Monday September 29, 2025

The forecast was for showers this morning but clearing by 9:30 a.m. At 9:00 it was pouring with rain. I half jokingly suggested we take the train to Nagoya. The train station was directly across the road from the hotel. Ralf suggested that might not be a bad idea.

Our bikes were already packed, so we headed over to the station and bought two tickets to Nagoya. We knew we were going to be too early to check-in to the apartment. We headed for Nagoya Castle and spent about 2-3 hours wandering the grounds and visiting the exhibits.

Views of the Nagoya Castle

The castle was destroyed by the bombing in 1945 and fires. It was rebuilt using traditional materials and methods. The Castle Keep is no longer accessible to the public due to earthquake concerns. However, the grounds were lovely and the Hommaru Palace was a very special place. 

Storeroom, corner store, moat, Hammaru Palace

They had actors wandering the grounds to sit and chat with people. This one had a very deep laugh.

The Exhibition rooms were beautifully restored, the walls and partitions were covered in gold leaf and painted. We really enjoyed the visit.

Restored screens

We found our hotel which is an apartment. It has a small kitchenette, with a fridge, and a two-burner stove, microwave, there is a sofa and a bed in the living area. The bikes are in the room with lots of room.

We went out for dinner and tried once again to eat at an Italian restaurant. the chef came out and said it was closed, although it was supposed to stay open until 9:00 p.m. It would appear as if Japanese/Italian restaurants do not want to serve foreigners. The restaurant had one other person inside. Maybe just a coincidence.

On our way back from dinner, we spotted a lady selling fruit and bought a Japanese white peach that was as big as Ralf’s hand. It was really tasty. We also bought mandarins and it was lovely to have some fresh fruit.

This is a two-night stay in Nagoya, tomorrow we are heading to Inuyama, another castle which is one of the original 12 castles remaining in Japan.