Inazawa: Art, Inaba-juku and Ginkgo

Inazawa offers several distinct ways to explore local history: the legacy of Takanori Oguiss, a painter born in the city; the inns of the former Inaba-juku; and the Mino Kaido, which connected the Tokaido and Nakasendo. In Sobue, within the municipality, the ginkgo season and regional products are another highlight. Here, art, historic travel routes, and seasonal impressions take different forms.

Art and Local History

The city of Inazawa established the Oguiss Memorial Museum in 1983 to honor Takanori Oguiss and his work and promote local art and culture. Oguiss was from Inazawa. This connection between his origins, his work, and the city’s aims gives the museum a specific link to local history. For art enthusiasts, it offers a distinct perspective alongside historic travel routes and inns: the focus is on a particular artist and the cultural promotion for which the city established the museum.

Inaba-juku and Historic Travel Routes

In Inazawa’s Inaba-juku, there was one Honjin and one Wakihonjin, as well as seven Hatago inns for travelers. These specific numbers bring the former lodging system to life and show that the post town left more than just a name in local history. The different types of accommodation offer a distinct perspective on travel in that era.

The Mino Kaido ran through Inazawa and connected the Tokaido with the Nakasendo. For travelers interested in historic routes, this connection offers another point of reference: it shows which two roads the Mino Kaido linked. The history of the route can therefore be considered alongside the history of the inns, without conflating the two.

The name Inaba-juku was used in the Honmachi area of Inazawa. Inns and shops lined the street, and the area was bustling with people. Trade and lively street scenes are also part of the picture of the town in the past. The historic Minoji Inaba-juku Honjinato Hiroba park was established within the municipality of Inazawa, on the former site of the Honjin, as a facility for road tourism. It adds a specifically named park with this purpose to the history of the area.

Ginkgo in Sobue: Products and Season

Inazawa’s municipal area includes Sobue Ginnan Street in Inazawa-Sobue. The street brings together 11 shops offering dishes and processed products made with Sobue ginkgo nuts. Participating shops may change. This perspective on ginkgo focuses on the nut as an ingredient and regional product, setting it apart from the seasonal view of the trees.

Inazawa’s municipal area includes Sobue Ginnan Park, where visitors can take in the surrounding ginkgo trees from a 7.5-meter-high observation platform during the yellowing season in late November, and walk beneath a tunnel-like section of the ginkgo avenue. Conditions for seasonal viewing may vary. The park’s highlights are the view from the platform and a walk beneath the avenue—two different perspectives on the ginkgo trees.

If you’re looking for a vacation rental in Inazawa, your preferred travel focus can guide your choice: art and historic routes, or the ginkgo season and products from Sobue.

Discover more destinations: Tokoname, Komaki, Ama, Nagoya, Ichinomiya, Kasugai, Toyone, Chita District

For the overview of the wider travel region: Aichi Prefecture.