The Chubu region of Japan lies in the center the country’s main island, Honshu, and has coasts on both the Pacific Ocean and the Japan Sea.  The region is home to more than 21 million people and is made up of nine prefectures.  Due to the size of the region, the Closer Look at the Chubu will be broken into three parts:  Part 1 will cover Aichi, Fukui and Gifu, Part 2 will cover Ishikawa, Nagano and Niigata and Part 3 will cover Shizuoka, Toyama, and Yamanashi prefectures.

The Pacific Ocean side of Chubu, including Aichi and Shizuoka prefectures, is the main corridor between Tokyo and Kyoto and is often overlooked as a destination by travelers who might only catch a glimpse of this beautiful part of Japan from the windows of the shinkansen (bullet train) as they make their way between the two popular tourist destinations.  Japan: A Closer Look at Chubu will hopefully inspire you to explore this region of Japan so let’s get started with some with planning resources and information by prefecture:

Aichi Prefecture

The capital of Aichi is Nagoya, Japan’s fourth largest city and the prefecture is home to Japan’s automotive and aerospace industries and many historical sights and famous festivals.

• Click on this Map of Nagoya to learn about the things to do and see in the city highlights include:
  • Nagoya Castle is famous for it ‘shachihoko’, the golden orcas, sometimes referred to as dolphins, that adorn the roof of its castle tower.
  • Tokugawa Art Museum will help you enrich your knowledge of Japanese traditional culture and what the life samurai, or feudal warrior, was like.
  • Learn about Shibori, the traditional art of tie-dying at Arimatsu-Narumi Shibori kaikan or make a reservation and experience it for yourself.
• Visit Meiji Mura to see the main entrance hall of the Imperial Palace Hotel that was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and was move hered when the hotel was renovated and redesigned.
• Attend the Owari Tsushima Tenno Matsuri, one of Japan’s major festivals, that has a history dating back over 500 years and features makiwara-bune boats alight with lanterns floating along the Tenno River in the area around Tsushima Shrine each July.
• Visit the Tagata Jinja and the Hounen Matsuri (a festival celebrating fertility and renewal), which is held here every March 15th.
• Learn the history about the history of washi (Japanese Paper) at Washi-no-Furasato in Toyota City.
• Visit the Kunizakari Museum of Sake in Handa City to see how the process of making sake has changed since the Edo period and then stop by the tasting corner to taste some of the regions best sake.
• Visiti Nishio City to in May and June to witness the tea harvest.  Nishio City is Japan’s leading producer of powdered green tea (matcha) which is used the traditional tea ceremony.

Download this map of Aichi Prefecture (PDF) to plan your trip and take advantage of preset itineraries to make the most of your visit to Aisci prefecture.

Fukui Prefecture

Located on the Sea of Japan, residents of Fukui Prefecture have the second longest life expectancy in Japan.

• The Five Lakes of Mikata (Mikatagoko) have been recognized under the Ramsar Convention and the area offers visitors hiking, cable cars to panoramic vistas and water cruises.
• Visit the Wakata Mikata Jumon Museum or many of the other great sights in Wakasa.
• Catch and cook your own fish at Akaguri Fishing Park.
• Take the kids to Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum.
• Take in the Echizen Coastline and it’s unusual rock formations including Kochomon tunnel, “calling bird gate” in English.  The area is famous for it’s winter crabs but offers visitors great seafood year round.
• Visit the Ichijodani Asakura Clan Ruins in Fukui City.
• Practice Zazen  at Daianzenji Temple.
• Take in some of the cultural highlights of Fukui prefecture that include the Eiheiji Temple, Teramachi Dori Street in Ono City and the Kumagawa Juku Area Ruins.

Learn more about the sights of Fukui by browsing through Fukui Sightseeing Information or the Fukui City website.

Gifu Prefecture

Gifu is a rich agricultural area with rice, vegetables and dairy being the predominant crops.  The area is also home to a number of aquaculture installations, aerospace and information technology companies.

• Visit the village of Shirakawa-go, famous for traditional thatched roofs houses and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
• Learn to make paper and the Mino-Washi Museum or make your own plastic food samples at Sample Kobo.
• Relax in one of Gifu’s famous onsen (hot springs).
• Take part in the Gujo Odori that is held over 30 nights days each summer and culminates with the Urabon, when the dancing continues through the night in Gujo City.
• Takayama is a beautiful castle town filled with historical temples and shrines and is worth taking some time to explore.
  • Learn by Doing in Takyama -make your own souvenirs, straw hats, sashiko quilting & Sobe are just of few of the highlighted activities.
  • Watch the 1,300 year old practice of Cormorant Fishing on the Nagara River.
  • The Takayama Festival features elaborately decorated floats parading through the city each April and is considered on of the best festivals in Japan.
• Hida Furukawa is know for it’s sake breweries and the network of carp filled canals that run through the city and the traditional “Okoshi Daiko (Wakening Drum)” festival held each April.
• The Seki Swordsmith Museum traces the history of Japanese sword making and offers sword forging and master craftsman demonstrations.

Gifu Tour Guide offers information about other things to do and see in Gifu and offers model routes for tourists.

Odd Facts & Trivia

Yatomi Town in Aichi prefecture is known throughout Japan as a breeding center for goldfish.  Goldfish bred in Yatomi were taken into orbit aboard the space shuttle Columbia.

Fukui prefecture is home to some sites that will be of interest to US presidential trivia buffs.  Masunaga Optical Manufacturing Co. Ltd., the manufacturer of Sarah Palin’s famous eyeglass frames and the much written about City of Obama are located in the prefecture.

Chubu Trip Planning

Visit the Chubu Area Tourism Portal to learn about more great things to do and see in the region and to review the ten thrilling scenic sites of Chubu and the sample itineraries for visitors.

Other articles in the Japan: A Closer Look series:

• Japan: A Closer Look at Hokkaido
• Japan: A Closer Look at Tohoku – Part 1 & Part 2

Image Credit:   Flickr, Tagata Shrine, Eihei-ji,  & IMG_0459 edit

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