4 Best Sights in Nagoya, Ise-Shima, and the Kii Peninsula, Japan

This castle, perched dramatically on top of Mt. Kinka, overlooks the city center and Nagara River. It's most striking when illuminated at night, backdropped by the mountain that changes color in fall. The current building dates from 1956 (the 16th-century structure was destroyed by an 1891 earthquake) and looks like a Japanese city office from the same era, though the view of Gifu from Mt. Kinka is worth the hike. A cable-car ride up from Gifu Park (¥1,100 round-trip) gets you to the castle in 10 minutes, or you can walk the 2.3-km (1½-mile) path to the 1,079-foot summit in about an hour. Take Bus N32, N41, N80, or N86 to Gifu Park (15 minutes, ¥220).

This castle stands today because of one man's determination and wealth. The first castle built here was destroyed by a rainstorm in 1612, before it was completed. More than 300 years later, local resident Katsu Kawasaki financed a replica that sits atop vertiginous 98-foot stone walls—be careful when it's windy. Kawasaki also paid for the Basho Memorial Museum, built in memory of Japan's famous wandering poet, Matsuo Basho, which stands near the castle in Ueno Park.

Inuyama's most famous sight is Inuyama Castle, also known as Hakutei-jo (White Emperor Castle). Built in 1537, it is the oldest of the 12 original castles in Japan. The exceedingly pretty castle stands amid carefully tended grounds on a bluff overlooking the Kiso River. Climb up the creaky staircases to the top floor for a great view of the river, city, and surrounding hills. The gift shops and small section of old town at the foot of the castle hill are good for browsing. From Inuyama-Yuen Eki, walk southwest along the river for 10 minutes.

The main keep of this Nagoya landmark, a 1950s ferro-concrete reconstruction of the 1612 original, was closed in May 2018 to be pulled down and replaced by a fully wooden reconstruction by December 2022. Or that was the plan. As of March 2022, the old keep is still standing, but nobody can enter. However, the castle ground's are still more than worth a visit for the painstakingly rebuilt Honmaru Palace, which was unveiled in 2018. Made mostly of hinoki (Japanese cypress), it is richly decorated with elaborate wall and screen-door paintings, intricate wood carvings, decorative metal fittings, and fine lacquering. It's a modern-day masterpiece of traditional Japanese crafting. Check out the ceilings as you get deeper into the palace, as their design becomes increasingly more complex to reflect the higher status of those allowed into the inner sanctums. Nagoya Castle's east gate is one block north of the Shiyakusho 市役所; City Hall) subway station. If you get hungry while there, just across from the castle's east entrance is a new cluster of a dozen or so restaurants and cafes, collectively called Kinshachi Yokocho.