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Nagoya Castle and Hommaru Palace

Nagoya Castle and Hommaru Palace

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Where the dream of uniting all of Japan came to fruition

Nagoya Castle is certainly at the top of Nagoya City's signature sightseeing spots. The castle was one of the last building blocks of Lord Tokugawa Ieyasu's wish to unite the then warring states of the Japanese archipelago, and construction began in 1610. The local Owari Tokugawas of the three great Tokugawa clans, from which the shogun could be chosen, made the castle their residence.

A castle keep brought back to modern day

Nagoya Castle's history isn't all smooth sailing. An air raid occurred over Nagoya in May of 1945, resulting in most of the structure burning to ashes. Even so, six buildings including the Southwest Corner Watchtower and Southeast Corner Watchtower remain unchanged since the days way back when Aichi was divided into two different provinces—one being the Owari Province, which the Owari Tokugawa clan reigned over.
However, the tower keeps, which burned down during the air raid, would be resurrected in 1959 and reestablishing the castle's place as protector of the Owari area. The five-story Main Tower Keep with its golden shachi tiger-fish roof ornaments atop and Sub Tower Keep were rebuilt, restoring the grace they once exhibited in past eons.

Note:
• The Main Tower Keep is currently unavailable to the public.

Rising back up like a phoenix from the ashes

Perhaps the most heinous of the castle's fiery demise is the destruction of the original Hommaru Palace, located in the castle's precincts and the very first property to be named a Japanese national treasure. The palace had been called the "greatest masterpiece of palaces in modern castle precincts" only to be annihilated as the spoils of war.
However, restoration work would begin in 2009 faithfully based on literature, actual survey illustrations, old photographs, murals, and other available references. Thanks to this incredible effort, the palace rose back to life like a phoenix from the ashes in 2018.

Kinshachi Yokocho: A street of savory eats right in an Edo-period castle environment

The surrounding area of Nagoya Castle, which eons ago served as a medieval townscape, turned into something like a town full of eateries in March of 2018. Classic, long-standing bistros specializing in Nagoya Meshi, or Nagoya Cuisine, come together in the Yoshinao Zone while the Muneharu Zone offers a brave and brand-new approach to the cuisine. The two areas offer different takes on Nagoya Meshi, but please the palates of all with delectable dishes and rich history.

The Hommaru Palace Virtual Tour at Nagoya Castle

Hommaru Palace has been mapped in 3D and is actually available for you to see virtually on Nagoya Castle's official site! A cutting-edge Matterport VR camera shot the palace in 4K, letting you observe the most minute details in clarity as you scroll around 360 degrees without even going. Of course, this is best used as an appetizer to get a taste before visiting the real thing!

Hommaru Palace Virtual Tour on the Nagoya Castle site

SPOT OVERVIEW

Location	〒460-0031 1-1 Hommaru, Naka-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi
Fee	• Adults: JPY 500 • Junior high school ages and younger: Free of charge • Seniors ages 65 and older residing in Nagoya: JPY 100 Note: • Seniors ages 65 and older residing in Nagoya must provide documentation to verify their address and age.
Opening days / hours	9:00 am–4:30 pm (admission to Hommaru Palace until 4:00 pm)
Parking	Pay parking available (available Jan 2–Dec 28) Main Gate Parking Lot (308 standard-size spaces. Available 8:45 am–9:30 pm and until 10:00 during the Yoi Festival period.): • Standard-size vehicles: JPY 180/30 min. or less • Motorcycles/mopeds: JPY 100/30 min. or less Ni-no-Maru East Parking Lot (123 standard-size spaces. Available 8:30 am–10:30 pm.) • Standard-size vehicles: JPY 180/30 min. or less Note: • Contact the Nagoya Castle Promotion Association (052-231-1655) for inquiries regarding parking.
Restrooms	Available
Holidays	Unavailable Dec 29–31 and Jan 1 (changes possible due to events)
Phone number	052-231-1700 (Nagoya Castle General Administration Office)

Note: This page may not be current due to update time differences between site databases.
Should accuracy be critical, please verify this information using a direct source, whenever possible.

Barrier-free information

Wheelchair rental	〇
Assistance dogs allowed	〇

Special fee in support of disabled persons	〇　Admission free of charge for those who present a disability certificate and for caregivers. Check the official website for details.

LINK

ACCESS

Access by public transport

• Approx. 12-min. walk from Nagoyajo 'Nagoya Castle' Station, reachable from Nagoya Station on the Higashiyama Subway Line after a transfer to the Meijo Subway Line (clockwise) at Sakae Station.
• Approx. 5-min. walk from Shiyakusho (City Hall) Bus Stop, reachable from Nagoya Station Bus Stop (Bus Stop 10) on Main Nagoya Bus Line 2.
• Approx. 1-min. walk from Nagoya Station Bus Stop, reachable from Nagoya Station Bus Stop (Bus Stop 8) on the Nagoya Sightseeing Route Bus Me~guru.
• Approx. 1-min. walk from Nagoyajo Seimon Mae Bus Stop, reachable from Sakae Bus Stop (Bus Stop 2) on Main Nagoya Bus Line 13.
Access by car

• Approx. 8 min. from Kurokawa Exit on Nagoya Expressway 1's Kusunoki Route.
• Approx. 5 min. from Marunouchi Exit on Nagoya Expressway's Circle 1 Route.