Aichi travel: how should you divide Nagoya, Inuyama, and Tokoname?
Stay near Nagoya Station if you are taking the Shinkansen or planning day trips to Inuyama and Tokoname. For two days, choose one castle and Noritake Garden; with three days, add the aquarium or Tokoname's lanes. Four or five days let you visit both castles or extend the trip to Tokoname and the INAX exhibitions. JR, Meitetsu, and subway services at Nagoya use different boarding areas, so follow signs for your line.
Castle interiors, aquarium, or ceramics?
See Honmaru Palace and castle grounds at Nagoya Castle, or a wooden keep's interior at Inuyama Castle. Choose Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium for marine-life exhibits, or Tokoname lanes, Noritake, and INAX for ceramics. Lane walks and paid exhibitions have different fees and opening days.
Itineraries by trip length
Stay in Nagoya, using SRT or the subway in the city and Meitetsu for Inuyama and Tokoname. Choose whether to focus on one castle or add aquarium and ceramics visits according to your trip length. When changing the visit order, match facility closures with SRT operating days.
2 days, 1 night
Choose Nagoya Castle for Honmaru Palace or Inuyama Castle to climb the wooden keep. Visit Noritake exhibitions before leaving the next day. For a morning departure, check whether you can move the exhibitions to Day 1 or skip them.
3 days, 2 nights
Add an aquarium day or Tokoname lane walk to Nagoya Castle and Noritake. A last-day Tokoname trip requires time to return to Nagoya before your onward departure.
4 days, 3 nights
Give Inuyama Castle, the aquarium, and Noritake a day each, then spend the remaining day at Nagoya Castle or Tokoname lanes. Choose whether to compare the wooden keep with restored Honmaru Palace or combine one castle with pottery lanes.
5 days, 4 nights
Visit Nagoya Castle, Inuyama Castle, the aquarium, and Noritake on separate days, then choose Tokoname lanes or INAX exhibitions on the last day. The lane walk and indoor tile exhibitions have different walking routes, fees, and closures.
Where to stay
Nagoya · 名古屋
The Nagoya Station area is convenient for Shinkansen and Meitetsu connections, while Sakae works for reaching sights by subway. JR Nagoya, Meitetsu Nagoya, and subway Nagoya stations have different boarding areas.
JR station locker locationsPort of Nagoya Public Aquarium — accessMeitetsu — date-specific route and fare search
Inuyama · 犬山
The official guide lists about a 20-minute walk from Inuyama Station to the castle. Include time for the streets below the castle. If based in Nagoya, plan to return there the same day after sightseeing.
Tokoname · 常滑
The Pottery Footpath follows hilly lanes. Its proximity to Chubu Centrair International Airport alone is not a reason to bring your bags here just before a flight. Start at the tourist information center from Tokoname Station to get a walking map.
Other planning checks
Leave time for your onward departure on the last day
For a morning departure on your last day, move Noritake, Tokoname, or INAX visits to an earlier day or skip them. Allow time to return to Nagoya and catch your onward service. For a flight, add airport travel and the boarding cutoff separately. If changing the visit order, match SRT operating days with facility closures.
Nagoya City — SRT operating days and faresNoritake facility hours and closures
Choose bag storage before traveling with large luggage
Use hotel storage according to your booked hotel's conditions. For JR Nagoya Station lockers, the official location guide lists lockers near the Sakuradori-side restrooms as point 4 and the Taikodori side as point 10. Check availability, size, and prices on-site, and leave time to return to the same location after sightseeing. Bag storage and travel to the hotel are excluded from itinerary subtotals.
Transportation, meals, and related guides
Japan transportation guide
SRT to Nagoya Castle, the subway to the aquarium, and Meitetsu to Inuyama and Tokoname use different boarding areas and operating calendars. Check a round-trip route for your destination.
Japan transportation guide →Rail pass guide
These itineraries use Meitetsu for Inuyama and Tokoname and Nagoya's subway for the aquarium. Distinguish them from JR Pass-covered segments, and compare ordinary tickets with each operator's passes.
Rail pass guide →Restaurants and reservation information
Consider hitsumabushi eel rice or miso katsu in Nagoya. Hitsumabushi can be enjoyed in stages: plain, with seasonings, and with broth poured over it. Lunch near the harbor on the aquarium day and in the streets below the castle on the Inuyama day can reduce cross-city trips just for meals. Check the restaurant's city, opening days, menu, and reservation conditions. Meals are separate from itinerary subtotals.
Restaurants and reservation information →Region name
Aichi Prefecture · 愛知県
Day trips while staying in Nagoya
These routes stay in Nagoya and make round trips to Inuyama and Tokoname. Both are separate towns rather than Nagoya neighborhoods, so give each its own train-trip day.
Nagoya Station and Noritake Garden
Combine the Nagoya Station area with Noritake exhibitions on a train arrival or departure day. The official walk to Noritake's East Gate is about 15 minutes; Craft Center and Museum exhibitions require admission. If Monday is a public holiday, exhibitions open and close on the next weekday instead. Check year-end closures too. On your last day, leave time to return to the station after viewing.
Noritake East Gate walking routeNoritake exhibitions and admissionNoritake facility hours and closures
Nagoya Castle and Honmaru Palace
Choose Nagoya Castle for Honmaru Palace's interior and walks through the grounds. The keep's interior is closed, so this route does not climb the keep. Walk about 5 minutes from Nagoyajo Station exit 7 to the main gate, then continue on foot to the palace. Palace admission ends before the castle's overall closing time.
Nagoya Castle — visitor informationOfficial Nagoya Castle access guideMain gate to Honmaru Palace entrance
Nagoya Port and the aquarium
Visit Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium to watch belugas and dolphins and see shows. It is about a 5-minute walk toward the harbor from Nagoyako Station. Plan viewing time around the North and South Building exhibits and that day's shows. A separate day from the castle leaves more time for exhibits and breaks between shows. Shows and outdoor events follow the day's operating schedule.
Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium — accessPort of Nagoya Public Aquarium — opening calendar
Inuyama Station and castle-town streets
Take Meitetsu to Inuyama for an old wooden keep. The official walk from Inuyama Station's west exit along Honmachi-dori to the castle is about 20 minutes. Combine it with a meal in the streets below the castle, but decide with your companions whether to climb the keep's steep stairs. Return by train to Nagoya after sightseeing.
Inuyama Castle — accessOtemichi, ticket counter, and keep entrance
Tokoname lanes and INAX exhibitions
Choose Pottery Footpath Course A for sloping lanes with ceramic pipes, or INAX for indoor tile exhibitions. Course A is about 1.6 kilometers with about 1 hour of walking; meals and workshop browsing add time. INAX is a separately ticketed facility reached by a different walk from the station. Even within the same town, distinguish lane walks from exhibitions and their fees and opening days.
Tokoname Tourism Association — walking courses A and BINAX — exhibition admission, closures, and general receptionINAX — walking access map from Tokoname Station
Distinguish stations and destinations when planning routes
Allow separate time to walk from your hotel address to the actual boarding area. Choose both directions for your visit date using the official access guides and route searches below. Adjust walking directions to your hotel's location and on-site access controls after confirming the start and destination. Map estimates exclude waits and sightseeing.
| Segment | How to travel | Directions and checks |
|---|---|---|
| Nagoya Station → Nagoya Castle | Subway to Nagoyajo → exit 7 → about 5 minutes on foot to the main gate | Date-specific subway transfers and directions |
| Nagoya Station → aquarium | Higashiyama Line to Sakae → Nagoyako-bound connection to the Meiko Line → about 5 minutes on foot from exit 3 | Distinguish the Nagoya route from Kanayama departures in the aquarium access map |
| Meitetsu Nagoya → Inuyama Castle | Inuyama Line train → Inuyama Station west exit → about 20 minutes along Honmachi-dori | Find the Meitetsu boarding area rather than JR Nagoya |
| Nagoya Station → Noritake East Gate | About 15 minutes on foot using the official walking route | Distinguish park entry from the paid exhibition entrance |
| Meitetsu Nagoya → Tokoname | Tokoname Station → tourist information center to the east → choose Course A or INAX | Different direction from Inuyama. Check both directions' trains and fares |
| Tokoname Station → INAX | Follow the official walking map to general reception | Distinguish it from the pottery footpath entrance |
Official Nagoya Castle access guidePort of Nagoya Public Aquarium — accessInuyama Castle — accessMeitetsu — date-specific route and fare searchNoritake East Gate walking routeTourist information center 400 meters east of the stationINAX — exhibition admission, closures, and general reception
Choose Nagoya dishes near your sightseeing route
Decide whether to eat after returning to Nagoya or have lunch in Inuyama or Tokoname according to that day's route. Meals are excluded from itinerary subtotals.
Hitsumabushi
This dish serves chopped grilled eel over rice. Enjoy it in stages: plain, with seasonings, and with broth poured over it. Consider it for a meal in Nagoya if you like eel, and check portions and prices on the restaurant's menu.
Miso nikomi udon
Udon noodles are simmered in miso broth in an earthenware pot. Consider it if you want hot broth and noodles. On a castle or aquarium day, look for a restaurant on the way back to your hotel and check its hours.
Before comparing ordinary tickets and passes
These sightseeing totals cover selected facilities and ordinary-fare segments. Airport travel, lodging, and meals are separate; add a surcharge if using special cars.
Check Nagoya Castle SRT operating days
The Nagoya Castle SRT service operates Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays, and public holidays. Two ordinary-fare rides cost ¥210 × 2, distinct from the ¥500 SRT-only day pass. This bus does not run on ordinary Tuesday–Thursday weekdays; choose a subway route then.
Nagoya City — SRT operating days and faresRound-trip timetable effective September 11
Meitetsu and subway services are separate from JR
Use Meitetsu for Inuyama and Tokoname round trips and Nagoya's subway for the aquarium. The name JR Pass alone does not mean these segments are covered. Meitetsu special cars require a μticket in addition to the basic train ticket; distinguish their costs from ordinary-car fares.
Meitetsu — date-specific route and fare searchPort of Nagoya Public Aquarium — accessMeitetsu special cars and μSKY guide
Frequently asked questions
Can I visit Inuyama and Tokoname while staying in Nagoya?
Yes. Stay in Nagoya and take separate Meitetsu day trips to Inuyama and Tokoname. These routes do not stay overnight in either town. Inuyama Castle is about a 20-minute walk from Inuyama Station, and Tokoname Pottery Footpath Course A is 1.6 kilometers. Allow walking and breaks in addition to the train rides. Check your return trains for each day. For last-day sightseeing, leave time to return to Nagoya before your onward departure.
Inuyama Castle — accessTokoname Tourism Association — walking courses A and BMeitetsu — date-specific route and fare search
Official sources and checked dates
- Nagoya Castle — visitor information ·
- Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium — opening calendar ·
- Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium — access ·
- Inuyama Castle — access ·
- Tokoname Tourism Association — walking courses A and B ·
- Noritake exhibitions and admission ·
- Noritake facility hours and closures ·
- Noritake East Gate walking route ·
- INAX — exhibition admission, closures, and general reception ·
- INAX — walking access map from Tokoname Station ·
- Nagoya City — SRT operating days and fares ·
- Round-trip timetable effective September 11 ·
- Official Nagoya Castle access guide ·
- Main gate to Honmaru Palace entrance ·
- JR station locker locations ·
- Meitetsu — date-specific route and fare search ·
- Otemichi, ticket counter, and keep entrance ·
- Tourist information center 400 meters east of the station ·
- Nagoya-meshi food guide — visitor information ·
- Meitetsu special cars and μSKY guide ·
- Nagoya-meshi — miso nikomi udon ·