【Inuyama Station / Night Walk】(Inuyama, Aichi) The Illuminated Castle Keep and the Castle Town Streets

Inuyama Station on the Meitetsu Inuyama Line. The station has an unusual design where you enter from staircases on both the left and right sides — not something you see very often.

Around the Station

I almost walked right past it, but there was a street stall serving ramen and hormone (offal). I found myself wondering what it tastes like.

Just outside the station there's a narrow alley with a distinctly Showa feel. It's not entirely clear whether the path in front of the shops is public road or private, and the far end opens into a parking lot.

Walking along the main street from the station, you reach an intersection with the Inagi Kaidō — an old wayfarers' road that connected Nagoya and Inuyama during the Edo period. Turning right here takes you into the streets that retain the atmosphere of the old castle town.

The street itself is quite dark at night, but the illuminated keep of Inuyama Castle — a designated National Treasure — floats up ahead. Busy with tourists during the day, the street is calm and nearly empty after dark.

Along the street there was a booth that appeared to be set up for recording or a live broadcast by local FM station Aichi Kita FM (84.2 MHz). A small group of what looked like fans had gathered around to watch.

At the far end of the street stands Haritsuna Shrine. Even at night, it has a quietly welcoming atmosphere.

Just to its left is Sankō Inari Shrine, from which you can climb up to Inuyama Castle.

On the return walk back toward the station, I noticed a surprisingly steady stream of cars passing through. Worth keeping in mind if you're walking at night.

The whole loop takes about 40 minutes. It's a compact route, easy enough to do on a whim even at night.

A Walk Around Inuyama Station

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