Aichi Prefecture is one of Japan’s most underrated travel destinations — a place where feudal legacy and contemporary industry exist side by side in seamless contrast. The prefecture’s capital, Nagoya, is Japan’s fourth-largest city and one of its most important economic hubs, yet it remains refreshingly uncrowded compared to Tokyo and Osaka.
Aichi’s historical credentials are remarkable. The three warlords who unified Japan in the late 16th and early 17th centuries — Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu — were all born here, making the prefecture the cradle of Japan’s modern political history. Visitors can trace this legacy through sites like Nagoya Castle, the sacred Atsuta Shrine (home to the legendary Kusanagi sword) and Inuyama Castle, one of only five castles in Japan designated as a National Treasure.
Beyond its samurai heritage, Aichi is Japan’s industrial powerhouse. Toyota Motor Corporation is headquartered here, and the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology draws visitors curious about the country’s manufacturing story. For pop culture fans, Ghibli Park opened in 2022 in Nagakute, bringing the worlds of My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away to life.
Aichi’s cuisine is another draw entirely. The prefecture is famous for hatcho miso, a rich, dark-red fermented soybean paste unique to the region, used in everything from miso katsu (pork cutlet) to chicken wings. Hitsumabushi, a grilled eel dish eaten three ways, is another Nagoya specialty not to miss.
