Yamatokoriyama Castle Town

Just south of Nara city lies Yamatokoriyama, an old castle town with a charm all its own and one delightfully unusual claim to fame: it is Japan's capital of ornamental goldfish. For some three hundred years the town has bred goldfish in ponds and paddies across its outskirts, a cottage industry begun by samurai supplementing their stipends in the Edo period. Today goldfish are the town's mascot and everywhere in evidence, swimming in tanks at shops and even in a display at the local station, and celebrated each summer in a national goldfish-scooping championship that draws competitors from across the country.

The town grew up around Koriyama Castle, an important stronghold of the Yamato plain whose stone ramparts, moats and reconstructed turret still crown a low hill at the town's heart. The castle grounds are a free and pleasant place to walk, especially in spring when hundreds of cherry trees along the ramparts and moats burst into bloom, making it one of the region's finest and least crowded blossom spots. From the earthworks you look out over the tiled roofs of the old town toward the mountains beyond.

Below the castle spread the streets of the former castle town, where lattice-fronted merchant houses, old shops, temples and the layout of the Edo-era grid survive in appealing pockets. The historic Yanagimachi and neighbouring quarters retain their traditional character, and wandering them reveals sake breweries, craft shops, small museums and the quiet rhythms of a working provincial town rather than a tourist showpiece. Interspersed among the old buildings are cafés and goldfish-themed shops that lean cheerfully into the town's signature trade, selling everything from goldfish sweets to handcrafted ornaments.

What makes Yamatokoriyama a rewarding stop is precisely its lack of pretension. It sees relatively few foreign visitors, so its streets feel authentic and unhurried, and its combination of a genuine castle, a preserved townscape and the quirky, endearing goldfish culture gives it a personality quite distinct from the temple-and-deer image of central Nara. Families enjoy the goldfish attractions, history lovers the castle and old streets, and photographers the mix of blossom, ramparts and traditional architecture.

The town works well as a short half-day excursion, easily combined with the temples of southern Nara such as Horyu-ji, which lies a short distance away, or with the merchant town of Imai-cho further south. You can climb the castle mound, stroll the old streets, admire the goldfish and pause in a café before moving on.

Access is simple and quick. Yamatokoriyama sits just south of Nara city on the Kintetsu Kashihara Line, with Kintetsu Koriyama Station about ten minutes' walk from the castle and old town, and JR Koriyama Station a similar distance on the JR line; an IC card covers either journey. The castle grounds and streets are free to explore. For travellers seeking a relaxed, characterful town away from the crowds, with a genuine castle and a wonderfully unexpected goldfish heritage, Yamatokoriyama makes an easy and memorable detour.