Situated Between Tokyo And Osaka Is A Hidden Japanese City With Incredible Temples And Castles

There's an overlooked city in Japan that is a quintessential visit for anyone who loves Japanese culture and history. It contains a historic castle, is the hometown of a legendary shogun, is a great destination for cherry blossoms, the origin of a distinct style of miso, and host to vibrant festivals. Okazaki is an under-the-radar city, situated between the populous metropolises of Tokyo and Osaka, that is often passed over by international travelers in pursuit of flashier spots. However, Japan can get a little pricey in major cities like Tokyo, so heading out of the city to explore will help make things more affordable in addition to beating the crowds. And Okazaki is a hidden gem worthy of its own stop.

Okazaki — often referred to as Okazaki City or Okazaki Aichi to differentiate it from the Okazaki neighborhood in Kyoto – is known for its important placement along the historic Tokaido Road, a 320-mile, well-maintained throughway of ancient Japan which connected important regions. The city is historic, yet brims with vibrant modernity and is centrally located in Aichi Prefecture on Japan's largest island. It's also a short jaunt away from Nagoya, Japan's fourth-largest city that is bustling with things to do.

Okazaki is a bit off the beaten path and harder to reach, as the Shinkansen, or high-speed train, bypasses it. So, when traveling from larger hubs like Kyoto, you'll need to transfer to smaller commuter trains to get to Okazaki, and the trip will take about two hours. From Tokyo it's about three and a half hours to Okazaki. From Osaka, you can take the Shinkansen to Nagoya station, then exit and walk a few minutes to the Meitetsu Nagoya Station to get the express train to Higashi-Okazaki Station. While most major international flights will probably land in Tokyo, Kyoto, or Osaka, the nearest airport is technically Nagoya, which is only a little over 30 miles away. 

Rising above the trees and buildings of Okazaki stands Okazaki Castle, the 20th-century faithful restoration of a fortress originally built in 1455. The Matsudaira clan — later the Tokugawa clan — moved it to the present-day location and rebuilt it in 1531. Just 12 years later, legendary Japanese ruler Tokugawa Ieyasu was born in this castle. He went on to found the Tokugawa shogunate which ushered in Japan's Edo period, known for its relative peace and isolationism, and is widely known as one of the three great unifiers of Japan. Today, he's celebrated annually in Okazaki with a summer festival, one of the city's biggest. 

Only a 15-minute walk from Higashi Okazaki station, the castle is surrounded by moats and ivy-covered walls. Inside the complex, Ieyasu's Well is a main attraction and costumed park employees reenact dances and old-style traditions to immerse visitors. Each floor of the castle is laid out museum-style, containing displays and relics, and the top floor is an observation deck boasting panoramic city views. The Ieyasu and Mikawa Bushi Museum also features weapons and other original artifacts from the Edo period and beyond.

You can hire a guide or take a specialty tour of the castle, including a samurai food and history tour. Travel guru Rick Steves says hiring a guide is worth the splurge, and in Japan, it is a particularly good suggestion because a big part of getting a truly authentic experience is having interpersonal relationships with locals, which can take time to cultivate. On your first or second visit to Japan it may be challenging to get to a deeper level with your relationships with locals, which is when a tour guide can become invaluable.

Okazaki hosts numerous festivals year-round that are masterclasses in Japanese cultural celebrations. Every spring, plum and cherry blossoms bloom brilliantly, dropping their iconic petals all across the city. The Plum Blossom Festival in Aoi Plum Grove in Minami Park is a blossom wonderland with over 20 species and 200 trees unfurling to welcome spring. Typically celebrated through the end of February into the first two weeks of March, it precedes the Cherry Blossom Festival, held in Okazaki Park mid-March or early April, the best time of year to see cherry blossoms in this part of Japan. 

800 cherry trees come alive beneath the shadow of Okazaki Castle and the park's path along the Oto River walkway fills with vendors and entertainment, adding to the festive air, and visitors can enjoy cherry blossom-themed food and drink. You don't need a festival to see these blooms, though: "hanami" is a celebrated Japanese concept of essentially viewing blooming flowers, and Okazaki Castle is one of the best places in the entire country to practice hanami. Okazaki also has a shogun-era tradition of making gunpowder for fireworks, and the tradition continues with its annual hanabi-kai, or elaborate summer firework festival, that draws visitors a day in advance to reserve their viewing spot. 

Okazaki specializes in producing hatcho miso, a strong, red-colored fermented soybean paste once exclusively made for the royal families and hand-crafted here for more than 800 years. You can tour a local "brewery" and see how hatcho miso is made, as well as sample it. Give the dark miso a try on local dishes at Ichikawa, a casual but traditional-style restaurant near the castle. Or for another taste of Okazaki, eat seafood at Kamogawa, an off-the-beaten-path favorite of locals and tourists alike.