Two days and one night of plum and gourmet food
#JapanTravelGuide
TripGoal
Admire the weeping plum blossoms at the Suzuka Forest Gardens during the illuminations!
Enjoy delicious hitsumabushi at Atsuta Horaiken!
Day 1
Take the Shinkansen to Nagoya Station. From Nagoya Station, rent a car and head to Red Hill Heather Forest in Takanoo, Tsu City. The expansive 130,000-square-meter site features a "Flower Area" with a rose garden and water lily pond, and a "Forest Area" spanning the fields and mountains, offering beautiful scenery throughout the seasons. The plum garden is home to a total of 45 weeping and upright plum trees. Spectacular plum trees over 3 meters tall are lined up, including some over 5 meters tall. The weeping plum tree over 5 meters tall is named "Teryu," and its thick trunk and countless drooping blossoms are a stunning sight. Early-blooming cherry blossoms were in bloom at Sakura Square, allowing us to enjoy the cherry blossoms even during the plum season.
We then drove to Suzuka Forest Garden, home to approximately 200 famous weeping plum trees, showcasing the craftsmanship and history of Japan. While Red Hill Heather Forest also has areas other than plum trees, this one is dedicated to plum trees. As a research farm dedicated to preserving and promoting the weeping plum "training technique," it is open to the public during the flowering season. The garden fees vary depending on the blooming conditions. Therefore, the most beautiful season is when the flowers are at their highest. When I visited, the flowers were at their highest and most beautiful. This garden is located far from the train station. It is about 21 km (about 40 minutes by taxi) from Kintetsu Yokkaichi Station (Kintetsu Nagoya Line), and there are no regular taxis. A limited-time bus service runs from Yokkaichi Station (JR/Kintetsu), but if you plan to see the illuminations, it may not run on weekdays, so you'll need to carefully plan your trip accordingly. I visited by rental car. The parking lot is quite spacious. The night illuminations were truly spectacular, creating a mystical beauty. After returning my rental car at Nagoya Station, I had miso-nikomi udon at Yamamotoya Honten JR Nagoya Station branch.
I stayed at Chisan Inn Nagoya, a four-minute hotel from the Taiko-dori Exit (Shinkansen Exit) of JR Nagoya Station.
Day 2
After breakfast at Komeda's at Nagoya Station, I headed to Nagoya Castle. The Honmaru Palace features gorgeous sliding screen paintings by a Kano school painter, and the gold-plated folding screens were beautiful. The grounds are quite spacious, so it would probably take about two hours to explore them all.
For lunch, I had a reservation for hitsumabushi at Atsuta Horaiken Jingu branch, and headed there. At 4,950 yen, it's not cheap, but it's packed with eel. I enjoyed one bowl plain, another with condiments, and the third with ochazuke.
And if you can't finish it all, you can ask the staff for takeout, so no need to worry. After that, we took our time to visit Atsuta Shrine. Its history dates back to the enshrinement of the Kusanagi Sword, one of the Three Sacred Treasures. By the way, taking photos up close to the main shrine is prohibited. Taking photos from a distance is OK. If you try to take photos within a certain area, security guards will warn you, so please follow the rules. There's also a museum, though it costs money, where you can learn about history. There's a cafe called the Atsuta Shrine Hall Lounge on the premises, where you can enjoy cream sodas and other drinks.
Returning to Nagoya Station, the station is quite large and has a variety of souvenir shops, so we leisurely shopped around for some souvenirs before buying some tempura musubi and catching the Shinkansen back home.
Accommodation
Chisan Inn Nagoya. 1-12-8 Noritake, Nakamura-ku, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture
This hotel is conveniently located just four minutes from the Taiko-dori Exit of JR Nagoya Station, where the Shinkansen is located. Its unique yellow cylindrical hotel features a distinctive spiral staircase. It's rare to see such a spiral staircase. It's close to a convenience store and, best of all, close to Nagoya Station, so it's convenient for checking in your luggage and catching the Shinkansen at the last minute.
This hotel is conveniently located and reasonably priced. We were able to stay for two people for around 10,000 yen. The facilities are a little old, but the front desk offers rental items like smartphone charging cards and tea dispensers. If you're just looking for a place to sleep, rather than a hotel stay, this conveniently located restaurant near the station is very convenient and affordable.
Recommended Restaurant
Atsuta Horaiken Jingu Branch. 2-10-26 Jingu, Atsuta-ku, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture.
Credit cards accepted. Takeout is also available. Hitsumabushi is a specialty and highly recommended. There are also several locations in Nagoya. However, they are quite popular and can get crowded.
Photo Spots
Red Hill Heather Forest: Abundant nature, beautiful flowers, and fresh greenery.
Suzuka Forest Garden: The plum blossoms lit up at night are spectacular.
Important Note: It is quite difficult to predict when plum blossoms will bloom. While plum trees are best viewed by their branch structure, weeping plum trees lack volume and look lonely when the flowers are not in bloom. Bad weather can also make the plum garden muddy, making it difficult to maintain.