The Japanese Town We Never Planned to Love
We chose Kiyosu because of Dragon Ball.
That’s the honest answer. Kiyosu is the hometown of Akira Toriyama — the creator of Dragon Ball — and when we were looking for somewhere to stay near Nagoya, the connection seemed like a fun reason to pick one place over another. Not a destination. Just a starting point.
We arrived exhausted. We’d taken the wrong train from the airport. Then at Kanayama Station we’d boarded the wrong express and ended up in Gifu — Gifu, which is an entirely different city — before eventually getting back via taxi. With a 30-month-old and more luggage than anyone should travel with.
By the time we found our Airbnb, I was ready to lie down on the floor.
And then Kiyosu became our favorite part of the entire trip. The place we talk about most when we remember Japan.
What Kiyosu Actually Is
It’s a small, quiet city just outside Nagoya. Not a tourist destination — there’s a castle (Kiyosu Castle, historically significant) that we meant to visit and somehow never got to, which tells you something about the pace of our days there. The streets are residential and unhurried. There are local restaurants, neighborhood parks, a supermarket, ordinary life.
That ordinarily was exactly what we needed after a long flight and a train adventure through the wrong prefecture.
The Halloween Festival We Almost Missed
Our Airbnb host lived next door — the kind of host who leaves notes with local recommendations and actually means them. She mentioned a Halloween festival happening at a nearby park. We almost skipped it because we were tired.
We went. And it was the best thing we did in Kiyosu.
Local families in costumes. Food stalls. Games. Children running between the booths and the playground that sat right alongside the event. We didn’t understand most of what was being said around us, and it didn’t matter at all. The warmth of the atmosphere needed no translation. Our daughter played until she physically couldn’t anymore, which is the universal sign of a successful outing.
The best travel moments are almost always the unplanned ones. I’ve been told this many times. Kiyosu reminded me that it’s true.
What We Ate (Both Times We Got It Right)
Isetoku
Isetoku is a small local udon restaurant where the menu was entirely in Japanese and we pointed at a photograph and hoped for the best. What arrived was something close to a tempura udon set — rice, simmered vegetables on the side, proper broth. Everything was excellent. The owner spoke a little Korean and was so kind to our daughter that the whole meal felt like being looked after rather than just fed. That’s a rare thing when you’re far from home with a toddler.
Tel : +81524003243
Address : 〒452-0943 Aichi, Kiyosu, Shinkiyosu, 6 Chome−５−23
Bel Tempo
We also ended up at Bel Tempo, an Italian restaurant, entirely by accident — the sushi place we’d planned to try was closed because of the festival. I walked past Bel Tempo, noticed it was full of local families with reservations, and decided that was probably a good sign. We got a table anyway. The pizza and pasta were both genuinely excellent. A staff member who spoke Korean appeared and made ordering considerably less of a performance. There were high chairs. I would go back.
Instagram : @pizzeria_beltempo
Tel : +81524090656
Address : 〒452-0943 Aichi, Kiyosu, Shinkiyosu, 4 Chome−１１−4
The Supermarket
I always visit the supermarket when I travel. It’s one of my favorite things — the particular pleasure of seeing what ordinary life looks like in a different country, what’s on the shelves, what people buy.
Feel Supermarket in Kiyosu was everything I wanted. Japanese snacks we’d never seen, products we couldn’t identify, cheerful packaging on things we didn’t need but bought anyway. Our daughter rode in one of the small car-shaped children’s carts and was delighted about it. The whole outing took longer than it should have and I regret nothing.
Getting There (And What We’d Do Differently)
From Chubu Centrair International Airport, the route to Kiyosu goes via Meitetsu Railway: airport express toward Nagoya, transfer at Kanayama, then the Meitetsu Nagoya Line to Shin-Kiyosu Station.
In theory. In practice, we took a local train instead of the airport express, transferred at Kanayama, boarded the wrong express, arrived in Gifu, took a taxi back to Shin-Kiyosu, and were significantly late to our accommodation.
What I’d recommend: if you’re traveling with children and luggage and the train options feel overwhelming at any transfer point, a taxi from Kanayama to Shin-Kiyosu is a completely reasonable choice. Ask station staff before boarding anything. Don’t assume you’re on the right platform.
Why Kiyosu
Kiyosu doesn’t have a famous view or a landmark that makes it onto itineraries. It doesn’t need one. What it has is a pace of life that slows you down in a way you didn’t know you needed, local people who are kind without making a production of it, food that’s good because it’s made well rather than because it’s on a list, and a Halloween festival we almost missed that our daughter still talks about.
We went there for Dragon Ball. We stayed for all the rest of it.
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Have you found a place you never planned to love while traveling? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.
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