Naegi Castle, Nakatsugawa City, Gifu Prefecture
Access: about 1 hour 34 minutes (90.2 km) by car from Nagoya via Route 41 and the Chuo Expressway.
Nakatsugawa Station and the Future Maglev Station
In front of JR Nakatsugawa Station is Ajiwai Hiroba, a shop selling local specialties of Nakatsugawa and Ena. Nearby is the planned site of the station for the Linear Chuo Shinkansen (maglev).
The new maglev station will be next to the existing JR station. There is not much here yet, but once the line opens, Nakatsugawa will be only about 11 minutes from Nagoya, close enough to commute. The area may develop a lot in the future.
Naegi Castle: The “Machu Picchu of Asia”
The tourist information near Nakatsugawa Station calls Naegi Castle the “Machu Picchu of Asia.” The castle ruins are built on a rocky mountaintop high above the Kiso River, with stone walls fitted around huge natural boulders.
Our photos mix morning and afternoon shots. Below is the Kiso River.
This was taken from the red bridge. Mist rising from the Kiso River hangs in the valley like clouds.
Doesn’t this area have a little of that Machu Picchu atmosphere?
On a cold morning, the mist from the Kiso River looks like a sea of clouds.
Taken from the red bridge on a cold November morning.
Taken from the red bridge on a cold November morning.
