Toyohashi: A Big Citywith Small Town Feels
Toyohashi is a pleasant, peaceful city located southeast of Nagoya and one of Japan's “core cities”. It has everything a major cityhas as well as small town disposition of friendliness and a high value on tradition. Toyohashi is known as Japan's largest port for the export/import of motor vehicles. Its extensive forests and close proximity to the beaches of the Atsumi Peninsula makes Toyohashi a uniquely charming big city.
Best Time to Visit
Toyohashi enjoys a favorable weather for most of the year but the best time to visit the city would be between April and July and from September to November. Toyohashi becomes busy in July during the Toyohashi Gion Festival, a Shinto ritual which has been taking place annually for more than 350 years. This attracts visitors from all over so if you’re planning a trip to Toyohashi at this time, it’s best to make bookings ahead.
What to Do & Area Attractions
Low-key Toyohashi, Japan hotels abound within the city all with easy access to places of interest. The Toyohashi Station Hotel is 1.25 miles from Yoshida Castle, built in 1505 and restored in 1954. The 4-star Loisir Hotel Toyohashi is also near the castle as well as the Toyotetsu Terminal Hotel situated in a bustling part of the city. Worth visiting is the Mt. Zao Observatory that offers a stunning view of the area and with a hiking course to the observation deck that’s best visited after dark. Come around Takeshima Island, a designated natural monument and home to five shrines. Then spend time at the Toyohashi Zoo and Botanical Park with its well-laid site including a garden, a Natural History Museum and amusement park.