Vol.1
Grand Sumo and Castle Town

Did you know that Nagoya is the only place where a grand sumo tournament is held within the territory of a castle? Let’s take a walk and explore the Nagoya castle town that’s full of historical streetscapes and new points of interest.

Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament

Held at Dolphins Arena (Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium) every July, it’s best known and loved for exciting, heated matches right in the middle of Japan’s hot, humid summer.

Kinshachi Yokocho (5-minute walk from the tournament venue)

Nagoya Castle Main Gate
Yoshinao Zone

This is THE place to try Nagoya-meshi (Nagoya cuisine)!
　Yoshinao Zone around the castle’s main gate is full of eateries offering Nagoya-meshi. Here, it’s not just the standard dishes such as Hitsumabushi (grilled eel on rice), Miso-katsu (pork cutlet with thick miso sauce) and Miso nikomi udon (udon noodles simmered in miso broth). You won’t find some dishes anywhere else but here in Yoshinao Zone.

Yoshinao Zone with merchant houses built with Kiso cypress, cypress grown in Kiso (southeastern region in Nagano Prefecture), known to be a high-grade wood

Nagoya Castle East Gate
Muneharu Zone

Full of new gourmet food!
　Muneharu Zone near the castle’s east gate is the place to try new and up-and-coming eateries popular among the locals. Savor the locals’ recommendations at restaurants and Italian-cuisine bars here, such as delicacies made with local and Aichi ingredients and popular ramen noodle menus.

Muneharu Zone with buildings of modern architecture, dramatically different from the streetscape of Yoshinao Zone

«Kinshachi Yokocho Soft-serve Ice Cream» gorgeously covered with gold leaf: JPY 980 in Muneharu Zone

«Ninja Ice Cream» JPY 540

«Kinshachi Parfait» JPY 1,080


A must-have picturesque sight!

Nagoya Castle Hommaru Palace [5-minite walk from the tournament venve]

Finally revealing its authenticity!

After the 10-year restoration work, the Hommaru Palace finally reopened itself to the public this June. Boasting an elegant exterior and interiors gorgeously decorated with paintings on paper sliding doors and screens, accompanied by decorative fittings, the Hommaru Palace is a true pride and pearl of the Japanese history.

Shikemichi [15-minite walk from the tournament venve]

Savor gourmet food at traditional Japanese townhouses reminiscent of the era when merchants served the lord and the castle.

A merchant town formed at the time of building Nagoya Castle. The name «Shikemichi» is derived from the expansion of this street, as a fire prevention method, to 4 measures in width (pronounced as «shike» at the time; approx. 7 meters) after the big fire that destroyed and caused a great damage to the city in 1700. The white-walled storehouses and traditional Japanese townhouses line up here, creating a very special atmosphere of the ancient Nagoya, while housing modern gourmet French cuisine eateries and Western-style cafes.

Shirakabe [10-minite walk from the tournament venve]

Street Full of Quaint Buildings

You can witness a wide variety of architectures with great historical values, ranging from samurai residences of the Edo period (1603-1868) to buildings of the Meiji (1868 - 1912), Taisho (1912 - 1926) and Showa (1926 - 1989) periods. Enjoy the unique architecture of residences that were once built by pottery traders and businessmen: The «old-fashioned & modern» architectural tastes infused with mixtures of Japanese- and Western-styles. Restaurants and cafes are housed in some of these buildings as well.

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