Itinerary
A 4-day Nagoya & Aichi road trip, day by day
Aichi's big sights are scattered: Ghibli Park in the wooded hills, LEGOLAND on the waterfront, two castles in two different cities. That is exactly why a car and one quiet base work so well. Here is a full four days with three nights at Hanaike Retreat — timings, drives, parking, food, and the swaps we'd make for rain, small children or grandparents.
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Why one base outside Nagoya?
Look at a map and Aichi's highlights sit in different corners. Ghibli Park is in Nagakute, east of the city. LEGOLAND Japan is out on the port. Nagoya Castle is downtown, Okazaki Castle is in the south-east, and the airport is on an island in the bay.
From a city-centre hotel you would spend each morning in traffic and pay for parking every night. From Hanaike Retreat in northern Kariya, each of these is about 25–35 minutes by car, and the Kariya Smart IC expressway entrance is 7 minutes away. You unpack once, park two cars free on the grounds (via the parking-side gate), and come back each evening to a quiet garden instead of a car park.
- 1LEGOLAND Japan25 min
- 2Port of Nagoya Aquarium30 min
- 3Ghibli Park35 min
- 4Nagoya Castle35 min
- 5Toyota Automobile Museum35 min
- 6Chubu Centrair Airport35 min
- 7Korankei Gorge45 min
The four days at a glance
| Day | Morning | Afternoon | Evening |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Land at Chubu Centrair, pick up the car | Drive about 35 min; check in from 3 PM | Hot spring at Kariya Highway Oasis (7 min) |
| 2 | Ghibli Park (35 min) | Toyota Automobile Museum, in the same city | Early dinner near the house |
| 3 | LEGOLAND Japan (25 min) — or Nagoya Castle (35 min) | SEA LIFE or the railway museum — or Atsuta Jingu (30 min) | Cook in, or Nagoya food in town |
| 4 | Check out by 11 AM | Okazaki (35 min) or Tokoname — or, with a late flight, Korankei in November (45 min) | Chubu Centrair, about 35 min from the house |
Pick your start day first
Day 2 is the one to check. It must not be a Tuesday, when Ghibli Park is closed, and ideally not a Monday, when the Toyota Automobile Museum is closed. Arriving on a Thursday or a Friday fits the plan exactly as written.
Before you go: book these three things
- Ghibli Park tickets. Every ticket is reserved in advance — there are no tickets at the gate. They go on sale on the 10th of the month, two months ahead, at 2 PM Japan time.
- A rental car with an ETC card. Kariya Smart IC is ETC-only. Our driving guide covers licences and tolls.
- Child seats. Japanese law requires a child seat for children under six. Reserve them with the car.
Also let us know roughly when you will arrive. Check-in is from 3 to 10 PM; if your flight lands late, message us on Airbnb before you travel.
Day 1: land at Centrair and slow down
Chubu Centrair has direct flights from Hong Kong and Taiwan, among others. Rental-car desks are in the Access Plaza next to the terminal; after checking in you walk, or take a free shuttle, a few minutes to the company's office, depending on the company.
Landed in the morning, with hours to spare before check-in? FLIGHT OF DREAMS at the airport displays the very first Boeing 787, and the exhibition area is free to enter; check opening hours on the official site.
The drive to Hanaike is about 35 minutes. On the way, stop at a supermarket for tomorrow's breakfast — the closest one to the house is U-Store, and the kitchen has a rice cooker, a microwave, an IH hob and a Nespresso machine.
Day 1 evening: a hot spring and an early dinner
Kariya Highway Oasis, 7 minutes away, is both an expressway rest area and a park you can drive into from local roads. Look for the 60-metre Ferris wheel. Inside is the Kakitsubata natural hot spring, renovated in 2024 — the easiest way to shake off a flight.
The host's favourite dinner there is the Nagoya Cochin chicken oyakodon at Tori Sanwa. Many local restaurants close around 9 PM, so go early.
Day 2 morning: Ghibli Park
Ghibli Park is about 35 minutes away, inside Expo 2005 Aichi Commemorative Park. It opens at 10 AM on weekdays and 9 AM on weekends and holidays, and closes at 5 PM.
Its five areas are spread around a large park, and your ticket decides which ones you can enter, so check it before you go and wear comfortable shoes. There is no parking just for Ghibli Park: use the Expo park's paid car parks, and arrive well before your entry time.
Travelling with children? Our Ghibli Park and LEGOLAND family guide goes area by area.
Day 2 afternoon: the Toyota Automobile Museum
A few kilometres from Ghibli Park, in the same city, the Toyota Automobile Museum tells the history of the car with around 150 vehicles from Japan, Europe and the US. They run from the earliest petrol cars of the late 1800s to the present, and almost all are kept in running order. Even people who don't care much about cars tend to linger here.
- Hours: 9:30 AM–5 PM, last entry 4:30 PM
- Closed: Mondays (Tuesday if Monday is a holiday) and over New Year
- Parking: free, about 320 spaces
Aim to arrive by 3:30 PM, and you'll be home in time to cook or go out for an early dinner.
Day 3: two ways to spend it
With children: LEGOLAND Japan (25 min)
Built for children aged 2 to 12, on the Nagoya waterfront. It opens at 10 AM, but closing times — and closed days — change through the year, so check the calendar.
Park in the large Kinjo Pier car park: 5,010 spaces, with a daily maximum of ¥1,000 on weekdays and ¥1,500 at weekends and on holidays (at the time of writing). The SEA LIFE Nagoya aquarium is inside the LEGOLAND Japan Hotel, and the SCMAGLEV and Railway Park is close by.
Without: Nagoya Castle (35 min) and Atsuta Jingu (30 min)
Nagoya Castle opens 9 AM–4:30 PM. The main keep is closed inside for earthquake-safety reasons, but the Honmaru Palace, whose restoration was completed in 2018, is the real highlight. Admission, including the palace, is ¥1,000 for adults since October 2026 and free for junior-high age and under (as of November 2026). There is a paid car park in front of the main gate.
Then drive south to Atsuta Jingu. This great shrine keeps the sacred Kusanagi sword, one of Japan's three imperial regalia, which is never shown. It has free parking for about 400 cars.
If it rains
Aichi is the home of Japanese manufacturing, so some of its best days out are indoors.
- Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology (Nagoya Station area): from looms to cars, in a red-brick factory. 9:30 AM–5 PM, closed Mondays, free parking.
- SCMAGLEV and Railway Park (Kinjo Pier, next to LEGOLAND): 10 AM–5:30 PM, closed Tuesdays. It has no car park of its own, so use one of the lots nearby.
- Port of Nagoya Aquarium (30 min): closed Mondays (Tuesday if Monday is a holiday), but open daily in peak seasons. From December to mid-March it closes at 5 PM.
Day 4: check out, then one last stop
Check-out is by 11 AM, and packing up is quick: futons can stay laid out and sorted rubbish can stay where it is. Then choose your last stop by the season and your flight time.
- Okazaki (35 min): Okazaki Castle, birthplace of Tokugawa Ieyasu, is open 9 AM–5 PM. About 870 m west is the Hatcho district that gave Hatcho miso its name; Kakukyu runs free tours of its miso storehouses, on the hour from 10 AM to 4 PM on weekdays.
- Korankei Gorge (45 min), late flights only: in November, Aichi's best-known autumn-leaf valley. It lies in the opposite direction from Centrair, so only go if your flight leaves late. See our Korankei guide.
- Tokoname: an old pottery town right by the airport — perfect for an afternoon flight. See our Tokoname pottery walk.
Chubu Centrair is about 35 minutes from the house. Leave time to refuel and return the car before you check in.
Adjusting the plan
- We have a baby or toddler.
- Do one big thing a day and come back for naps — most sights are 25–35 minutes away (Korankei about 45). The house has a baby chair with belt and tray, corner guards, picture books and toys, and a free washer-dryer. See also staying with a baby or toddler.
- Grandparents are coming, and long walks are hard.
- Ghibli Park means a lot of walking across a big park, so choose fewer areas. The two Toyota museums are indoors with free parking. Atsuta Jingu has a large free car park, and the hot spring at Kariya Highway Oasis is a good way to end any day.
- We are five people in two cars.
- The house sleeps up to five, and there is free parking for two cars on the property.
- We only have two nights.
- Keep Day 2 and Day 3, and swap Day 1's evening soak for an early night.
Closing days and parking, at a glance
| Place | From the house | Closed | Parking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ghibli Park | 35 min | Tuesdays (and other days — see calendar) | Expo park's paid car parks |
| Toyota Automobile Museum | 35 min | Mondays | Free |
| LEGOLAND Japan | 25 min | Irregular — see calendar | Kinjo Pier car park (paid) |
| Port of Nagoya Aquarium | 30 min | Mondays (open daily in peak seasons) | — |
| Nagoya Castle | 35 min | 29 Dec – 1 Jan | Paid, by the main gate |
| Atsuta Jingu | 30 min | Open 24 hours | Free, about 400 cars |
| Okazaki Castle | 35 min | 29–31 Dec | — |
Approximate drive times from the house guide (measured with Google Maps, October 2026); they vary with traffic. Closing days as of November 2026 — always check the official calendar before you go.
Eating on the road
Nagoya has its own food culture. Look for hitsumabushi (grilled eel over rice, eaten three ways), flat kishimen noodles, miso-katsu, and miso-nikomi udon simmered in a clay pot.
Near the house you'll find miso-nikomi udon, tender tonkatsu with an Aichi-style miso version, and a miso ramen shop with tatami seating that works well for families. Mornings are for the local café "morning": order a coffee and toast and an egg come with it. Our local food guide has the details.
Season by season
- Late March – early April: cherry blossoms at Suhara Park, about 10 minutes from the house
- Mid – late May: wild irises at Kozutsumi-nishi Pond, a National Natural Monument, about 10 minutes away
- November: autumn leaves at Korankei Gorge
- Winter: clear, still days — and a warm, well-insulated house to come back to
Going further
Add two or three nights in the mountains: Takayama and Shirakawa-go are about two and a half hours away. See our Dragon Route road trip.
- Ise Grand Shrine1 h 50 min
- Kyoto2 h
- Gero Onsen2 h 20 min
- Takayama2 h 30 min
- Shirakawa-go2 h 30 min
- Kanazawa3 h 20 min
Ready to plan your stay?
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More guides
Family travelGhibli Park and LEGOLAND Japan with kids: an age-by-age guideGhibli Park isn't a ride park. It is five walk-in film worlds spread across a big, leafy park. LEGOLAND Japan is the opposite: compact, colourful and built for 2-to-12-year-olds. Here is what each age actually enjoys at both, which tickets to buy, how to handle strollers and naps, and a plan that leaves energy for tomorrow.
Driving guideDriving in Japan as a visitor: a practical Aichi guideAichi is one of the easiest places in Japan to start driving: wide roads, good expressways and plenty of parking outside the city. This guide follows the order you'll meet things in — the paperwork, the rental desk, the toll gate, the first stop sign, the petrol pump and the last narrow lane to your door.
Road tripTakayama, Shirakawa-go and Gero Onsen by car: a Dragon Route road tripAichi sits at the start of the Dragon Route (Shoryudo), the tourism trail that winds north from central Japan through the mountains of Gifu to the Hokuriku coast. By car, three of its highlights — a hot-spring town, an old merchant town and a thatched-roof World Heritage village — fit neatly into two unhurried days.Sources: approximate drive times from the house guide (measured with Google Maps, October 2026); Ghibli Park official website (tickets, hours, areas, no dedicated parking); Aichi Now (Ghibli Park closing day and Expo park paid parking; LEGOLAND Japan ages, parking; SEA LIFE Nagoya; Okazaki Castle; Atsuta Jingu; Kariya Highway Oasis via Rurubu; FLIGHT OF DREAMS); Nagoya Concierge (Toyota Automobile Museum; Toyota Commemorative Museum; SCMAGLEV and Railway Park); GLT Japan (Toyota Automobile Museum collection); Japan Museum Database (Port of Nagoya Aquarium); Jeepe (Nagoya Castle, updated September 2026); Rurubu (Kakukyu Hatcho Miso); Tottori Prefecture (child seats under six); rental-car desks at Centrair via skyticket. Information as of November 2026.