Japan Guide
Central Honshū
Inuyama
The appealing castle town of INUYAMA, 25km north of Nagoya, lies beside the Kiso-gawa. From May to October the river is the stage for the centuries-old practice of ukai (cormorant fishing), to which the castle's floodlit exterior provides a dramatic backdrop.
The museum is just in front of Haritsuna-jinja, the shrine at which the colourful festival takes place. One minute's walk up the hill behind will bring you to the entrance of the only privately owned castle in Japan, Inuyama-jō (daily 9am–5pm; ¥500, joint ticket with Uraku-en ¥1200). This toy-like fortress was built in 1537, making it the oldest in Japan (although parts have been extensively renovated), and it has belonged to the Naruse family since 1618. Inside, the donjon is nothing special, but there's a pretty view of the river and surrounding country from the top, where you can appreciate the defensive role that this white castle played.
Set in extensive grounds, 7km east of Inuyama, Meiji Mura (daily: March– Oct 9.30am–5pm; Nov– Feb 9.30am–4pm; ¥1600; 
www.meijimura.com ; 
0568/67-0314) is one of the best open-air architectural museums in Japan. This huge park contains 67 structures, including lamps that once stood on a bridge to the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, churches, banks, a Kabuki theatre, a lighthouse and a telephone exchange from Sapporo. All the structures date from around the Meiji era (1868–1912), when Western influences were flooding into Japan, which resulted in some unique hybrid architecture. This stylistic synthesis can be seen in one of the park's highlights, the front of Frank Lloyd Wright's original Imperial Hotel, at the north end of the park; this is a survivor of the Great Kantō Earthquake, which hit Tokyo the day after the hotel opened in 1923. Buses to Meiji Mura leave at regular intervals from the east side of Inuyama Station (20min; ¥410).
The best accommodation option is the Inuyama International Youth Hostel ( 0568/61-1111, www.inuyama-iyh.com ; Price: ¥5000-7000), with a choice of Western-or Japanese-style rooms; order dinner (from ¥1580) as the hostel is a couple of kilometres from town.