Traveling Aispo-kun
To the recommended spots by teams and players in Aichi Case#5

FC Maruyasu Okazaki × Okazaki City

Explore places recommended by teams and players in Aichi with Aispo-kun!
The fifth edition features must-visit spots in Okazaki City, recommended by players and the manager of FC Maruyasu Okazaki, a professional football team based in Okazaki, which currently plays in Japan Football League (JFL).
Let's go out to Okazaki City, which is rich in nature and has many historical attractions!

Maruyasu Industries Football Club
FC Maruyasu Okazaki

A community-based soccer team Aiming for Japan’s number one from Okazaki

The club was established in 1968 as the corporate team of Maruyasu Industries Co., Ltd., an automobile parts manufacturer in Okazaki City. The club was promoted to the JFL in 2014. On May 6, 2023, the team won the 28th Aichi Prefecture Soccer Championship for the fifth time in three years, and represented Aichi Prefecture in the Emperor's Cup JFA 103rd All-Japan Soccer Championship.
Address: 1 Kitayama, Hashime-cho, Okazaki City

Recommended by Shuto WATANABE

　

Okazaki Park

About 15 minutes on foot from Higashi-Okazaki Station on the Meitetsu Nagoya Main Line

Birthplace of Tokugawa Ieyasu Attracting attention from all of Japan

This is a vast 10-hectare historical park built on the ruins of Okazaki Castle. In addition to the magnificent castle tower, there are many historical sites that are steeped in history, such as a shrine and tea houses. The park is also known for cherry blossoms and autumn leaves. During the summer festival, the park hosts one of the best fireworks displays in Japan and is crowded with many people. Inside the park, martial arts shows are performed by the Great Ieyasu-ko Aoi Busho Tai, a performing samurai team.
Address: 561-1 Kosei-cho, Okazaki City
Tel: 0564-24-2204
Hours: 9:00–17:00 (Taiga Drama Museum)
Open throughout the year

Okazaki Castle was selected as one of the 100 best castles in Japan. The white castle tower soars into the sky.

Statue of Tokugawa Ieyasu erected to commemorate the 350th anniversary of his death.

Currently, the Mikawa Samurai Yakata Ieyasu Museum is closed, but the Taiga Drama Museum is open.

　
　

Recommended by Sho HANAI

　

Okazaki City Ryuhoku General Sports Ground (Maruyasu Okazaki Ryuhoku Stadium)

About 15 minutes by car from Okazaki IC on the Tomei Expressway

Renovated in 2020!
A comprehensive outdoor sports facility

FC Maruyas Okazaki's home games are held at this stadium, commonly known as Maruyasu Okazaki Ryuhoku Stadium. The ownership of the stadium was transferred from Aichi Prefecture to Okazaki City in 2018, and the stadium was reopened after a renovation in 2020. The vast grounds include a stadium that doubles as an all-weather paved track, as well as a baseball ground, tennis courts, and a soccer/rugby field. American football games are also held at this stadium.
Address: 12-2 Kameyama, Shinden-cho, Okazaki City
Tel: 0564-46-3261
Hours: 9:00–21:00
Closed: Wednesdays (the following weekday if Wednesday is a national holiday) and New Year holidays

Maruyasu Okazaki Ryuhoku Stadium with natural turf, where home games of the Maruyasu Okazaki are held.

　
　

Recommended by Manager Hiroyasu IBATA

　

Hana-Musubi

About 5 minutes by car from Daimon Station on the Aichi Loop Line

Handmade rice balls and side dishes with a relaxing taste

Hana-Musubi is a shop specializing in handmade rice balls that give customers a feeling of warmth. The rice used is Milky Queen from Mie Prefecture, and more than 20 types of freshly made rice balls are always on display at the shop. All ingredients for the rice balls are handmade. The shop also offers a wide variety of side dishes such as dashimaki tamago (Japanese rolled omelet) made with brand-name eggs, and freshly deep-fried chicken. The shop sometimes sets up a stall at the Maruyasu Okazaki Ryuhoku Stadium when FC Maruyasu Okazaki's home games are held.
Address: 2-15-1 Kamisato, Okazaki City
Tel: 0564-26-2720
Hours: 10:00–17:00
Closed: Sundays and other irregular holidays

Rice balls with original fillings are available, such as salmon and wood ear mushroom with chili oil, and egg and mentaiko (spicy cod roe).

The shop has an eat-in corner with four seats.
Side-dish sets and rice ball sets are also available.

　
　

Recommended by Eitaro TSUNOI

　

Daijuji Temple

From Higashi-Okazaki Station on the Meitetsu Nagoya Main Line, take a Meitetsu bus and get off at Daijuji Temple bus stop, then walk about 7 minutes

A temple related to the Tokugawa shogun clan, where Ieyasu vowed to make a comeback

Daijuji Temple is a family temple of the Tokugawa shogun clan and their ancestors, the Matsudaira family. The tombs of eight generations of the Matsudaira family and life-sized mortuary tablets of successive Tokugawa shogun rest here. It is a historical temple to which Ieyasu, who was defeated by the Oda forces in the Battle of Okehazama, fled for refuge and where he vowed to stage his comeback to build the world of Taihei. The straight line connecting Daijuji Temple and Okazaki Castle is called the Vista Line, which has been protected as a historical view to this day. FC Maruyasu Okazaki also prayed for victory at this temple before the start of the season.
Address: 5-1 Hiromoto, Kamoda-cho, Okazaki City
Tel: 0564-21-3917
Hours: 9:00–16:00
Open throughout the year

A Jodo sect temple built in 1475

The bell tower built by Tokugawa Iemitsu, the third Tokugawa shogun, was designated a prefectural cultural property.

　
　

Recommended by Takefumi HOSOMI

　

Super Sento (public bathhouse) “Furoya”

About 10 minutes by car from Otogawa Station on the Meitetsu Nagoya Main Line

Spacious bathtubs and saunas help soothe fatigue from training

This public bathhouse has various types of baths—an open-air bath, electric bath, jet bath, and so on. Bathing in this facility is essential for FC Maruyasu Okazaki’s players to care for their bodies. This bathhouse has a good reputation for its massage and akasuri (Korean body scrub) services, and it also has a well-stocked manga (comic book) corner. The restaurant serves curry motsunabe (intestine hotpot), fried chicken wings, and other dishes.
Address: 6-1 Nishigoihara, Hora-cho, Okazaki City
Tel: 0564-28-3557
Hours: 8:00–24:00
Open throughout the year

In addition to various types of baths, there are two types of saunas: a high-temperature sauna and a salt sauna.
Various events are held throughout the year.

　
　

Recommended by Aispo-kun

　

Kakukyu (Hatcho-Miso no Sato)

About 5 minutes on foot from Okazaki Koen-mae Station on the Meitetsu Nagoya Main Line

A factory tour where you can learn about Hatcho Miso and brewing culture in detail

Kakukyu is a miso manufacturer that has continued to produce Hatcho Miso since the early Edo period. It has a museum where visitors can learn about the history of miso making. Guided tours of the miso warehouse, where Hatcho Miso is made using traditional methods that do not use additives or heat sterilization, are offered daily. At the end of the tour, visitors can sample miso soup. There are also a store and a restaurant where visitors can taste miso-flavored soft ice cream and other delicacies.
Address: 69 Hatcho-cho, Okazaki City
Tel: 0564-21-1355
Hours: 9:00–17:00 (Factory tour: 10:00–16:00)
Open throughout the year (except for the Bon holidays and New Year [see the website for details])

Natural river stones are piled into a cone shape on top of a wooden tub, and the miso is left in the tub to mature for over two years (two summers and two winters) to become Hatcho Miso.

A historical museum that recreates the traditional miso-making process with life-sized dolls.