Central Japan, which is sandwiched between Tokyo in the east and Osaka and Kyoto and the West, offers spectacular vistas that include rustic and traditional landscapes.

Not only that, the region is also home to many important cultural and historical sites.

This four episode series, we're going on a 4-day driving trip through central Japan, visiting some of the best and scenic spots in Nagoya on the surrounding prefectures.

My name is Raina Ong, staff writer for Japan-guide.com, and over the next four days, I'm gonna take you on a scenic 4-day road trip from the coast to the peaks off central Japan.

So sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.

Day 1

Our trip begins at Chubu Central International Airport, where we pick up our trusty steed for the rest of the trip.

From there, we drive to Nagoya Castle, have lunch before going to the Ise shrines and spend our first night at an accommodation in Ago Bay.

About 40 minutes away from the airport is the city of Nagoya, where we make our first stop for the day.

One of the most popular attractions in the city is Nagoya Castle, the former seat of one of the three branches of the Tokugawa family, which ruled Japan for about 250 years from the early 17th century.

The palace buildings that you can see behind me are excellent replicas of its original.

They feature excellent traditional crafts and artwork.

Let's go inside and take a look.

One thing that visitors may not realize is that not only with the castle grounds for defense purposes, there were also palace buildings where the local lords lived and entertained their guests.

Many of these palace buildings have been lost over time, and few remain today.

Nagoya Castle is one of the very few castles whose palace has bean reconstructed.

A few steps away from Nagoya Castle is Kinshasha Yoko Joe, made up of two restaurant areas filled with trendy and local specialties and where a headed for lunch after visiting the castle.

One of the local dishes not to be missed within Nagoya is miso katsu, which is deep fried pork cutlets dipped in a savory blend of miso and dashi broth and my choice for lunch.

Gold miso katsu is only available at the outlet closest to Nagoya Castle, and it looks super shiny.

Our trip continues with a drive down south to the Shima Peninsula, with the Ise shrines or Ise Jingu, as they're knew in Japanese are located.

The Ise shrines are the most sacred Shinto shrines in Japan, and they have a history dating back a couple of millennia.

I met Guigou, the outer shrine, which is dedicated to the goddess of food, clothing and water.

And this building behind me is the main shrine.

The shrine architecture here is also said to show almost no influence from the Asian mainland.

On the buildings on the grounds are reconstructed once every 20 years in a tradition that has been carried out for over 1000 years.

While there no specific order to visit the shrines, it is tradition to visit geku, the outer shrine, before going to naiku, the inner shrine.

One of the highlights on the way to naiku is walking through oharaimachi, the traditional and lively approach to the inner shrine.

Shops offering traditional and local foods and souvenirs flank the street, and visitors can enjoy the traditional atmosphere before reaching naiku.

Beyond these steps is the main shine building where the sun goddess is enshrined.

Now cameras are not allowed beyond this point, so I'll see you guys in a bit.

After that visit to the simple yet stately Isa shrines, I get back in my car and make my way to Ago Bay, at the southern end off the Shima Peninsula, where my accommodation for the night is located.

It's seafood on the menu for tonight, and I've got two of the Shima Peninsula's local delicacies, abalone and ise ebie.

Gonna take a bite.

So fresh!

And that was day one of our 4-day road trip through central Japan.

Be sure to join us on episode two as we continue on the second day of our trip, participating in some exciting activities and going stargazing.

For more information about this trip, or to watch another video, click the links on the screen now or head over to Japan-guide.com, your comprehensive, up-to-date, travel guide, first-hand from Japan.

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