Inuyama Œ¢ŽR
Inuyama (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.
Note the Jo-an teahouse (如庵) 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.
There is not much else to see in Inuyama, apart from cormorant fishing (鵜飼い "ukai") in the Kiso river, or take a boat trip on the river itself.
How to get there
The Meitetsu Nagoya's Inuyama-line Express from Shin-Nagoya takes less than 30 minutes to Inuyama (￥540).
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