I went to Okazaki, the birthplace of Ieyasu Tokugawa on March 31st! I have heard about the place before but I have to admit that it never occurred to me to go there before. Surely my day over Okazaki was full of nice surprises that included:

1) Oto river, surrounded by sakuras in this time of year.

There is a boat ride service offered just besides a bridge. I loved to ride the boat by the morning watching the cherry blossom;

I could feel the spring as the morning breeze blew over the river.

2) Okazaki castle, the exact place where Ieyasu Tokugawa was born.

The castle was somewhat small, and we could not take pictures of the items placed inside there. Also, there was no English translation for most things in there.
There was a souvenir shop close to the castle. There we bought three interesting beverages: miso coca-cola, matcha sake, and a local beer!!

- miso coca-cola : it has a distinct miso flavor added to the coca-cola. It is a must-try for miso lovers.

- matcha sake: definitely on the bucket list of matcha lovers. It is slightly sweeter than normal sake, with a little bit of bitterness by the end of the taste, typical of matcha.

- local beer: refreshing bland beer ideal for drinking in hot weather.

- After going to the souvenir shop and having a taste on the beverages, we went to a Japanese restaurant.

The atmosphere there is very Japanese-like, and offers a large variety of Japanese dishes. On that day we ate sushi set + sashimi set + ikura don + anago teriyaki + wagyu sushi.

I have to admit that each one of the dishes was truly delicious and fresh. I could feel that the cooks had put attention to each one of the dishes.
- Then after eating lunch, we went to Waizumiya, an old-style Japanese sweet shop. You can feel the Shouwa-era Japan by visiting the shop. One can enjoy traditional Japanese sweets while sitting inside the Shouwa-style decorated shop. In this picture we are enjoying old-style mitarashi dango.

3) Daijuji: a temple that is one of the major historical sites of Okazaki.

The temple was established by the ancestors of Tokugawa clan, the Matsudairas, and has many important cultural Japanese treasures. The temple is somewhat large so it takes at least 40 to 50 minutes to appreciate what is inside.

Also, you may have a goshuin, signature of the temple, hand-written on a note or paper of your likings! The Cchinese characters, kanjis, are beautiful and the contents differ from temple to temple.

It also contains the graveyard of the Matsudairas, a place where you will find the tombs of ancestors of Ieyasu Tokugawa going back 8 generations from Ieyasus father. One can feel the presence of Ieyasus forefathers simply by entering the place. It is a very unique and fulfilling spiritual experience.

Through the temples gate (Sanmon gate) one can see the Okazaki castle.

There is a cherry blossom corridor from the Sanmon gate until the temple itself, making it a specially beautiful place to take pictures of sakuras.