Inuyama 犬山 (pop. 70,000), just 25km north of Nagoya, has the oldest original castle in Japan. Although it isn’t very old by European or Asian standards (even Japan’s oldest temple is 800 years older), nor very big, it has the particularity of being the only castle privately owned nowadays. The Narusune family have been their happy possessors since 1618.
Inuyama is an ancient castle town located in the northwest of Aichi Prefecture. It is part of the Hida-Kiso Quasi-National Park. The town is noted for historical sites and its natural beauty. Inuyama Castle, the center of the town, was built by a warrior general, Nobuyasu Oda, in 1537.
The history of the town, however, goes back to the ancient `Kofun` period, when people built many gigantic mound-like tombs. Inuyama has grown as a tourist town because of its historical sites, old temples and shrines, and other tourist attractions. In 1987, it was designated an International Tourism Area.
From Nagoya to Inuyama it takes about 30 minutes by Meitetsu Railway. There is plenty of beautiful scenery and various places to visit such as Inuyama Castle (national treasure); Jo-an tearoom (a classic tea ceremony house, national treasure); UKAI Cormorani Fishing and Tagata Shrine (which is well known to everyone for its unique fertility festival). Note the Jo-an teahouse (如庵) is in the Uraku-en Garden (有楽園) on the way from the station to the castle. The teahouse was founded by Oda Nobunaga’s brother, Oda Urakusai, in 1618 and is considered one of the finest in Japan. This area is one of the most popular sightseeing spots in Japan.
Since the opening of Inuvama Amusement Park (currently, The Japan Monkey Park) in 1925 in the castle town of lnuyama have built a variety of leisure facilities. The Museum Meiji-Mura gives visitors a taste of life in the Meiji Era (1868-1912), and the Little World Museum of Man brings visitors into contact with ethnic cultures of the world through indoor and outdoor exhibitions of 40,000 objects and dwellings. The Japan Monkey Park, which also has an amusement park on its grounds, is the world’s leading monkey zoo, and The Minami-chiia Beach Land/The Minami-chita Toys’ Kingdom is a theme park where visitors can see marine life up close and enjoy a treasure trove of toys. These facilities offer an invaluable opportunity to experience authentic cultural and natural assets.
Town of International Friendship `INUYAMA`
Inuyama is an ancient castle town located in the northwest of Aichi Prefecture. It is part of the Hida-Kiso Quasi-National Park. The town is noted for historical sites and its natural beauty. Inuyama Castle, the center of the town, was built by a warrior general, Nobuyasu Oda, in 1537. The history of the town, however, goes back to the ancient `Kofun` period, when people built many gigantic mound-like tombs. Inuyama has grown as a tourist town because of its historical sites, old temples and shrines, and other tourist attractions. In 1987, it was designated an International Tourism Area.
Facts in brief about Inuyama City:
| Location | Long. 136�K57′ E, Lat. 35�K23′ N |
| Altitude | 35�`55 meters above the sea level |
| Area | 74.97 square kirometers |
| Founded | April 1st. 1954 |
| City flower | Cherry blossoms |
| City tree | Chinese hawthorn |
| Population | 71,798 (including foreigners) |
| Family numbers | 23,026 families |
| Precipitation/y | 1,278mm |
| Ave. Temp. | 15.6�� |
| Sister city | Town of Tateyama, Toyama pref. (Oct. 1973) |
| Kiangfan, Hubei province became Inuyama’s friendly city on March 31st,1983 for good. Kiangfan is located 300 kirometers north of Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei province. The city area is 26,726 square kirometers and has 6.7 million people. It is new heavy industry city and famous as the town of Zhuge Liang and story of three kingdoms and it has three thousand years history. Sankt Goarshausen in Germany is another friendly city. (June 1992) |
Tourist Locations from Inuyama-Yuen Station, Nagoya Station, Inuyama Station, Gakuden Station (Aichi), Tagata-jinja-mae Station and Nihon Rhine Imawatari Station:
How to get there
The Meitetsu Nagoya’s Inuyama-line Express from Shin-Nagoya takes less than 30 minutes to Inuyama.
Inuyama Tourists Information Center Ohaza Inuyama Aza Fujimicho 14, Inuyama City, Aichi Prefecture (on your left from MEITETSU INUYAMA station ticket gate) Tel: 0568-61-6000 Hours: 9:00-17:00, Closed on December 30th – January 3rd
Official Website: http://ml.inuyama.gr.jp/en/
Inuyama City (Inuyama-shi) Tourist Map:
