Nagakute

Discover ancient Japanese history, popular culture and car manufacturing heritage in Nagakute. This city is part of the Aichi prefecture between the Owari Hills and Nagoya. It was the site of a conflict during the Sengoku period, part of the feudal domain of the lords of Owari and the location of a world’s fair. Today Nagakute is a popular residential area and satellite city of the Nagoya metropolis.

Start your visit at Kosenjo Park, one of the sites of the 1584 Battle of Komaki and Nagakute. The conflicts witnessed struggles between Sengoku daimyo Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Shogunate ruler Ieyasu. See head mounds, samurai campsites, memorial markers and the grave of a military leader, set on the park’s grassy knoll. Learn more about the battle at the Nagakute Historical Museum.

Toyota Automobile Museum is a must-see for automobile fans. Marvel at a chronological exhibit of classic, modern and futuristic cars from around the globe, including Toyota’s first passenger car. Browse thousands of artifacts including badges, comics, collectible toy cars, license plates and radios. Art exhibitions, concerts and theater performances take place at the Nagakute Cultural Center.

Travel by train to Aichi Expo Memorial Park, the principal venue for the 2005 World EXPO. Today it’s a recreational area with walking trails, an ice rink, swimming pool, restaurants and the EXPO Ferris Wheel. Satsuki and Mei’s House still remains from the fair. The building is a re-creation of the house from the animated movie My Neighbor Totoro. Peek inside the rooms for insights into rural Japanese life in the 1950s.

For more recreation and relaxation, stroll around a pond and see cherry blossoms at Irigaike Park. Iroganeyama Historical Park is another site of the city’s historic battles. Enjoy views from the park’s observation deck.

Nagakute is a 30-minute drive east of Nagoya. Catch a train on the Higashiyama Line from Nagoya Station. Getting between the city’s attractions is easy using the elevated Linimo MAGLEV train.