The Tokai area extends from the inland area of central Honshu to the Pacific Ocean side, and consists of four prefectures, Aichi, Gifu, Shizuoka, and Mie (Aichi, Gifu, and Mie are sometimes referred to as "three prefectures").
The climate in this area is hot and rainy in summer and dry with little rainfall in winter, as Aichi Prefecture faces the Pacific Ocean. On the other hand, Gifu and Shizuoka prefectures are characterized by large topographical changes, with an average temperature difference of about 5°C between the highlands and lowlands.
Each prefecture has its own unique characteristics. Aichi Prefecture is known for the headquarters of Toyota Motor Corporation, and is famous as the area that has led the development of Japan's automobile industry. Gifu Prefecture is rich in tourism resources such as Shirakawa-go, Senbon Matsubara, and Gero Onsen, and is well known for its natural environment.
Shizuoka Prefecture offers spectacular scenery such as the beautiful coastline of the Izu Peninsula and Mt. Fuji. Furthermore, it is nationally famous for its tea production, and the Shizuoka tea brand is highly acclaimed.
Let us introduce the main attractions in each prefecture. Aichi Prefecture is home to the Nagoya TV Tower. This is Japan's first centralized radio tower, which rises above the city of Nagoya, and was completed in 1954, four years earlier than the Tokyo Tower.
The Nagoya TV Tower features an outdoor observatory located 100 meters above the ground, which offers a different sense of openness from its indoor counterpart and allows visitors to fully enjoy the city of Nagoya and the surrounding scenery. In summer, visitors can enjoy a beer garden, making it a popular spot for many people.
Gifu Prefecture is home to Gifu Castle. The name "Gifu Castle" is derived from the fact that Nobunaga Oda took Inabayama Castle, which was the residence of Tatsuoki Saito, in a battle against him, and renamed it "Gifu Castle. The present castle was restored in 1956 and has a modern exhibition hall and observation deck.
On certain days in spring and summer every year, the observation room inside the castle is open until late at night, offering a panoramic view of Gifu City, and the entire castle is lit up at night, creating a fantastic atmosphere.
Shizuoka Prefecture is home to Omuroyama, a 580-meter-high mountain located in Ito City that is a national natural treasure. Omuro erupted in ancient times and the mountain was formed about 4,000 years ago. Here, visitors can enjoy seasonal wildflowers and flowers, and views of Mt.
Visitors can also enjoy activities such as a ropeway for sightseeing and archery, and the spot is crowded with many tourists on weekends. Enjoy the wonderful scenery and natural attractions in the Tokai area.
Located on the border between Owari and Mino provinces, this flat mountain castle was built on a hill about 88 meters high on the south bank of the Kiso River. It is also known as "Hakutei Castle. Only the castle tower is extant. It is one of the "12 existing castle towers" built before the Edo period,It is one of the five castles whose keep was designated a National Treasure (the others are Hime...»
Gero Onsen was called one of the "Three Famous Hot Springs" in the Muromachi period (1336-1573) along with Kusatsu Onsen and Arima Onsen as Hida no Yushima (Gero Onsen's name at that time was Yushima),Since the Edo period, it has been called one of the "Three Famous Springs of Japan" (the three most famous springs in Japan), and has a history of 1,000 years. Surrounded by mountains, the area is l...»
Built between the end of the Edo period and the end of the Meiji period (1868-1912), this is a village of gassho-zukuri, a style unique to heavy snowfall areas, where the original Japanese landscape of mountains, rivers, fields, and wooden houses can still be seen. This is a precious area where gassho-zukuri are still used in real life. Gassho-zukuri are built by combining wooden beams in a moun...»
This mountain castle on Mt. Kinka, 329 meters above sea level, has a history dating back to the Kamakura period, when Oda Nobunaga moved his headquarters from Komaki Mountain to Gifu Castle in 1567 and improved it. Today, the stonewalls of the ruins of the rice warehouse, drum tower, and Ninomaru-mon Gate remain, and on the top of the mountain is a three-story, four-story mock castle tower rebuil...»
It is said to be one of the three major hot springs in Japan and one of the largest in the country. Surrounded by the mountains of Hakone and Izu, the hot spring resort area stretches from Atami Station to the seaside, lined with inns and hotels. Hotels are also scattered along the mountainside, where visitors can enjoy the view of the ocean and the night scenery of Atami, as well as the hot spri...»
Visitors can enjoy a variety of fun activities such as handmade sausages and farm experiences. In addition, there are eating and drinking facilities, a well-developed park, lodging facilities, and hot spring facilities. The farm park also features a miniature pig show, making it a fun place to spend the entire day. Inside the park, ham, sausages, wieners, bacon, local beer, bread, and pasta are s...»
A resort facility that recreates the atmosphere of a Mediterranean town, it is spread over a vast area of approximately 33,000 square meters (the equivalent of two Tokyo Domes). The recreated towns are those of Andalusia and Castile in Spain, and Sardinia in Italy. In addition, the Mykonorca Zone, inspired by the Greek island of Mykonos and the Spanish island of Menorca, and the Alhambra Zone, i...»
Toyouke-no-Omikami, the deity who protects food, clothing, shelter, and industry, is worshipped at this shrine. The shrine was built in 478. The irises at Magatama Pond are beautiful in June.The Shikinen Sengu Kinen Sengukan is located on the shore of Magatama Pond....»
This theme park is centered around the full-size Azuchi Castle, with a townscape full of period atmosphere. Here, visitors can enjoy period drama and ninja action shows featuring ninjas and courtesans. In addition, there are a variety of attractive facilities, including a karakuri maze, a ninja house, and other hands-on pavilions, as well as a hot spring, which can be enjoyed by all, adults and c...»
Fuji and the Shiba River gush out from the bedrock of a precipitous cliff and form a waterfall. It is called "Shiraito Falls" because the cascading water is so thin and white that it looks as if it is dripping with silk thread. This waterfall is 200 meters wide and 20 meters high. The entire surface of the curved cliff is covered with waterfalls of various sizes, which flow down beautifully like...»
The Air Park is the only museum-style facility operated by the Air Self-Defense Force in Japan where visitors can see, touch, and enjoy real fighter aircraft, transport aircraft, training aircraft, and helicopters that were actually in use. This is the only museum-style facility in Japan operated by the Air Self-Defense Force where visitors can see, touch, and enjoy. There is a factory corner wh...»
This is an all-weather theme park where you can play with birds in a vast 9,000 square meter greenhouse where beautiful flowers bloom. Visitors can not only see birds in cages as in a regular zoo, but also interact directly with parakeets, owls, penguins, and other birds flying around freely in the greenhouse. In addition, the greenhouse is surrounded by tropical plants such as water lilies, gia...»
Shuzenji Onsen is the oldest hot spring resort on the Izu Peninsula, located along a valley, and has been loved by many people since ancient times. It has been selected as one of the 100 best hot springs in Japan. Surrounded by mountains, this scenic area is lined with hot spring hotels and restaurants along the Shuzenji River (commonly known as Katsura River), which flows through the center of t...»
This is an elegant walking path along the Katsura River in the center of the Shuzenji hot spring resort area. Walking along the path leading from Tokko no Yu, the symbol of Shuzenji Onsen, you will find a nostalgic tea house, an atmospheric red bridge over the Katsura River, and a fire watchtower. The path through the bamboo grove is only about 100 meters from there, but it is a world of tranqui...»
Fuji Safari Park is one of the largest safari parks in Japan, where 900 animals of about 60 species from all over the world live freely and spontaneously in a rich natural environment at the foot of Mt. The vast Safari Zone is home to lions, elephants, Amur tigers, cheetahs, and other animals, and is characterized by its overwhelming size and variety of animals compared to other safari parks. Vi...»
This large-scale open-air museum on a beautiful hillside of one million square meters preserves and exhibits buildings from the Meiji period (1868-1912). Opened in 1965, 67 historical buildings from the Meiji period, including 11 nationally important cultural properties, have been relocated and restored. In this village, visitors can not only tour the buildings, but also actually ride on an SL t...»
The shrine is located in the lush green forest of Atsuta, surrounded by camphor trees that are more than 1,000 years old. Known as "Atsuta-san" since ancient times, the shrine is well known to the people and attracts about 7 million worshippers a year. The shrine was founded in 113 B.C. The Kusanagi Sword, one of the three sacred weapons, is enshrined here, and the shrine has long been revered b...»
Nagoya Castle was built by Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first barbarian general of the Edo shogunate, with a total of more than 5 million construction workers, and was well known throughout Japan. Built in 1612 by Tokugawa Ieyasu as his final effort to unify the country, Nagoya Castle, with its glittering golden orchids, prospered as the stronghold of the Owari Domain, the first of the three Tokugawa fam...»
At one of the largest aquariums in Japan, you will be welcomed by 50,000 marine creatures of about 500 species, including killer whales, emperor penguins, sea turtles, and tropical fish. It is also the only two places in Japan where you can meet killer whales and emperor penguins! South Pavilion] Journey to Antarctica The South Pavilion recreates the waters from Japan to Antarctica and introduc...»
The Nagoya City Science Museum is a comprehensive science museum equipped with one of the world's largest planetarium domes with an inner diameter of 35 meters, where you can enjoy learning about science. The exterior design emphasizes the spherical shape of the dome, the planetarium, and instantly catches the eye. In addition, there are four large exhibits rich in entertainment value, including...»
This is a forest of maple trees planted by the monk Sanei Hon Shu of Kozakuji Temple in the early Edo period (1603-1868) with the wish to make the beautiful nature even more beautiful. In November, approximately 4,000 maple trees turn yellow and red, creating a spectacular scene. The temple is also illuminated at night to create a fantastic atmosphere. In addition to the autumn leaves, Korankei ...»
The shrine was built in 1617 to worship Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first barbarian general of the Edo shogunate. The shrine is located on the southern slope of Kunouzan facing Suruga Bay and is reached by 1159 winding stone steps. Today, it is also accessible by a ropeway from the north. During the Edo period, the shrine and buildings were periodically repainted with lacquer. Beauty and history inter...»
Nihon-daira is one of the most scenic spots designated as a national place of scenic beauty and was selected as the first place in the competition of the 100 best sightseeing spots in Japan. Its name is derived from the deity Nihon Buson. Fuji, Suruga Bay, the Izu Peninsula, and the city of Shimizu can be seen from the 307-meter-high summit, and the view is truly spectacular. Fuji over the plum ...»
The Yume Suspension Bridge is a symbol of the Sunmata Gorge and spans the Oma Dam Lake, spanning approximately 90 meters long and 8 meters high. Visitors can walk on the beautiful emerald green surface of the lake. The walking part is made of simple planks, so it can sway a bit, which is a thrilling experience. The bridge is famous for its fantastic beauty and was listed in the "Top 10 Walking S...»
Fuji as the deity. It is the main shrine of more than 1,300 Sengen Shrines, including both subordinate and subordinate shrines. Fuji as its deity. It is famous as the center of Mt. Fuji. The grounds of the shrine are vast, with the main shrine grounds alone covering approximately 17,000 square meters, and the area above the 8th station of Mt. The main shrine is located at the southern foot of Mt...»