What other travelers are saying about Nagoya Castle
Visited in November 2026.
The palace is very easy to reach by subway, with only about a five minute walk from the station. The grounds and gardens surrounding the palace are huge, so be prepared to walk quite a bit. There is a ¥500 entrance fee, which is very reasonable considering this is one of Nagoya’s highlights.
It is easy to spend a lot of time here, as there is so much to see and explore. There are plenty of great photo spots, and surprisingly, quite a few food places as well. The weather in November was perfect, and I really enjoyed strolling around the area.
Visitors can still explore the castle grounds, gardens, and exhibition areas during this time.
Yes, English-guided tours are offered daily at designated times. Audio guides in multiple languages are also available for rent.
Unfortunately, the castle is only open from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM in the daytime.
Photography is allowed in most castle areas, but flash photography is prohibited. Please be respectful and refrain from taking photos in designated no-photography areas.
Yes, Nagoya Castle often hosts seasonal events and special exhibitions that showcase different aspects of its history and culture. Be sure to check the official website for updates on upcoming events.
Overall quite underwhelming borderline disappointing visit at Nagoya castle.
The castle itself is closed (has been closed since 2018 apparently) so a visit there is pretty much a visit of the Hommaru Palace and the castle grounds.
The place is very crowded, since there’s nothing much to do in Nagoya from a tourist point of view, pretty much all visitors end up here, making the waiting time for Hommaru Palace alone 30 minutes !
That’s a long time to wait to enter a place that’s not THE castle and that is very crowded.
Not going to comment about the palace itself, I saw pictures from other reviews and decided that my time was worth more than it so I didn’t enter.
The souvenir shop is very underwhelming too, I wanted to get something, anything from Nagoya as a souvenir… but there’s really nothing worth buying.
Looking at the food stalls being set up and the souvenirs shops on the castle grounds outside, I got some « Himeji » feelings : this is a tourist trap attraction where people come to visit a « name » rather than a place.
Now to be fair, this is probably the most tourist friendly spot in the whole city, from the metro station all the way to the castle you will have English text, menus, indications, speakers … even the route from the metro to the castle is filled with restaurants offering local specialities.
So yeah they are trying to sell you as much stuff as possible using the castle notoriety and even then they didn’t get to convince me despite me being ready to get an overpriced souvenir.
So I’d say if you’re visiting Nagoya for one day and you have nothing else to do this is the place to go.
If you want to visit a castle, then you are at the wrong place, you can get pretty pictures of it but that’s it.
I’m putting 2* because there is nothing to do in Nagoya beside this, I still got to take a few pictures and had a nice meal just next to the metro station so it wasn’t a complete waste of time.
If you want to see an actual castle not far from there look for Kiyosu castle, although it is harder to access, you get to see the inside of a castle, take pictures from the rooftop AND try out samurai armor for less than half the price of Nagoya’s castle entry.
Nagoya Castle is still nice to visit even though the main castle is under renovation and not accessible at the moment. You can still walk around the grounds and enjoy the atmosphere, but it is more of a quick stop rather than a long visit.
The highlight is the Hommaru Palace, which is beautifully restored and worth seeing. The artwork and interiors are impressive and give you a good sense of the castle’s history. The surrounding park area is also pleasant for a short stroll.
A good place to drop by if you are already in the area and want to see one of Nagoya’s key landmarks without needing too much time.
Nagoya Castle (名古屋城), originally built in 1612 under Tokugawa Ieyasu, is one of Japan’s most famous castles. Unlike Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who waged war against Korea, Tokugawa Ieyasu is known as a general who did not participate in such conflicts, which gives the site an interesting perspective on Korea–Japan relations. Although the main keep interior is currently closed for reconstruction, the castle remains a cultural landmark and a wonderful destination for history enthusiasts and families. At Nagoya Castle, we could take photos with ninjas, which made the children very happy. It added a fun and memorable touch to the historical visit, combining culture with entertainment.
Awesome. My friend and I strolled up planning to have a look around the castle and just read whatever signage was available. We were so pleasantly surprised Aichi prefecture has a program right now where they have volunteer tour guides at the castle. The tour guide, a lovely gentleman named Matsu-san, scooped us up after we purchased our entry tickets and gave us a History channel worthy tour. The castle, palace and hospitality were a wonderful experience and really cemented Nagoya as my favorite place in Japan. Unfortunately due to potential structural issues with the castle in the event of an earthquake, no one is allowed inside for now (but you can go in the palace and it's amazing). Really recommend to anyone visiting.
