Three train lines stop at Kakegawa Station: Shinkansen, JR Tokaido Main Line and Tenryu Hamanako Line. You should go to “Koresshika-dokoro” in the station after you get off the Kodama. You will find some special souvenirs you can’t buy at other ordinary shops there, such as sweets and liquor the local people love. Eating and drinking on trains and at hotels makes your trip more enjoyable.

Koresshika-dokoro

Kakegawa Station is the only wooden station for Shinkansen in Japan.
Kakegawa citizens made donations to support its construction.

You can see Kakegawa Castle, which is about 500 meters from the station. The sidewalk is wide and the road is straight. Walking is part of the culture in this city and it is a people-friendly city. Japanese style sidewalks spread throughout the city. It feels good to walk on them. OK. Your destination is the castle.

The theme of this city is “Slow Life” based on slow and spiritually rich lives. Local residents highly esteem learning that enriches lives. It is a city with intelligence and thought. A city with its own policy is cool.

Kakegawa Castle is the first wooden castle that was rebuilt in Japan. It was built during the Warring States period and was destroyed by an earthquake in 1854.

Kakegawa Castle　Tripadvisor


Check Wikipedia to learn about the history of Kakegawa Castle.

Wikipedia 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

It came back into existence 140 years later. The cause for this was a donation of five hundred million yen made by a citizen named Hanae Shiraki. Its total reconstruction cost was 11 billion yen, most of which was covered by donations from local residents. They didn't rebuild it by using reinforced concrete, but rather wood which was much more difficult. People in Kakegawa know what is really important.

He is a ninja shightseeing guide. You are lucky if you meet him because he isn't always there. If you find him you should take a picture with him.
The castle tower you are heading toward is on the top of a small mountain. It might be a little tiring if you dash up the steep stairway, but the view from the top is the best! If you turn around, you will see Mt. Fuji in the distance. While you are enjoying the view, think about the people in the Warring States period and the people who wished to rebuild the castle.

This is the home and workplace for a feudal lord. It was destroyed by a big earthquake but was rebuilt later on. It is one of the four rare spots that exist in Japan. The inside is really spacious and there are countless tatami laid in the building. You may get into every room and you can take pictures as much as you want.
It is often used to shoot Japanese movies. Imagine being a lord and looking at the castle over its garden.

Palatial Estate of Kakegawa Castle

Here you can experience “sado,” a part of traditional Japanese culture.
Sado is the Japanese style tea ceremony. The host welcomes guests politely with tea paraphernalia, hanging scrolls and flowers. This symbolizes the way Japanese people welcome guests. Such hospitality is called omotenashi in Japan. You can enjoy Japanese sweets, wagashi, that vary through the four seasons with the tea produced in Kakegawa. The beautiful garden in front of you changes through the year as well. You may take pictures of the garden. It will be a good souvenir of your trip. You will also like the narrow path with its unique ambience.
Ninomaru-ChashitsuTripadvisor

Takenomaru is a something special even among those historic buildings surrounding Kakegawa Castle. It was the home of a business tycoon in the Edo period (1603 to 1868). The wall panels and the wooden doors in the VIP room located on the 2nd floor of its annex are worth seeing. Looking at the solid timber, you will wonder how big the tree was. The stained glass set at the transom also creates ambience. Kakegawa Castle seen through its wide windows is absolutely beautiful.

Takenomaru　Tripadvisor

This is the main gate of the castle, located within 10 minutes walking from the castle. The gate was destroyed twice by an earthquake and a fire, but was rebuilt in 1995. It is very large and imposing. The fish shaped tile on its roof looks strong and cool. The gate used to be located 50 meters south of the present location., and you can still see remnants of it there. Have fun looking for them!

Otemon
Tripadvisor

Sontoku Ninomiya who was born in the Edo period was a key person in forming building the town of Kakegawa. He was a hard worker with good business sense and helped his family recover from poverty. He saved other poor families and villages, and achieved a successful career.

Dainippon Hotokusha was established by Ninomiya’s successors in order to spread his teachings. He told people that doing good deeds and being good with money are both important. He created the basis for shinyo-kinko (credit union), that lends money to local residents. The idea came from his spirit of mutual aid. The impact that Sontoku made on the city was huge. His spirit of making a lot of donations and his intelligent way of thinking must have started there.

Dainippon Hotokusha
Tripadvisor

If you want to feel like being a samurai, you need to go to Yoroiya. There are many sets of kacchu, traditional Japanese armor. Craftspeople made them with traditional techniques. The owner used to be an armor craftsperson himself. His long hair makes him look kind of like a samurai.

If you make a reservation, you can try on kacchu and kabuto (helmets). It is certain to be a lot of fun. I actually tried them on. They are divided into many parts. All together, the weight is more than 10 kilograms but I didn’t really feel the weight. After wearing the armor, you can go take pictures from where you can clearly see the castle. Because kacchu doesn't let air go through, it is warm even during winter. Everybody looks at you when you walk around in kacchu. You will feel as if you are a VIP. But don’t draw the sword when you take a picture! A real samurai only draws his sword when he fights for his life. The price of dressing in kacchu is \3,000 for 30 minutes. (Reservation by email in advance needed)
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

Japanese people love unagi (grilled eel). In the Kanto region, unagi are cut open up from their back side and steamed and grilled. In the Kansai region, they are cut open up from their stomach side and just grilled. There were more samurai in the Kanto region and it seemed like they didn't like to cut the stomach because it reminded them of seppuku (traditional suicide in which a samurai cuts open his own stomach). There were many merchants in the Kansai region and they were said to cut open the stomach so they could have a “heart to heart” talk.
So what about Kakegawa located between Kanto and Kansai? The answer is both. It depends on the restaurant you go to. Kakegawa is a fantastic city for unagi lovers.
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

You should eat at this restaurant even if the customers are lined up in front of it. They clean the unagi and start grilling it after they take your order. Unagi is grilled in the Kansai manner. Its sweet and spicy sauce and slightly firm rice is the best. Even if you feel you are full, their salad and Japanese pickles help you to eat more.
They serve tea in a casual way but it tastes great. Each table has a big teapot. They never reuse tea leaves. You might take this for granted but you shouldn’t. You will find a rich experience in ordinary service. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

Local people love this historic restaurant. You can see unagi swimming with energy in a fish tank. They are definitely fresh. They cook unagi in the Kanto manner. Steaming unagi gets rid of its extra oil. Its fluffy and melting texture is like heaven to eat. The dessert is melon, a delicacy in Japan.

Unagino Jimpachi Tripadvisor
Shinsen Tripadvisor
Unasuke Tripadvisor
Unasen
Owada
Kacha-ryori Muto Tripadvisor
Shiinoki-Chaya
Kakegawa Tripadvisor 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

Kuzufu is a kind of fabric that is made from native-grown kuzu. Kakegawa is a rare city where the skill of making fabric from kuzu goes down to the next generation. Kuzufu used to be used to make formal clothes for samurai. This shop has been in business for more than 300 years. Their customers include famous shrines in Kyoto. They have also received orders from America for use as a luxury fabric. The manufacturing process is surprisingly hard. Their craftspeople hand weave them one by one on the second floor of the shop. Their products including coin cases, hats and bags are all natural and well made. They will be great gifts for your loved ones.
Teorimoto Ozaki-Kuzufu-Kogei