Guided Garden Walk: Nagoya Castle, Gardens & Historic Estate
Description
Centrally located and surrounded by fertile plains, mountains, rivers, and the sea, it is easy to understand why Nagoya is known as “the Heart of Japan.” This castle city attracted samurai and craftsmen alike and, later, wealthy merchants and innovative leaders of industry. Today, Nagoya has cemented itself as Japan’s center of industry and is home to manufacturing giants such as Toyota, Brother, Noritake, Ibanez, Buffalo, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. This tour will take you into several historical estates and private gardens of these titans of industry. Marvel at the gilded artwork and golden screens in Honmaru Palace and sip tea while gazing at a garden designed for a daimyo as you are led by an experienced, English-speaking guide through Nagoya on this full-day tour.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The tour begins with a meetup at Nagoya Station at 09:00. Guests should wait inside the station, in front of the SILVER clock tower across from the Shinkansen exit gates. Your guide will greet you there. Your guide will provide you with a brief history of the city and set the scene as we depart from Nagoya Station toward Nagoya Castle via the City’s tourist bus.
We will tour Nagoya Castle grounds and the exterior of the castle’s keep before entering Honmaru Palace.
We will stop for a quick lunch and free time to purchase souvenirs in Kinsachi Yokocho. Feel free to ask your guide for recommendations or let your nose lead the way!
After lunch, we will head to Nagoya’s Culture Path on foot. It is about a 20-minute walk from Kinshachi Yokocho. Once we arrive at the Culture Path, your guide will lead you through several historical villas and gardens once owned by some of Nagoya’s wealthiest families.
We will set off on foot once again to our final destination, Tokugawa Garden. The walk from the Culture Path to Tokugawa Garden is about 20 minutes. Upon arrival, you will be able to take a well-deserved rest as we enjoy Sencha tea and traditional Japanese sweets in a historical tea house. After refreshments, you will have the opportunity to take a relaxing stroll through the garden. At around 16:25 we will head back to Nagoya station via Nagoya’s tourist bus. Guests wishing to end the tour at Sakae will be able to do so.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Walking time is already included in the tour duration
Reviews(4)
They were super helpful and gave us lots of explanations about what we saw and about Japanese culture. We recommend this tour to everyone who wants to know the history of Nagoya and also some unexpected locations. It was a beautiful day
Grazie ancora per aver partecipato. Siamo davvero felici che abbiate trascorso una bella giornata e che abbiate potuto imparare tante cose su Nagoya e sui giardini giapponesi. Vi auguriamo di trascorrere il resto del vostro viaggio in Giappone nel modo migliore.
We spent a day full of culture and laughter, we visited and discovered beautiful places off the classic points of interest in Nagoya. The friendliness of our guide made the difference.
Grazie per le tue gentili parole! Faremo in modo di trasmettere il tuo complimento alla tua guida. Siamo davvero felici che tu abbia trascorso una bella giornata. E speriamo che tu abbia scattato tante foto meravigliose per ricordarla. Ti auguriamo di goderti il resto del tuo soggiorno in Giappone.
I truly made wonderful memories in Nagoya. With the beautiful weather and two lovely guides, it felt as if I were walking through scene after scene of a Japanese movie. As we walked from Nagoya Castle to various historic sites, the explanations were clear, engaging, and easy to follow. I’m not very confident in English, but the guides kindly adjusted their explanations to my level, which made everything easy to understand and really stay in my mind. If I visit Nagoya again, I would definitely love to ask for the same guides once more. I am deeply grateful, and I highly, highly recommend this tour.
Thank you for your kind words! We are thrilled to hear that you were able to gain a deeper appreciation for the city and create some wonderful memories along the way. We will be sure to pass your compliments along to your guides. If you are ever back in Nagoya, we hope you keep Snow Monkey Resorts in mind. Safe Travels!
First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Kim for her excellent organization of the trip and taking care of me during the trip! I am still under the lasting impression from the insights, as provided by Kim about the history, architecture and culture of Japan, Nagoya in particular. The interesting conversations as well as extremely enjoyable personal encounters supplemented very well this positive picture! Thank you!
Anna, Thank you so much for your kind words! We are glad to hear you enjoyed your time in Nagoya and that our guide was able to provide you with some interesting insights into the culture and history of the region. We hope you enjoyed the rest of your time in Japan, and would be honored if you kept Snow Monkey Resorts in mind for any future travels in Japan.
