Things to Do in Aichi, Japan: City Guides

Aichi is a prefecture in central Honshu, facing the Pacific Ocean, Ise Bay and Mikawa Bay. Its landscape combines the broad Nobi Plain, coastal communities and historic towns with one of Japan’s major industrial centres. This Aichi travel guide introduces the places, traditions and cities that make the prefecture worth exploring. Neywo also has free audio guides for 3 cities in Aichi, with 168 narrated places in total across 7 walking tours.

What to see and do in Aichi

Explore Aichi’s history between Owari and Mikawa

Aichi was formed from two older areas: Owari and Mikawa. After the Meiji Restoration, these provinces were reorganised into Nagoya Prefecture and Nukata Prefecture before joining together as present-day Aichi. The prefecture’s name reaches back even further, to a poem in the Man’yoshu that mentions cranes calling over the Ayuchi flats.

The Fujimae tidal flat is the surviving part of the earlier Ayuchi-gata landscape. Today, it is protected, preserving a small but meaningful link with the environment associated with Aichi’s name.

Discover Nagoya, the prefecture’s capital

Nagoya is Aichi’s capital and largest city, as well as the heart of the wider Chukyo metropolitan area. It is the prefecture’s main urban centre and a natural starting point for exploring the region.

The city also reflects Aichi’s industrial and cultural character. Its places of interest include Zenryu-ji Temple (Nagoya), Asahi Shrine, Catholic Chikaramachi Church and Nagoya Noh Theater. Neywo’s Nagoya city guide covers 138 narrated places, making it the most extensive of the prefecture’s city guides.

Visit Inuyama

Inuyama is one of the towns to visit in Aichi for a closer look at the region’s historic and cultural sites. Neywo’s guide includes 11 narrated places, among them Aotsuka Kofun, Inuyama Shrine and the Inuyama Shrine Annex Karakuri Exhibition Room.

These sites offer different perspectives on the area, from its historic religious traditions to its local heritage and displays connected with karakuri, Japan’s mechanical puppetry tradition.

See Toyota beyond the car industry

Toyota is one of Aichi’s major centres and gives its name to Toyota Motor Corporation, one of the companies behind the prefecture’s strong automotive industry. But the city also has museums and cultural sites that show a wider local identity.

Neywo’s Toyota city guide includes 19 narrated places, including the Toyota Municipal Museum of Art, Toyota City Hakken-kan, Toyota Kuragaike Commemorative Hall and Toyota City Museum of Local History. Together, they provide a way to explore the city’s art, local history and industrial heritage.

Experience Aichi’s festivals

Festivals are among the most distinctive things to do in Aichi. Five local events are recognised as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage:

• Owari Tsushima Tenno Matsuri in Aisai and Tsushima
• Inuyama Festival
• Kamezaki Shiohi Festival in Handa
• Chiryu Festival
• Sunari Festival in Kanie

Other celebrations add to this varied calendar of local traditions. Nagoya hosts the Nagoya Festival, while Toyohashi and Toyokawa are known for the Tezutsu Matsuri. In Minamichita, the Toyohama Sea Bream Festival reflects the prefecture’s coastal setting. Nishio hosts the Isshiki Lantern Festival and the Toba Fire Festival.

Rather than sharing one single style, Aichi’s festivals form a patchwork of community traditions spread across its towns and cities.

Follow the coast and bays

Aichi’s southern side is shaped by Ise Bay, Mikawa Bay and the Pacific Ocean. Its coastal landscapes include beaches on Himakajima, Shinojima, Akabane and Utsumi. The prefecture’s setting is therefore not only urban and industrial: it also includes islands, beaches, tidal flats and port communities.

Nagoya Port handles international containers and ferry services, while Mikawa Port is closely connected with exports of automobiles and car parts. These ports show how Aichi’s relationship with the water is both geographic and economic.

Understand modern Aichi

Aichi is one of Japan’s major industrial centres. Manufacturing, agriculture and commerce all contribute to its economy, with strong activity in automotive production, aerospace, ceramics, steel and alloy steel.

Toyota Motor Corporation is based in the prefecture, and the automotive industry is central to Aichi’s identity. The region’s rail and transport network supports this role, including the Tokaido Shinkansen and lines operated by JR Central and Meitetsu. Chubu Centrair International Airport provides air connections, while the ports connect Aichi with international trade.

Best towns to visit in Aichi

The prefecture’s main places to explore on Neywo are Nagoya, Inuyama and Toyota. Nagoya offers the largest concentration of narrated places and the energy of a major regional capital. Inuyama focuses on historic and cultural sites, while Toyota combines museums, local history and the industrial character for which Aichi is known.

Together, these cities provide three different ways to experience the prefecture: urban, historic and industrial.

Explore Aichi with Neywo’s free audio guide

Download Neywo to explore Aichi through 7 walking tours covering 3 cities, with 168 narrated places in total. Each story plays as you reach the place, at your own pace, with no group and no schedule. Narration is available in 11 languages, so you can discover Aichi while walking through its streets and listening to the story of each stop as it unfolds.