Nagoya Castle and the Hommaru Palace
1 / 10Nagoya Castle and the Hommaru PalacePhoto: Syced / CC0
Tap a photo to see it large. 10 photographs, every one credited.
The main keep is closed, so the visit is the Hommaru Palace, about 10 minutes on foot from the Main or East Gate, and the grounds. 9:00–16:30, last entry 16:00, open on all three Norwegian Jade dates. The adult fee doubled from ¥500 to ¥1,000 on 1 October 2026; junior high and younger are free, and a combined ticket with Tokugawaen is ¥1,040. The station once called Shiyakusho is now Nagoyajo, on the Meijo Line: exit 7, 5 minutes. The Autumn Festival runs to 23 November, and Meijo Park beside the castle colours mid to late November.
- Our number 1 for Nagoya, out of ten. It is the first thing we would spend the hours on.
- Reachable on foot from the berth, so no timetable can strand you.
- On a 4–6h ashore call our verdict is "Yes, the castle alone" — rail in, about 90 minutes at the palace and on the walls, lunch at kinshachi yokocho, rail back.
- It is not only a photo stop: two golden fish, a keep you cannot enter and a palace rebuilt from edo-period plans.
- Closed, so the visit is the Hommaru Palace, about 10 minutes on foot from the Main or East Gate, and the grounds. Check the day before you plan around it.
- 9:00–16:30, last entry 16:00 — hommaru palace last admission also 16:00. closed only 29 dec–1 jan, so open on 10, 14 and 28 nov 2026. the main keep is closed.
- 3 hr 50 min door to door means a 2–3 hour stop ashore cannot hold it. Pick something closer instead.
Why Nagoya Castle and the Hommaru Palace is famous
Two golden fish, a keep you cannot enter and a palace rebuilt from Edo-period plans
The city raised the castle’s adult fee from ¥500 to ¥1,000 on 1 October 2026, and the main keep is listed as closed, so what visitors see now is the Hommaru Palace and the grounds. The palace is about ten minutes on foot from the Main or East Gate, and last admission is 16:00. The nearest station was renamed Nagoyajo, Nagoya Castle, from Shiyakusho, City Hall; the castle’s own site now gives Meijo Line exit 7, five minutes. The Autumn Festival runs from 19 September to 23 November.
The keep on the skyline is a 1959 rebuild in concrete, and it has been shut since 2018. The palace beside it was rebuilt from Edo-period plans. That is the reason to come.
The castle was built from 1610 for Tokugawa Ieyasu's ninth son and held by the Owari Tokugawa through the Edo period. An air raid burned it on 14 May 1945. The keep you see, golden fish and all, is a 1959 rebuild in concrete. It has been closed since May 2018 over its age and earthquake resistance, and the city's plan to rebuild it in wood has no completion date.
The reason to come is the Hommaru Palace. It was finished in 1615, burned in 1945, and rebuilt from Edo-period plans, photographs and the surviving paintings; it opened in full in 2018. Go there first. The Nagoya Castle Autumn Festival runs to 23 November, and Meijo Park beside it colours in mid to late November.
Ieyasu orders the old castle town's people to the new town; the move ends in 1613
Former enemy daimyo are called in to build a castle for Ieyasu's ninth son, Yoshinao
Golden shachihoko on the roof; work on the Hommaru Palace starts
Residence and office of the Owari Tokugawa for the rest of the Edo period
From Kinjo Pier take the Aonami Line to Nagoya (24 min, ¥360), then the subway to Nagoyajo, Exit 7, five minutes on foot. Go straight to the Hommaru Palace. Allow about two hours. It is open 9:00–16:30 on all three Jade calls; the keep is closed.
Things worth knowing
- Do not plan to climb the keep. It is closed, and older guides and tour listings that mention it are out of date.
- The station is now Nagoyajo (Nagoya Castle), not Shiyakusho. Use Exit 7. On the Meijo Line from Sakae or Hisaya-odori.
- Walk to the Hommaru Palace first. It is about 10 minutes from either gate, and its last admission is 16:00, the same as the castle's.
- Every rail route back to the ship goes through Nagoya Station and the Aonami Line. Trains to Kinjo-futo leave every 15 minutes from 13:00 to 16:59.
- Kinshachi金鯱 — The golden shachihoko on the roof: tiger's head, fish's body, 18-carat gold scales. The male faces north, the female south.
- Tenshu天守 — The keep. Nagoya's is a 1959 concrete rebuild, closed to visitors since 7 May 2018.
Nagoya Castle and the Hommaru Palace and your ship
Both pins on one map, so the distance is a fact rather than a feeling.
Where the 3 hr 50 min goes
Counted from the moment you step off the gangway. The hour before all-aboard is not in this bar; it is already set aside.
16 minutes each way is the measured figure for walk 15–17 min to kinjo-futo station (our estimate; mlit says about 10), aonami line to nagoya 24 min, ¥360, then subway via hisaya-odori to nagoyajo, about 9 min, exit 7 and 5 min on foot. taxi 19.2 km, about ¥8,500 each way on the meter, our estimate, not the optimistic one. If your ship is late, cut the 3 hr 18 min in the middle. Never cut the hour at the end.
Questions people send us
Is Nagoya Castle open on a cruise call in November 2026?
Yes. It is open 9:00–16:30 every day except 29 December to 1 January, so it is open on 10, 14 and 28 November. The main keep is closed; the Hommaru Palace and grounds are open.
How much is Nagoya Castle?
¥1,000 for adults from 1 October 2026, up from ¥500. Junior high pupils and younger are free. A combined ticket with Tokugawaen garden is ¥1,040.
How long does it take to reach Nagoya Castle from Kinjo Pier?
About 1 hour 15 minutes each way by our estimate: the walk to Kinjo-futo Station, 24 minutes on the Aonami Line, the subway to Nagoyajo and 5 minutes on foot. A taxi is about 19 km, roughly ¥8,500 by our estimate before traffic.
Routes that already include it
Each one is a finished day we have walked and timed, with this stop in it. Read the route rather than assembling it yourself.
What to put beside it
Each of these still lands you back aboard with the hour to spare.
See · ~3.5hAtsuta Jingu and the Kusanagi-kan sword museum
The shrine grounds are free; no official opening hours are published.
See the detail →
Eat · ~3.5hHitsumabushi at Atsuta Horaiken
Hitsumabushi is grilled eel on rice, and Atsuta Horaiken is the name for it.
See the detail →
See · ~3.5hOsu Kannon and the Osu shopping streets
Osu Kannon’s main hall is open 6:00–19:00, free, with no closing days, right outside exit 2 of Osu Kannon station.
See the detail →