Tokai explorations - where hidden gems are located!

*This article is based on the information as of November 2022 and the latest status may have changed.
 

Many of us might not know where the Tokai region is. But believe me, Tokai has a lot to offer!

Follow me and my comprehensive itinerary for 5 days of Tokai exploration in this 4-article series. 
 

Check out the overall itinerary! 
 

Day 1: TOKYO - Matcha experience → Asakusa → Roppongi 
Day 2: AICHI - Nagoya castle → Sakae → Osu shopping district 
Day 3: GIFU – Shirakawa-go → Wada House 
Day 4: GIFU - Hida-Furukawa → Keta-Wakamiya Shrine 
Day 5: AICHI - Kimono experience → Inuyama Castle → Honmachi-dori

My Day 2 exploration started with my journey to Aichi. So where is Aichi?
Aichi is one of Japan’s prefectures in central Honshu Island. Its capital, Nagoya, was a manufacturing hub with lots of factories back in the day. World renowned car maker, Toyota, was also born in Aichi prefecture. Apart from that, Aichi is also famous for its history: it was once a hub for the unification of Japan by famed samurai warlord, Oda Nobunaga.  
 

Day 2: Modern and traditional Nagoya 

First, I took the morning shinkansen train from Shinagawa station to Nagoya station in Aichi.
My first activity was having lunch at Unagi Arimoto, located within walking distance of Kakunozan Station on the Higashiyama Subway Line from Nagoya. Unagi is already so famous in Japan, and Arimoto takes it a step further with their own specialty dishes using unagi (freshwater eel). Qualified craftsmen here carefully grill the high quality unagi with Binchotan charcoal and a long-kept special secret sauce recipe from the Showa (1926-1989) years. Trust me, the taste couldn't be better! For Muslims, you can also request for a Halal Unagi meal, which they will prepare with separate utensils and only use ingredients safe for you to consume. 
 

I continued my Day 2 activities by going to Nagoya castle. Nagoya castle is one of my favorite castles in Japan because of its rich history.  The pair of golden ‘Shachihoko’ – a mythical half-tiger, half-fish monster- atop the castle tower are a symbol of Nagoya, and one of Japan’s most famous. The Hommaru Palace, built in a corner of the castle grounds, is decorated with wall paintings and gorgeous ornaments by Kano school painters. If you’re lucky, you could also take a photo with Samurai and Ninja strolling around the castle grounds. 
 

Next, I went to Sakae. Sakae is Nagoya city’s main shopping and entertainment area. Here, you’ll find the spaceship-like Oasis 21, as well as the Nagoya TV Tower standing tall. At the top deck of Oasis 21, you can find beautiful illuminations at night, especially during winter. Water flowing in the shallow pool on the deck reflects the lights into a more outstanding spectacle. Sakae is indeed a very beautiful and vibrant place.
 

After that we walked to the Osu shopping district, where we could find hundreds of shops. Think souvenir shops, jeans shops, sweet shops, and more; just to name a few. 
My hotel for the night was the JR Gate Tower Hotel, which I liked so much. It is connected directly with the JR Nagoya station, and has a gorgeous view. 
 

So that’s the end of my Day 2. We are going to Gifu on my next day of exploring Tokai. Stay tuned for my next article!
 

1st Article is here
3rd Article is here
4th Article is here