Honmaru Palace

A fascinating view into the history of Aesthetics of the Edo period. Though much of the primary construction was destroyed by America during the second world war, the dedication of those committed to the preservation of History has allowed for the Reconstruction which is magnificent. A gem.

The Honmaru Palace of Nagoya Castle is a true masterpiece of traditional Japanese architecture and craftsmanship. Reconstructed with meticulous care using original techniques and materials, the palace offers a rare glimpse into the opulent lifestyle of feudal lords during the Edo period. Walking through the elegant tatami rooms, you’re greeted by breathtaking gold-leaf screens, hand-painted sliding doors, and intricate wooden carvings that reflect the grandeur of the Owari Tokugawa clan. The atmosphere is peaceful and deeply respectful of history. Every corner feels like stepping into a living museum. It’s amazing to see how much effort has been put into authenticity. Whether you’re a history buff or simply curious, the Honmaru Palace is an unforgettable and enriching experience, well worth the visit.

Beautiful paintings and gold leaf screens , sliding doors that is unique in Nagoya .

The palace is very well reserved and orderly. I appreciate how they had a good crowd control and ensure visitors could have enough space to walk and pause and enjoy the beauty of the artworks. The golden artworks were well restored and I was amazed by the beauty!

The only place in the Nagoya castle that we are permitted to enter in the area, with lots of beautiful detail and well-preserved structure. To protect the floors, no footwear is allowed inside. Shoe lockers and slippers are provided for visitors' convenience.

Located within the Nagoya Castle grounds, the ancient building is remarkably well-preserved, with an interior that is lavishly decorated and stunningly beautiful. Visitors are required to remove their shoes before entering and must follow the designated route.

An interesting insight to how the palace used to look like and restored by amazing craftsmen down to every tiny detail. It was a peaceful calm slowly observing each room as visitors were politely following the walkways and being respectful of their surroundings. They offer audio guides in various languages for a small fee (iirc ¥100) and lockers for shoes and larger bags.

Great place to visit! However, I’d like to share a small suggestion. It would be helpful if staff could start implementing more English communication, as most visitors are likely tourists. Today, I was spoken to by a staff member who told me I was blocking the way. However, I am certain I was not. Initially, she spoke to me in Japanese, and I thought she was showing me where to go, so I replied that I was waiting for my wife. She then scolded me in English, saying I was in the way. It would be greatly appreciated if staff could communicate with a bit more patience and understanding, especially since many visitors may not speak Japanese.

Yelp Review 2024 #196: The very first shogun hails from Nagoya. Samurai has deep roots in Nagoya. It is the first Japanese castle to be designated a National Treasure. We bought tickets for about 500 Yen each. All we really wanted to do was take pictures of the outside of the castle and then explore Nagoya the rest of the day. But somehow we ended up touring the whole place a because we had to follow a path and flow of the tour of the castle grounds - oh no! We got to see and climb up one of the towers, and go inside Honmaru before reaching the castle to take pictures. A precursor castle, Yanagi-no-maru was built in 1521-1528 by Governor Imagawa Ujichika. The Oda clan took over and renamed it Nagoya Castle but abandoned it later on. The Tokugawa clan rebuilt this castle and took over. Over the years, it has been taken over by different people who have remodeled/ rebuilt this castle. The roof of the castle is adorned with golden shachihoko (a mythical carp with the head of a tiger/ dragon). They serve as protection against fire, and a symbol or power and wealth. We got to do a meet and greet some "ninjas" and "samurais". Then, we left. There is a shop, vending machines, and ice cream stand inside the castle grounds. There are restrooms near the castle.

Absolutely breathtaking. Highly recommend going to Nagoya even to just see the castle. Unfortunately you can't go inside the castle anymore. But the side building was gorgeous. The grounds are huge and it was absolutely worth seeing.

Very cool experince. It was nice to go inside the castle. food and unique stuff over there. https://rumble.com/v6excnd-nagoya-castle.html

Last time I visited this place was in the year 2012. Lots of history! Organized place. You can go all the way to the top to see the good view. It's like bringing back the historic time, like you're there with them. It's different atmosphere. It's truly a must see when you're in Nagoya. Did a day trip only and made it in and out of the airport in time for my flight back to Guam. 5-3-2012

Fascinating piece of history! The construction of Nagoya Castle was ordered by Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1610. It was finished in two years. Much later, in 1930, it was designated a Japanese National Treasure. However, it was burned down in 1945 during WWII and rebuilt in 1959. Our tour started the morning at Nagoya Castle. Everyone watched a video which described the rules - remove your shoes and place them in the lockers; no flash photography; no eating/drinking; no smoking; and no touching. When we got to the entrance, we all removed our shoes. If a person didn't have socks, house slippers were available. We locked our shoes in the boxes and took the keys with us. Each room was viewed and described. The hand painted walls were intricately beautiful. They all had special meaning and were kept in pristine condition! We saw a worker using a paintbrush to dust the ledges of the walls! Wow! This was an interesting excursion! I'm glad that our tour included this attraction!

A famous landmark in Nagoya, you should visit here to check the scenery. There is an admission fee of 500 yen per person. It is reachable by bus or subway.

I had only 30 minutes at this spot. I parked, jogged round trip, and made it! It has a great view at the top and some picture with the fake golden shachihoko spots at another floor. Oh, google map took me to a parking lot under construction... Admission: Parking:

While inside Nagoya castle, since it was reconstructed, it reminded me of Kumamoto castle prior to the earthquake not too long ago. This castle has a strong tie with Tokugawa clan, Tokugawa ieyasu spent so much restoring it in early 1600's. current one is reconstructed in 1950's. They have English display available, easy to follow self-guided tour inside the main castle. Wifi was available from time to time, especially near a building.

This castle has become one of my favorites so far. Yes, the main keep is a replica. But it was built loyally to what it looked before it was burnt down by air raid in WWII. Also, they rebuilt the the palace which was also loyal to its real blue print. It definitely adds historical value. While many were fascinated by those two attractions, I was rather impressed with massive stone walls and "bigger than standard" turrets surrounding the main keep. Generally this type of building were designed to be modest size just to enough to build as many as they can and also just high enough to be able to have good outlook. But Nagoya on the other hand, some of them are massive. It's almost same size as the main keep of some castle in provincial cities. Particular the one that was built on northwest corner of the compound. It was rainy and also had to squeeze in tight schedule. I need to come back here to explore more.

This castle is massive and amazing for the time that it was built. The amount of large rocks moved by man is amazing. Of course the castle has been lovingly and according to original blueprint rebuilt since its destruction from the war. The moated area and stoned structure looks inmpenetrable. Right now the entranceway to the castle is lined with a variety of bonsai. Love that there are many toilets at each of the buildings. Western and Asian style toilets was pleasing. One gate entrance even has a beer, fried chix, gyro and wood fired pizza trucks on property. Beautiful city views from top floor of castle. There is an elevator, but to get to this floor, you must walk the 1 flight of stairs. There is also a museum store, another snack shop, gold screen display, tea house and garden. The rock garden is closed now for renovations. In awe.

Loved this castle in Japan. Nagoya culture was amazing. I enjoyed going into part of the palace. You will have to take off your shoes to go inside. If you go at the right time, the blossoms look amazing for pictures. Also, the ninjas and samurai roam around and are friendly to take pictures. They put on some shows. Definitely worth it to come and experience the culture and check out the scenery.

Nagoya Castle... I mean, Nagoya Museum in the shape of a castle, is a 6 floor sweltering hot place for tourists. Even cooler than entering the castle is the entire castle grounds, which are comprised of a; Noh theater museum, doll museum, gift shop / cafeteria, flower garden, woodland moss garden, cultural garden, and teahouse. The castle complex costs about Y500 per person to enter. The top floor of the castle is an observatory with a gift shop in the middle. You do not need to remove your shoes to enter the main castle. But, you will be asked to remove your shoes and put them in a locker if you enter the Royal Palace home separately. It was a little confusing at first, because the castle entrance is around the back of the building. Next to the ice cream and tofu donut vendor. When visiting, make sure to walk the entire complex and not miss a thing. I really regret not stopping at the teahouse on the way out, because the menu looked really awesome. Since this is Nagoya, even the most touristy of area are not that busy in the morning. I really like how most of the cultural spaces in Nagoya are condensed into this one complex, so it makes it much easier to visit than, let's say, Osaka Castle. It is also very easy to access from the subway system. But, seriously, we just walked here all the way from Nagoya Station (main station) with no issue. Nagoya is not a large city, so it is easy to walk across most of downtown in about 30 minutes.

Nagoya-jō is a Japanese castle, and during the Edo period, it was the heart of one of the most important castle towns. The cultural influence of this historic structure is reflected in its alternative pronunciation Meijō, which is part of many city institutions.

This is a nice place to hit up if you're in Nagoya and have a few hours to spend. Unlike some other castles, this one is a reconstruction of an old one that was badly damaged during WW2. It may not be as big or "original" as some of the more impressive castles in Japan, but it's still a nice place to soak in some history. The castle grounds are fairly large but there's a lot of renovation going on so be ready to run into some construction sites, which are kind of an eyesore if you're looking to snap photos. As for the inside - there are several floors with each serving a different purpose. For the most part it's a museum of the castle's history and also features a couple of interesting interactive items. For example if you've ever wondered what it's like to be a Japanese laborer tasked with dragging huge blocks of stone to build the castle, you get to experience that. The top floor of the castle is the observation deck and you get a pretty nice view of Nagoya city and its surrounding areas. My recommendation is to take the elevator from the ground floor to the 5th or 6th floor (can't remember exactly) and then walk up a couple of flights to the top and work your way down. It's less tiring and tedious than having to walk up each floor then to come back down again. This place is pretty easy to get to and is near a couple of subway stations. I'd say if you're in town and haven't been here before, it's worth visiting. I personally liked Himeiji and Osaka castles better but this one is still nice and makes a nice picture backdrop.

When in Nagoya, you can't miss visiting this castle. Somehow among all the castles that I've visited, where the fee is usually when you enter the main castle only , Nagoya castle is different. You have to pay to enter the area. The castle is not that big as I imagine and modern inside too, just like Osaka Castle. It also have it's own elevator at the side. The museum have a great collection of swords and some other things pertinent to the castle. The castle ground is also big. The second time I went back to Nagoya, I did not bother going inside.

Nagoya Castle is one of the few places you should visit on your stay in Nagoya. The castle is well maintained and beautiful. It doesn't take too much to see the inside. I would say about two hours is more than enough, and the admission cost is only 500yen. On the day I went, they were offering only one tour in English in the afternoon, which is a bit of a bummer. Most of major stuff inside the castle are described in English but not the little details. If you have seen other castles in Japan and had enough, you can skip here. But if you area history wiz and renting a car driving from/to Tokyo or Osaka/Kyoto, you should make a quick trip in Nagoya and see the castle and enjoy the food!!

I would have given this place a 5 star rating but half of the castle is closed due to construction. Not their fault its needed every now and then. I can't give it a five star since I couldn't experience the other parts of the facility. What I did visit was breath taking. The staff on site speak great English and are willing to answer any of your questions. The gift shop was really neat too. Thanks also goes out to the Japanese for posting interesting points on placards in English. It was amazingly helpful since I can't read Japanese. I would loved to have seen the other parts of the Castle but hats off to the facility for a wonderful visit. Thanks.

Nagoya Castle is an ancient castle from 1612, but started in about 1610 and was commissioned by Tokugawa who had won the battle of Sekigahara. They did not live in the castle itself, there was a magazine on 7 floors and 1 basement. It would accommodate food and equipment for around 6000 samuraiers. The owners even lived in a palace next to, where there were departments according to how high the ranges were, and where the decorations were there. During the Second World War, both the tower of the castle and the palace were destroyed. It was refurbished in 1959, and they are continuing with restorations. Today there are different exhibits from the original on each floor, the upper floor is today observation room and gift shop. We were there Saturday and then they had an English guided tour at 1pm which one should try to bring. It costs 500 yen in adult entrance fee. There is also a park where you can relax. It is definitely worth a visit

Amazing castle with recreated BEAUTIFUL palace. A must go for visiting Nagoya, easy to get to from downtown and most of the workers speak English.

Nagoya was a bit of a wildcard on our trip to Japan and we are really glad we stopped here. Nagoya castle is an absolutely stunning place to while away a few hours exploring the castle grounds and the various buildings in the complex. For the tiny entrance price of 500 yen you can explore an incredibly interesting museum which takes you through the construction of the castle (which was completed in 1612), it's near total destruction during bombing raids during WWII through to it's ongoing restoration and current state. It looks absolutely spectacular amidst the cherry blossoms and whilst many parts are still under reconstruction and renovation it is a shining example of traditional Japanese architecture. The multilingual guides we met around the castle were friendly and welcoming, even thanking us profusely for visiting the castle and their fair city. The vast majority of information throughout is also in Japanese and English but the greatest enjoyment I got from our visit here was just the sheer wonder of the place as we trekked around. An absolute must if you're in Nagoya, which is a city we enjoyed tremendously.

The place is big enough for the tourists to spend a full day. They just opened a new traditional eatery places next to the castle. It is probably the only historical sightseeing spots in Nagoya that is original and unique. Other places are kind of good for whatever the

This is not an original castle, but a replica, observatory and a museum. I was born and raised just 10min away from this park. Back in time, there were no fences around the moat and we used to go down to play. Ever since, their cherry trees have grown so much and they are so beautiful during the cherry blossom season.