Enjoying Scenery and Views

Nihon“Rhine”

The Nihon Rhine refers to the Kiso River and the valley through which it flows, starting from Minokamo City in Gifu Prefecture, where the Kiso River and the Hida River merge, and continuing down to Inuyama City in Aichi Prefecture. It was named Nihon or Japan because of its scenic resemblance to the Rhine valley in Germany. An annual summer festival is held in Inuyama City at the downstream of Nihon, and visitors can watch the beautiful display of fireworks exploding up into the sky from boats on the river.

Korankei

The Korankei gorge near Asuke City in the Okumikawa Quasi-national Park is famous for its scarlet maple leaves in autumn. There is a beautiful walking course from Taigetsu Bridge on the Tomoe River, a tributary of the Yahagi River, to Koran Bridge. In the Edo Period, Asuke was also known as thriving post town on the route for transporting salt to Shinshu. Visitors can come in contact with the daily life of people in the mountain villages set within the very bountiful natural surroundings of the area, by trying their hand at craftworks like weaving, indigo dying, papermaking, and bamboo working. With campgrounds and other facilities nearby, the area is also ideal for outdoor campers.

Shiratori Garden

This is an innovatively-designed garden that brings out the traditional beauty of a Japanese garden through modern methods and technology. Using the topography of the Chubu region as its motif, the garden is a stroll-around-type garden built around a pond and contoured mounds in the middle. It also has a rare three-toned suikinkutsu , literally a kind of echoing water zither, into which drops of water fall to create mystical sounds.

Orchid Gardens

With some 250 kinds of orchids from around the world on display in the Orchid Gardens’ atrium, greenhouse, natural garden, and exhibitions of flower arrangements and bouquets, visitors can enjoy viewing beautiful orchids all year round.

JR Central Towers

Directly adjacent to JR Nagoya Station, the JR Central Towers are a super twin-tower high-rise building, with a 51-story office tower and a 53-story hotel tower. From the “Panorama House” 245 meters high on the top floor of the office tower, there is a spectacular panoramic view of Nagoya and, when the sky is clear, Ise Bay and the South Japan Alps.