middle of the largest island Honshu.  It has a population of 7,408,640 people.  The capital city is Nagoya, which is one of Japan’s largest cities.  The five largest cities of Aichi are:

1. Nagoya (2,266,249)
2. Toyota (423,343)
3. Ichinomiya (more than 380,000)
4. Toyohashi (383,691)
5. Okazaki (373,339)

Sports

Aichi is home to two major sports teams, the Chunichi Dragons baseball team in Nagoya and the Nagoya Grampus soccer team.

Castles

Aichi has five castles to standing.  Briefly, they are as follows:

Nagoya Castle – This is a reconstruction, although the exterior is very faithful to the original design.  It appears to be quite impressive in photographs.

Inuyama Castle – This is one of Japan’s few remaining original castles.  It’s in Inuyama city.  I’m very interested in seeing this.

Okazaki Castle – A reconstruction in Okazaki city, this is the birthplace of Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Yoshida Castle – Only a replica of the turret stands.  There is no central tower.  It’s in Toyohashi City.

Kiyosu Castle – This is a reconstruction.  Oda Nobunaga lived here at one time.

Things to see and do

In addition to the castles, there are plenty of places I’d like to see.  Here’s a list of those places.  Although not complete, these are the biggest things I’d like to visit and do.

In Nagoya, I’d like to visit the Port of Nagoya Aquarium, the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology, the Toyota Automobile Museum, Nagoya City Science Museum, and numerous shrines and temples.

In Ichinomiya, I’d like to visit Masumida Shrine and attend the Tanabata Festival there.  It’s one of the three biggest Tanabata festivals in Japan.

In Inuyama, I’d like to visit the Meiji Mura Museum, which is an outdoor museum featuring Meiji era architecture.

In Nagakute, I would have visited the 2005 World Expo, but I never did go.  The site is now a large parkland area.

In Okazaki, I’d like to visit the Takisan Temple and the Takisan Toshogu Shrine, which is one of the top three Toshogu shrines in Japan.

In Tahara, I want to see the Tahara Castle Ruins.

In Toyota, I’d like to take a tour of a car factory.  This city was named after the company, interestingly.

Food

There are a lot of local foods in Japan, and Aichi is no exception.  If I had to choose one food from Aichi I’d like to try, it would be tebasaki.  This is chicken wings.  They’re grilled with a sweet, spicy glaze and sesame seeds.  Sounds delicious!

Now it’s your turn.  If you’ve been to Aichi or want to go there, what do you suggest?