Inuyama, Aichi

Inuyama (犬山市) (literally 'dog mountain') is a city in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

In 2010, the city had a population of 75,449. The total area is 74.97 km². The city is along the edge of Aichi Prefecture. It is separated from neighbouring Gifu Prefecture by the Kiso River. It was founded on 1 April 1954.

Inuyama Castle
There are a number of famous attractions in and around the city. The most famous attraction is Inuyama Castle on a 40m rise overlooking the Kiso river. This Japanese castle is also known as Hakutei-jō (White Emperor Castle). It was named by the Confucian scholar Ogyū Sorai during the Edo period. It is a four-story structure with two underground levels, although it has only three roofs. The castle was made a Japanese national treasure in 1935 and again in 1952. It the oldest original wooden castle in Japan.

Other sights
Another famous attraction is the Urakuen tea garden used for tea ceremonies. This garden has the Joan tea house, built in 1618. The Joan tea house was originally built in Kyoto. It was moved to its current location in 1972. The building is one of the finest examples of tea house architecture.

The Kiso river also has some very beautiful rapids upstream of the castle. These rapids and the rock formations are called the Nihon Rhine after the Rhine river in Germany. Boat tours are available. Cormorant fishing on the Kiso river is also done, although nowadays almost only for tourists.

Near Inuyama is the Meiji Mura. This is an open-air architectural museum for keeping and showing structures of the Meiji (1867–1912) and Taishō (1913–1926) eras. As of 2005, 67 historical buildings are kept on an area of 1,000,000 m2. The most famous one is the main entrance and lobby of Tokyo's old Imperial Hotel. It was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1923.

There is also the Japan Monkey park, with different species of monkeys and other entertainment.

Inuyama is the site of the Primate Research Institute of Kyoto University, one of the world's foremost centres for research in non-human primate biology and behaviour.

Other websites

 * Official website
 * Official website