Around 900 cherry trees of approximately ten varieties, including Somei Yoshino and weeping, paint the castle area in beautiful pinks and create a stunning spot for spring walks during the Cherry Blossom Festival. While beautiful during the day, the flowers show another side during the nighttime illumination. The mystical myriad of night blossoms act as a truly wondrous complement to Nagoya Castle, portraying it in a way not normally available.
Period: Sat, Mar 23–Sun, Apr 7, 2024
Time: 9:00 am–7:30 pm (gates open until 8:00 pm)
Kinshachi Performances
Entertainment based on the theme of "Food, Fun, and Learning" makes for an exciting time.
Periods: Wed, Mar 20 (national holiday)–Sun, Apr 7 and Sat, Apr 27–Mon, May 6 (national holiday), 2024
Note:
• Changes and cancelation may occur due to weather and other factors.
Open-air entertainment space
Eminent rakugo, or Japanese oral comedy, performer Master Tsukitei Happo offers knee-slapping hilarity while rapper Ryoff Karma rattles off rhymes. The two also converse about the joy of rhyming in this special collaborative performance.
Date: Sun, Mar 24, 2024
Time: 2:00 pm–5:00 pm
Place: Ni-no-Maru Plaza
Performers: Tsukitei Happo and Ryoff Karma
Fee: Free of charge
Special opening of important cultural property Southwest Corner Watchtower
The Southwest Corner Watchtower—one of the three remaining corner watchtowers from the Edo period—is open to the public in a special, limited-time opening.
Periods: Sat, Mar 23–Sun, Mar 31 and Sat, Apr 27–Mon, May 6 (holiday), 2024
Time: 9:00 am–4:15 pm
Special teahouse opening
A teahouse created as a precursor to the reconstruction of the Main Tower Keep due to its destruction during WWII is specially opened to the public. The teahouse is normally available for paid rental only and used for tea ceremony and haiku poetry gatherings, but during the period below, it is available to view, free of charge.
Period: Mon, Apr 29 (national holiday)–Fri, Apr 5 (national holiday), 2024
Time: 9:00 am–4:00 pm (admission until 3:45 pm)
Note:
• Entry with bare feet not allowed.
Matchlock gun performance
Watch a performance of the old Owari Province's traditional Owari Tatsuke-style Gunnery, handed down through generations. The olden time guns and firing technologies offer a glimpse of the Nagoya area's feudal wartime past.
Date and time: From 11:30 am and 2:00 pm on Fri, May 3 (national holiday), 2024
Location: Ni-no-Maru Plaza
Performers: Nagoya Castle Matchlock Rifle Brigade (Owari Tatsuke-style Antique Gunnery Preservation Society)
Hori River cruise
Take a cruise along the route between Nagoya Castle (Asahihashi Bridge) and Nayabashi Bridge.
Period: Weekends and national holidays during late Mar–early Jun (tentative) (Cancelation may occur due to water levels.)
Time: Around 10:00 am–5:30 pm (time lengthened during the Cherry Blossom Festival)
Hori River Cruise site (Japanese)
Nagoya Castle Tour with a Junior Castle Expert
Embark on an educational adventure with a junior castle expert having traveled to more than 350 castles around Japan.
Date and time: 10:00 am–1:00 pm on Sat, Apr 20, 2024
Capacity: 20 participants
Meeting spot: Outside the East Gate
Instructor: Hibiki Kurihara (junior castle expert) and Fumihiro Hara (curator at the Nagoya Castle Investigative Research Center)
Ages: Elementary and junior high school ages (elementary school students must be accompanied by a guardian)
Fee: JPY 1,000/person (JPY 500 for accompanying guardians. Admission fee to Nagoya Castle separately required [free of charge for junior high school ages and younger].)
Dai-Nagoya Tours site (Japanese)
Visit springtime Nagoya Castle as many more events are held during the Spring Festival period.
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