[Higashi-Okazaki Station / Evening Walk] (Okazaki, Aichi) The Demolished Building That Used to Define the Station Square

April 17th, 2026

AichiOkazakiHigashi-Okazaki StationAround the Station

Two people chatting as they walk along the lively station-front street at night, with the glow of izakayas behind them

Visited: November 6, 2025 (Thursday)

Okazaki is a city in Aichi Prefecture.
It is known for Okazaki Castle, located in the area associated with the birth of Tokugawa Ieyasu. The present castle keep is a reconstruction, as the original buildings were lost after the castle was abolished in the early Meiji period.

Nationally, Okazaki may often be seen as a commuter city near Nagoya. Within the city itself, however, the central area is not around "Okazaki Station" but around "Higashi-Okazaki Station." City Hall is also nearest to Higashi-Okazaki Station, and the streets around the station are lined with restaurants and bars. JR Okazaki Station on the Tokaido Main Line is an important rail stop, but the city center feels more concentrated on the Higashi-Okazaki side.

The Station and Its Surroundings

Higashi-Okazaki Station exterior before redevelopment

Higashi-Okazaki Station is on the Meitetsu Nagoya Main Line.
There used to be a commercial building in front of the station called Okabiru Department Store, which closed in 2021. The building remained for a while, but by the time of this visit it had been demolished. A bridge-style station building is scheduled for completion in fiscal 2028, followed by a new station building in fiscal 2029. By then, the whole look of this area will probably be quite different.

Office workers and students waiting at a crosswalk near the station during the evening rush

It was right in the middle of the evening commute. Office workers and students heading for the station were lined up at the crosswalk, waiting for the light to change.

Touts standing outside bars and clubs on the entertainment district street

Along the street were people standing outside, pulling in customers for places set back from the main road. Hard to tell if they were working for a hostess club or a free information booth.

A queue outside the Iekei ramen restaurant Manpukuya

Heading west along the station-front street, I came across a line forming outside Manpukuya, an iekei-style ramen shop. Iekei ramen really is popular everywhere you go.

A mixed-use complex with a hotel along the riverside, with a pedestrian deck visible

I walked the station-front street all the way to Prefectural Road 483, turned back, headed north, and followed the riverside east — where a mixed-use complex including a hotel came into view. A pedestrian deck was already there, and apparently it will be expanded further as part of the redevelopment.

Terrace seating along the riverside with a couple on a date passing by

Comfortable-looking terrace seats lined the waterfront, and I passed a couple out on a date.

Students gathered in the courtyard-like space on the ground floor of the complex, all looking at their phones

In the open courtyard-like space on the ground floor, students had gathered. Every single one of them was staring at their phone.

A drunk man being helped along the station-front street by his friends

On my way back to the station, I spotted a man up ahead who had clearly had too much. His friends had him draped over their shoulders and were slowly making their way down the street.

Touts calling out to a group moving from one bar to the next

A group finishing up at their first bar and looking for somewhere else to go — touts, both men and women, were calling out to them from every direction.