Nagoya Castle
Nagoya Castle, The Owari Tokugawa Castle In Central Nagoya, A 1959 Concrete Rebuild Of The Keep After The 1945 Air Raids, With Golden Shachi On The Roof And The Original Honmaru Palace Rebuilt In Wood. The Keep Is Closed To Visitors For Rebuilding; The Palace And Grounds Stay Open. · Nagoya, Aichi
Nagoya Castle is the Tokugawa castle in the very centre of Nagoya in Aichi, begun in 1610 as the seat of the Owari branch of the Tokugawa family, one of the three branches that could supply a shogun. Its great keep is topped with a pair of golden shachihoko, mythical dolphin-like fish that have become a symbol of the city. The castle was almost entirely destroyed in the 1945 air raids, with a few turrets and gates surviving, and the keep was rebuilt in concrete in 1959. The main keep has been closed for years for a long rebuilding program, so confirm current access before you plan around it. The Honmaru Palace reopened in 2018 with restored sliding-door paintings and is the main interior to see. It suits history fans, families and anyone with a free half day in Nagoya. It is worth the detour for the palace and the moat, and not worth a long trip if the keep interior is your reason to come.
1-1 Honmaru, Naka-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, a short walk from Shiyakusho Station on the Meijo subway line, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
The castle grounds and the Honmaru Palace usually open from about 9:00 and close around 16:30, with last entry roughly 30 minutes earlier; hours can change in the cherry blossom and autumn seasons and in summer evenings, so confirm. The grounds close on a few days around New Year, and the palace may close for maintenance. The main keep has been closed to visitors for years for a rebuilding program - confirm current access. It is a short walk from Shiyakusho Station on the Meijo subway line, or a bus ride from Nagoya Station; IC cards work on both. Nothing needs booking, but queues form at peak seasons.