Welcome to #TravelTuesdays! This will feature my travel updates every Tuesday of the week. This is to give my Explorer soul an opportunity to not only share places of interests, but also my travel diaries. Enjoy fresh travel scoops weekly! Starting today, #TravelTuesdays will feature my Japan Travel Series. I hope you enjoy my Japan travel diaries weekly!
Last 2020, I was on a mission to visit all the castles in Aichi. While I was mapping out my target locations one night, I came across pretty Kiyosu. Kiyosu is a small city near Nagoya. Prior to going there, I had no other intention to do there other than to visit their castle, but it turned out, I actually had a great afternoon around the neighborhood. Why? Well, read ahead!
The gorgeous petite Kiyosu Castle (清洲城)
Seeing this pretty castle in person is the main reason why I decided to visit Kiyosu last January 2020. The current Kiyosu Castle is a replica of the original one built by Shiba Yoshishige during the rise of the warlord Obu Nobunaga in the Sengoku Period (between 1394-1427). The actual castle was dismantled during the early 1600s to make way for the rebuilding of a new and larger castle that is the Nagoya Castle, located in the heart of the now Nagoya City.
Kiyosu Castle was then rebuilt during the 1980s, to commemorate the glory of this magnificent historic building. Unlike other castles that I have been to, Kiyosu Castle is quite small, but I do think that its size is all part of its charm. I personally think that it is very pretty, especially with its wooden exterior design.
Kiyosu Castle has now become a museum, exhibiting artifacts from the Sengoku Period as well as narrations and information about the history during this time. They also have a small souvenir store inside.
One thing that also adds to the beauty of the castle is the gorgeous bridge that stretches across the Gojou River in Kiyosu.
Tips
- Castle is open daily from 9am to 4:15pm.
- Entrance fee is JPY 300.
- The whole visit will only take around 1 hour since castle is quite small.
- Best time to go there is Spring!
- I looked around the area and I realized that there are many Cherry Blossom trees at the entrance of the bridge. I am absolutely sure that this area will be breathtaking when those Cherry Blossoms bloom in Spring.
- The place is very accessible from Nagoya Station, and it is only a 15-minute walk from the JR train station to the castle.
- How? Google Maps add below:
It was a lovely visit. Honestly, I was mesmerized at how pretty this small castle is. I was actually just staring at it the whole time, admiring its beauty and intricate design. I’ve been to 3 castles now, and each of them really has their own charm. For Kiyosu Castle, it is absolutely its aesthetics.
Countless Clocks and sweet Treats in this Antique Cafe
At first, we planned to go straight home right after visiting Kiyosu Castle, but we got hungry so we looked for a Cafe to eat some snacks. We found this antique cafe, and it was such a cute and cozy place! I definitely want to go back!
This place is owned by an old couple, who were very pleasant to drive us back to the JR train station with their car. They told us that it is too cold to walk back to the station. Japanese people are very thoughtful people indeed.
As what the sign outside says, this antique cafe has countless clocks on display. I asked the owner how they got all of those antique clocks and they said that they usually buy from reuse shops because they love collecting them.
The Cafe has this cozy ambiance of the 1900s. Being there was like time-traveling back to Japan in the 1970s. Not only do they have clocks, but they also display the old order receipts of their customers written in paper back in the day. I was really amazed at how this old couple was able to take care of these memorabilias over the years.
And just like that, we ordered ordered an iced Choco drink despite the 7-degree-Celsius cold that afternoon. Their drinks looked too cute that we couldn’t help ourselves. We definitely enjoyed our cold treats despite the cold season because the Cafe was just very cozy, plus the owners were so adorable.
This unique Cafe is located in a walking distance from Kiyosu Castle. Visit them!
なつかし珈房 古時計
4 Chome-5-13 Nishiichiba, Kiyosu, Aichi 452-0941
052-400-3647, GMaps: https://goo.gl/maps/HFmyudLEfH3cZgek9
That’s a wrap!
Kiyosu might be just a small city, but it is definitely worth a visit. There are also other great locations in Kiyosu that we were not able to visit due to time constraints, but if you want to spend an afternoon in Kiyosu, this quick itinerary is absolutely recommended! Well, enjoy your trip!
All love,
