We were looking at a long drive, somewhere far away from Tokyo, somewhere where we would not be overwhelmed by tourists but provide a quiet getaway.
Inuyama ticked the boxes because I visited this town almost 2 decades ago. My early years in Japan were spent in Nagoya and Inuyama was close to Nagoya. I have hazy recollections of a short visit. I was visiting friends in a nearby town and they drove me here for a quick trip before putting me on a train back to Nagoya.
Inuyama City Hotel was the only hotel with a parking available, the Airbnb I tried to book came with a lot of conditions and my frustrations at being asked to provide a passport copy despite having lived in Japan for close to 2 decades, made me decide for this hotel.
Driving can be fun till one gets out of Tokyo, the traffic on December 30th was heavy till we came on to the Shin Tomei Expressway. The traffic eased up and we were close to Nagoya after a few stops. The last 30 minutes on the National Highway 21, a wrong turn and my navigation systems inability to show the correct path lead to a few delays but Google Maps saved the day and we entered into the hotel in fading light.
The hotel was located close to the Inuyama station and was around the city centre but Inuyama is a small town and like a lot of small towns in Japan it closes early.
The closes convenience store was a 10 minutes walk and the lone Indian restaurant in that area a bit further away. ‘Sunrise’ is an Indian/Nepali restaurant which serves a few Nepali/Tibetan dishes along with the standard Naan and Curry.
The table behind us was occupied by 2 men who discussed about India, how they were not able to distinguish between India, Nepal and Bhutan, Hindu and Buddhist religions and a few other topics. It was an interesting conversation as plenty of half baked opinions were thrust out as facts and I was too interested in the views to interfere.
Walking back to the hotel we discovered the Hon Machi dori, the tourist street leading up to the castle.
The town is located at the northern tip of the Aichi prefectures and borders the Gifu Prefecture across the Kiso river. Cormorant fishing has been practiced for 1300 years on the Kiso river though it is done more as a tourist attraction these days. The fishing period is during summer and tourists flock to the town to watch this quaint tradition.
Inuyama city served as a key point of transportation, logistics and politics since ancient times, it was a battleground in the Sengoku period and was a castle town during the Edo era. The Inuyama castle is designated as a national treasure and is the main attraction in the town throughout the year.
The castle however is closed to the public from December 30 to January 1st and year end visitors like us are not able to enter the castle premises.
Though all is not lost, the visitor can walk along the Hon Machi Dori. The stone paved street with shops on either side provides a leisurely walk to the Inuyama Castle.
We walked along the street on the last day of the year, chilly and cloudy with occasional showers. Though the Inuyama castle was closed, the shops were still open and tourists milled around, stopping for an ice cream, a coffee or anything else that caught their fancy.
A townhouse stands in the corner and walking towards the castle you pass the Dondenkan. The Inuyama Festival held in April is the biggest attraction for tourists and a few of the festival cars are located in the Dondenkan building.
There are a few old residences, preserved in the original style. These residences were closed and not accessible in the year end.
Ice cream, Japanese sweets and skewer shops were open for the tourists and were getting crowded the lunch hour.
As we approached the castle we passed the striking building housing the Inuyama Cultural History museum which was also closed.
There was the First Terrace Cafe on the right, a two storied cafe with a partially covered terrace. The rain continued but the Sun suddenly shone through in the distance. We went out to the terrace and were rewarded with the sight of a rainbow.
The Haritsuna Shrine stands below the Inuyama Castle and is believed to be more than a 1000 years old. The shrine is particularly known for the God of safe childbirth. warding off evil spirits and longevity of children. Even on this cold late afternoon parents brought young infants with them to the shrine.
The skies opened up as we entered the shrine and we sheltered in front of an altar. A young couple, possibly here to pray for an upcoming childbirth came in under the covering and waited.
The rain let up and they walked out and we followed into the fading light. A car drove dangerously along the road, young blood searching for adrenaline by accelerating and braking. There was a loud bang as the car went downhill towards the port, hitting something in their recklessness.
We walked back along the Hon Machi dori, the rain started again and we went inside the First Terrace cafe. The cafe was closing early for the last day of the year, but we still had an hour to have a chocolate cake and hot cocoa.
As we walked out, the outside dark now, there was a group setting up lighting, decorating it tastefully bamboo. They finished the work and switched on the lights, testing them before switching them off again.
The crowds still wandered around the castle and the nearby park, lit up on this last day of 2023.
