One of Japan's major cities - a population of more than 2.15 million.
Nagoya is a major center of manufacturing. Home of Toyota - Japan's biggest company as well as NGK and large Mitsubishi works.
Nagoya has much more to offer than the average travel guide suggests.
Nagoya's main attractions include Nagoya Castle, the Tokugawa Castle and Atsuta Shrine
Easy to get around by subway, train and bus, also well known for its wide streets and progressive urban planning.
Centrally located between Tokyo and Osaka on the Tokaido Shinkansen (i.e. bullet train) line.
Food speciality: Kishimen (flat noodles)
Nagoya is a great base to explore the Chubu area of central Japan including Gifu, Inuyama, Takayama, Gujo Hachiman, Shirakawa-go and Tsumago
Nightlife and Eating Out in Nagoya
Nightlife areas include Sakae, Nagoya Station, Imaike & Fushimi.
Further from the center of the city you will find great restaurants, bars and cafes - mainly along the Higashiyama and Tsurumai subway lines in the up-market Yagoto, Irinaka, Motoyama and Imaike districts. The main foreigner-friendly hangouts are the HUB chain of pubs, and the Elephant's Nest and Shooters in Fushimi.
Nagoya Castle completed in 1612 and the adjacent park (access from Shiyakusho subway station); Toyota Automobile Museum (take the bus from Fujigaoka subway station); Tokugawa Art Museum (a short walk from Ozone subway station); Tokugawa-en Garden; Nagoya Port Aquarium (access from Nagoyako subway station); Osu shopping area (electronics and eclectic shops including Brother Computer Solutions for new and used PCs); Sakae and Nagoya Station (large shopping areas with major department stores); Nagoya Zoo (Higashiyama Koen).
Nagoya Shopping & Entertainment
Nagoya's three main shopping and entertainment districts are Sakae, nearby Fushimi and increasingly the Nagoya Station area (Meieki). Department stores in Nagoya include Takashimaya in the Twin Towers of Nagoya Station, Matsuzakaya in Sakae, which has the largest floor space of any department store in Japan and Mitsukoshi also in Sakae.
Sakae remains Nagoya's most famous shopping area, especially for younger people and "Nagoya gals" - a tribe of expensively and extravangantly attired young Japanese women. Noted shopping malls are Lachic and Nadya Park, there are popular branches of the Apple Store, Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior and Agnes b. both inside Mitsukoshi.
There are branches of BIC Camera and Tokyu Hands at Nagoya Station and for cheap electronics and a regular flea market visitors should go to the Osu Kannon and Kamimaezu area of shotengai or covered arcades.
The Nagoya Station area is increasingly going high rise. The Central Towers of Nagoya Station contain the Takashimaya Department store with a branch of Tokyu Hands and an excellent basement supermarket for food shopping, there are restaurants on the upper floors of the Central Towers and the luxurious Nagoya Marriott Associa Hotel on the 15th floor. The nearby Meitetsu and Kintetsu stations also have their own recommended department stores. In addition, the Meieki underground shopping mall has a variety of shops, bars, cafes and restaurants. Across the street from Nagoya Station, the towering Midland Square has a multiplex cinema and there's another large multiplex at Sasashima Raibu, one stop from Nagoya Station on the Aonami Line or a short walk.
Nagoya's most important shrine is the large Atsuta Shrine - one of Japan's three most important Shinto shrines. Temples in Nagoya include Koshoji Temple and its pagoda in Yagoto, Toganji Temple in Motoyama, Nittaiji Temple in Kakuozan and the lively Osu Kannon Temple in Osu, around which is a lively monthly fleamarket and Nagoya's electronics town.
Atsuta Shrine in Nagoya is one of the most prestigious shrines in Japan as it is believed to contain one of the three sacred Imperial regalia
Nagoya's Parks
Nagoya's main parks include Tsurumai Park famous for its cherry blossoms, the large Tenpaku Koen in the eastern suburbs, the Expo 2005 Aichi Commemorative Park in Seto and the thin strip of Hisaya Odori Park in Sakae, a favorite spot for events of all kinds, including annual beer and food festivals.
The Nagoya City Wild Bird Observation Center is set in Inae Park in the large estuary created by the Shonaigawa, Shinkawa and Nikkogawa rivers near Nagoya Port. Other large parks are Shonai Ryokuchi Koen with a large boating lake and pick-up games of soccer for ex-pats and locals, the massive drive in Odaka Ryokuchi Koen and the pleasant Nagoya Agricultural Center near Hirabari on the Tsurumai Station, which attracts huge crowds for its hundreds of plum trees in blossom in March.
Nagoya Festivals
There are a number of interesting festivals in Nagoya and the surrounding Chubu area throughout the year. The bizarre Tagata Fertility Festival takes place annually on March 15 and has become increasingly popular.
The ancient and equally strange Konomiya Naked Festival occurs around the end of February, beginning of March depending on the lunar calendar.
The traditional Inuyama Festival takes place in nearby Inuyama on the first weekend of April. The horse festival at Tado Shrine near Kuwana in Mie is on the first weekend in May.
The spectacular Owari Tsushima Festival with boats covered in paper lanterns takes place on the 4th Saturday and Sunday in July.
Nagoya Festival is in October and features parades of large floats with participants in samurai costume. Arimatsu Matsuri takes place on the first Sunday in October with floats pulled through the town famous for its traditional tie-dye Arimatsu shibori.
Takashimaya Department Store and Osaka-bound Shinkansen at Nagoya Station
Day Trips From Nagoya
Inuyama
Inuyama is home of one of Japan's most beautiful castles on the 'Japanese Rhine'; Meiji Mura open-air museum - Meiji era buildings relocated in pleasant surroundings, including the Imperial Hotel Entrance and Lobby by Frank Lloyd Wright; bizarre fertility festival at Tagata Jinja. (Meitetsu line)
Japan's most sacred shrine, the Imperial Ise Jingu. Ritually rebuilt every 20 years and enshrining Amaterasu Omikami, Japan's chief ancestral goddess.
Nagoya Castle and Tokugawa Art Museum are Nagoya's top two attractions
Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry & Technology & the Toyota Automobile Museum
Gifu
Gifu makes for a pleasant day trip from Nagoya city and can be reached in about 30 minutes by either JR or Meitetsu train from Nagoya station. Gifu Castle has a commanding view of the Nagara river and can be reached by a steep climb on foot or by ropeway. Gifu is also noted for its ukai (cormorant fishing) from May to October. From Gifu it is easy to visit the historic town of Gujo Hachiman, famed for its traditional, all-night dancing in mid-summer.
Toyohashi
Toyohashi has pleasant parks, a castle, some other historic buildings and a fun zoo and amusement park.
Kiso Valley - Magome & Tsumago
The two Edo Period post towns of Magome & Tsumago on the Nakasendo in the beautiful Kiso Valley are less than two hours from Nagoya by public transport or car. Hikers can aslo get on the Nakasendo at Ena or Nakatsugawa. Take a JR train from Nagoya Station.
Nagoya Tourist Information
Centers at Nagoya Station (tel. 052-541-4301), Kanayama Station (tel. 052-323 0161), Oasis 21 i Center (tel. 052-963 5252) and Nagoya Port (tel. 052-654-7000), among others. Cultural and other information available at the Nagoya International Center (tel. 052-581-0100).
Nagoya TV Tower and the Oasis 21 Building in Sakae
Sports in Nagoya
Baseball: Nagoya Dome
Home of the Chunichi Dragons of Japanese baseball's Central League. Access from the Nagoya-dome-mae subway station or Ozone Station.
Soccer: Nagoya Grampus Eight
One of the founding teams of Japan's J-League featuring such alumni as ex-manager Arsene Wenger, who joined Arsenal from Grampus, and Gary Lineker who spent the last years of his career in Nagoya in the mid-90s. Grampus play some home games at the futuristic Toyota Stadium (by the celebrated Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa, who also designed Oita Stadium, the Wakayama Museum of Modern Art, Kuala Lumpur Airport and the New Wing of the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam) and the rest at the less-atmospheric Mizuho Athletic Stadium in the south-east of the city, south of Yagoto.
Sumo
Nagoya's annual sumo tournament takes place at the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium near Nagoya Castle in July.
Midland Square & the Twin Towers of the JR Nagoya Station building
Getting around Nagoya is easy on the city subway
Nagoya Access
Air
The new Chubu International Airport - Centrair - (which opened in February 2005) is located on a man-made island about 40km south of Nagoya in Ise Bay. The new airport has taken over all international and the majority of domestic flights serving Nagoya and the surrounding region and was a main access point for visitors to Aichi Expo 2005.
Westjet, a top 10 air carrier in the Americas flies to over 80 destinations worldwide, in Canada, North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
Access to Centrair is by Meitetsu express train service on the Tokoname Line to Chubu International Airport Station at the new Chubu Airport direct from Nagoya Station, with connections on to Toyohashi (via Jingu Mae Station), Inuyama and Gifu. The new service takes 28 minutes from Nagoya Station by the kaisoku Centrair service.
JR Bus and Meitetsu operate bus services between the airport and Nagoya Station. The bus journey takes about one hour and presently costs 1,000 yen. There are further bus services to other locations in the surrounding area and beyond.
There are also ferries to Chubu International Airport from both Tsu and Toba in Mie Prefecture. See the Centrair website for full access details.
Nagoya's previous international airport (Komaki) has reverted to a general purpose airport with commuter and private business flights. There are airport limousine buses to Komaki airport from outside the Meitetsu Melsa building near Nagoya Station and from Nishiharu Station on the Meitetsu Inuyama Line.
A taxi to central Nagoya costs around 12,000 yen (more after midnight) and takes about 50 minutes.
Meitetsu Panorama Express at Jingu-mae Station & Nagoya city bus in Sakae
Kintetsu also has trains from Nagoya Kintetsu Station to Tsuruhashi and Namba in Osaka (2 hours by Urban Liner or 2 hours 30 minutes by Express) with connections to both Nara and Kyoto. Kintetsu also runs trains to Ise, Kuwana, Yokkaichi, Tsu and Matsusaka.
Meitetsu trains run in the greater Nagoya and Chubu area and connect Nagoya to Inuyama, Gifu, Toyohashi, Okazaki, Arimatsu, Utsumi, Handa, Tokoname, Kiyosu and Toyota.
Bus
There are day and night highway bus services from Nagoya to Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Fukuoka and Nagasaki. There are also Meitetsu buses to Gujo Hachiman and Shirakawa-go. Local Nagoya bus services connect the outer suburbs to the nearest Nagoya subway station.
Ferry
The Taiheiyo ferry operates between Nagoya and Tomakomai (Hokkaido) via Sendai (around 21 hours). Ferries depart from Nagoya-futo pier, a 40 minute journey by bus from Meitetsu bus station or take the Meijo Line to Nagoya-ko Station.
Getting Around Nagoya
The Nagoya subway system has six lines which cover much of the city in addition to the above ground Aonami Line which runs out to Nagoya port from Nagoya Station. Nagoya Station, Kanayama, Imaike, Yagoto, Heian-dori, Aratami-bashi, Sakae and Motoyama are some of the busiest intersections.
Downtown Nagoya is served by a 100 yen yellow loop bus which circulates in the Meieki, Sakae and Fushimi areas. The Nagoya Sightseeing Loop Bus (Meguru) costs 200 yen for a single ride or 500 yen for a day pass. Manaca smart cards are also accepted. The bus runs in a loop from Nagoya Station stopping at the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology, Noritake Garden, Nagoya Castle, Tokugawa-en and the Tokugawa Art Museum, the Cultural Path Futaba Museum
(the former residence of Sadayakko Kawakami), the Nagoya City Archives (former Nagoya Court of Appeals building), Nagoya TV Tower in Sakae, Hirokoji Street and Fushimi before returning via Nagoya Castle, Noritake Garden and Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology to Nagoya Station.
A Maglev train called Linimo runs out to the former Expo 2005 site from Fujigaoka, the last stop on the eastern end of the Higashiyama subway line.
Japan City Guides: Nagoya
One of Japan's major cities - a population of more than 2.15 million.
Nagoya Castle
