If you’re living in Aichi and are looking for a great place for a day trip, Okazaki is your go-to-place.
It’s a place of great historical significance and has plenty of new experiences to offer!
If you’re coming from Nagoya, simply take the Meitetsu train at Nagoya station and you’ll arrive there in no time!

First Stop: Mikawa warrior's museum of Ieyasu (三河武士のやかた家康館)
This Museums super close to traditional elegant red bridge as well as the birth place of Tokugawa Ieyasu himself! Both again great places for memorable pictures.
The Museum itself provides explanatory guide booklets in over 5 different languages including English so you can be sure to walk out an expert of the battles that took place and how Tokyo came to replace Kyoto as the new capital of Japan.

What’s more, you can also try out the samurai wear as well as the kimono and feel like an Ohimesama (princess)

Second Stop: Lunch at Taishou Kamaharu (大正庵釜春)
This restaurant is famous for their handmade udon that’s made specifically for each dish. The meal I had ordered had long soft udon that delicious and easy to slurp up, the famous Okazaki miso udon on the other hand has a harder chewier texture to match the dish. All of them come with crispy tempura on the side so no worries about still being hungry. The menu is in Japanese but it has the pictures of the meals and the staff there were super friendly. The whole place gives off a traditional Japanese vibe, even the menu is had a bamboo spine! Especially recommended for udon lovers and those who love Japanese interior designs.

Third Stop: Maruya Hatcho Miso Factory Tour (八丁味噌の郷)
Just a short walk from the restaurant are two Miso factories both offering free tours at selected times.

This particular one though is known for selling salted caramel Ice cream with powdered Miso sprinkles for 400yen, a flavor you probably won’t find anywhere else. Out of the five of us, four loved it, so I would say it’s worth the try.

The tour is unfortunately only offered in Japanese but you’re free to take pictures of the factory itself and in the free tour are taste testers of two different types of miso and a miso sauce covered Konjac snack at the end of the tour and I don’t know anyone who doesn’t enjoy free food so you’re bound to like this one too!

Fourth Stop: Minami Koen/Park (南公園)
Meet Okazaemon, this little kimo-kawaii (creepy-cute) creature is the Okazaki Mascot! No trip to Okazaki can be complete without a photo with him. His adorable hair isn’t the only thing interesting about this. he also has a relative called Waruzaemon using the kanji 悪い for bad or evil. Keep a look out at the gift stores and you may just spot him!

Last Stop: Super Sentou “Aoiyu”! (スーパー銭湯 葵湯)
After a full day of walking here and there, fighting against the strong gust of cold winds, your bodies bound to be tired. The perfect final destination to any day is a trip to the Sentou! The difference between onsens and sentous might not be known to many, onsens are filled with hot geothermal water from the natural earth, sentous however public bathhouses, minerals are added for reviving the whole body and nourishing the skin, but the water itself is normal hot water. This particular sentou has a sauna, massage chairs and around 10 different types of baths to try out, two of which have jet spas to really massage those muscle aches. Most of the baths are outside so you can feel the cool breeze against your face as your body warms up, they even have a flat screen to watch while bathing!
The Japanese way seems to be to have a nice cold glass of milk after, but I prefer more ice cream or a bit of some Nihon-shu. Whatever you choose, your body is bound to thank you for treating it right.