Nagoya Tour in Inuyama Castle, Ena George, Magome and Tsumagojuku
Description
● Inuyama Castle is one of only five national treasure castles and one of the oldest castles in Japan still in its original condition. ● Natural Cliff Observation Deck-Eina Gorge Observation Deck ● Magome-juku and Tsumago-juku received one star in the Michelin Green Guide Chinese/Japanese /English local professional guide, reliable and considerate service, detailed understanding of local customs in Japan Notice: We choice the model of vehicles depended on traveler pax of groups.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Inuyama Castle (Inuyamajō) was initially constructed in 1537, and its donjon is one of Japan's oldest extant. It is one of only twelve "original castles" left in Japan, i.e. a castle whose main keep has survived the post-feudal age since 1868 intact. Inuyama Castle is also one of only five castles whose main keeps have been designated as national treasures. The other four are Himeji Castle, Matsumoto Castle, Hikone Castle and Matsue Castle.
Ena gorge (Ena-kyo), is the lake and surrounding area that was created behind Oi dam when it was built. It has been designated as one of Gifu’s prefectural parks. On the right-hand side of the gorge, there is “Sazanami park” which has beautiful flowers all year round. If you take one of the site-seeing boats on the lake, you can also see the strangely-shaped rocks and cliffs on the other side of the gorge. In the spring there are Cherry blossoms, in the summer, beautiful free green colors, in the autumn, beautiful colored leaves and in the winter, many birds gather there. The area around Ena gorge also has many places to stay, so you can enjoy the location all year round.
Magome is a former post town in the Kiso Valley, which served travelers of the Nakasendo, a major route that connected Tokyo with Kyoto during the feudal ages. While exploring Magome, visitors will surely come across the name Shimazaki Toson. Born in Magome in 1872, Toson is a highly regarded figure in Japanese literature. In his novel Yoakemae (Before the Dawn), he famously describes life in the area around the years of the Meiji Restoration. Its often quoted first line reads "The whole of the Kisoji lies in the mountains". The town has been beautifully restored with a broad stone walkway lined with wooden buildings and carefully tended foliage. Magome's embellished preservation contrasts with the rugged authenticity of neighboring Tsumago. The two towns are connected by the Magome-Tsumago Trail, a route which was part of the Nakasendo.
Tsumago was a post town on the Nakasendo route between Kyoto and Edo. It is known today as one of the best preserved post towns in Japan. The town and its residents go to great lengths to recreate the ambience of the Edo Period. Cars are prohibited on the main street in the day and phone lines and power cables are kept concealed, allowing visitors to imagine they have slipped back to an earlier time. Tsumago also recreates the post town atmosphere by maintaining its Honjin and Wakihonjin. In post towns, the Honjin was the principal inn and served government officials who were traveling through. When more lodging was required, the Wakihonjin served to accommodate the travelers of slightly lower status. Tsumago also maintains the office where laborers and horses were rented to aid in travel.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(9)
This is a bus trip with a driver and an attendant. The attendant spoke English and Chinese and gave a few snippets of info but was mainly informing the length of timest each location. This is not a tour with a tour guide. From this aspect the tour advertising is nebulous to say the least. Not a good option
It was ok, but i don't think the tour was advertised properly. I didn't know how long we would be on the bus and I didn't know the tour would return until 6pm. You need to say up front that it takes approximately 10 hours. Also, not enough time at the castle. I also assumed it would be a guided tour where the guide would stay with us and talk about the history of each place. The tour guide was very nice and did provide a short background on each place, but it was not enough. The price was reasonable though, so I guess that's what I should have expected.
This covers what I originally planned for 2 or 3 days trips, because of the guide and drivers knows ways things go. We are so glad to sele t this tour
Unfortunate today ican't write any review because I arrived late and didn't see anything!!I got lost
Great service-the guide was wonderful! The bus was spectacular! The other tourists (all Chinese) were exciting and ready to have a great experience! Sites were all as expected…not so busy, historical AND super-duper fabulous!!! Thanks again!!!
Superb excursion with a nice castle to start with then Lena George with a very nice color of water and the two postal villages are really picturesque and beautiful. They are different but everyone will love the serenity and beauty of the houses. Recommend the restaurant in Magalie in front of the mountain (very good very nice and very welcome)
Everything about this trip was great. We did everything on the itinerary. We left on time at 8:30 right in front of the mini stop just like in the instructions. The guides name was Lisa. She spoke Chinese and English. The bus was only about half full. As the only English speakers on the trip she made sure that we understood all directions and gave great tips for food. Mr. Ishiba was a very efficient bus driver getting us everywhere on time or a little early. Everyone on the trip was on time or early making getting to each stop a breeze. Inuyama Castle was so cool. The stairs are very steep but worth it for the view. It was very clean and all the staff were nice. Even speaking a little English as we went through the castle making us feel welcome. The stamp for the castle is right as you are about to walk out of the castle gates. There are lots of pretty shrines and places to stop and look while going up and down to the castle. Ena Gorge was very Beautiful. There was a very nice older couple running the small rest stop selling fruits, ice cream, and Yaki imo. The yaki imo was 400 yen but it was the biggest sweet potato I’ve ever seen. lol . The older gentleman running the store even spoke a bit of English. The couple was very sweet. It is a short stop but just right for photos and a snack. There was an amusement park right across the street that was closed today but it looks like a cool trip to try another day. Megome was so pretty. It’s surrounded by mountains. The tourist center had a ton of flyers and maps in English. It also had 4 stamps for free, two in black and two in red. We ended up walking to the top of the mountain street to the observation zone, it takes about 20 minutes from the parking lot. There is a second tourist stop half way up the mountain with a stamp and bathrooms. There was a quick place to stop and rest. If you donate yen to the preservation of the trail you get to pick a small keepsake. I choose the tissue holder. It’s really cute. There were two museums but they were closed for the holiday today. I think it was 500 yen for entry. There was a free stamp inside the left hand sides store back at the bottom of the trail, across from the main tourist center. We went to the main restaurant behind the parking lot. It had an amazing view of the mountain. The staff gave us an English menu, we were seated right away, they spoke a bit of English. It was literally the best curry and rice I’ve ever had in my whole life. I’d go back just for the curry. The final stop was at Tsumagojuku. It was a cute little village with lots of pretty streets. It was getting cold and snowy. Most places were closed by the time we got there at 3 but that also could have been the holiday. They had a museum that was open for 500 yen but we didn’t have time to go in. We stopped at the tourist center and got 4 different stamps. They look so cool and are huge. We did stop in at a gift shop where we bought a cute wooden looking postcard. The clerk also spoke a little English. Everyone was so nice. It was snowing all the way down the mountain and looked so pretty. We got back to Nagoya station by 5:20 pm. We will definitely do this trip again in the spring or fall. We had a great time.
The guides did their best in three languages, but the Japanese language was clearly short and I had a feeling that they were edgy. However, it was meaningful to be able to talk to Chinese people because we went on a tour with a lot of Chinese people. Umakago, Tsumakago, I think I wanted more time to have fun. I just saw the cityscape.
ありがとうございます。またご参加をお待ちしております。
Had some difficulty meeting up with the tour because there was no signage. After the initial hiccup, was fine. The postal towns were quiet. Not many tourists around.
