The Best Travel Guide to Nagoya

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Nagoya

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The guide was updated: 2017-08-16

Nagoya City breathes history, as testified by the epic movies (such as Shogun and Ran) centred around Nagoya Castle. But it was Expo 2005 that put Nagoya on the world map. A total of 121 countries participated in the event, which attracted more than 22 million visitors over the six months of the Expo. Post-Expo, Nagoya is positioning itself both as a center for hi-tech industries and as a tourist gateway. Toyota Cars, old and new famed ceramics, Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples, dolls and robots castles, feudal villas and farmhouses pearls, art and a plethora of shopping and nightlife await you in this not-so-obvious choice of a Japanese destination.

Facts

Population:	2, 266, 850
Currency:	1,000 yen = 10 x 100 yen Coins
Search Accommodation:	Hotels »
Emergency numbers:	110 Police 119 Fire & Ambulance
Newspapers:	Nagoya Post Japan Times Daily Yomiuri Asahi Shimbun
Tourist information:	Nagoya City Tourist Information Centre Japan Rail Concourse Central Station, Nagoya +81 52 541 4301 Nagoya International Centre Bldg. 3F, 1-47-1 Nagoya +81 52 581 0100

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Section in Nagoya

In a big city like Nagoya you will definitely find many fun and interesting attractions to visit. Nagoya offers many historical sites, two of the most famous attractions are Atsuta Shrine and Nagoya Castle. If you like to go to museums, you will find a wide array of different kinds from art museums to Toyota Museum.

Nagoya Castle

Nagoya Castle is where the Tokugawa shoguns made their home for over 250 years up until 1868, the year in which Japan’s official isolation from the West came to an end with the beginning of the Meiji period. The castle was nearly destroyed in bombing raids of 1945, but later rebuilt.

Atsuta Shrine

The Atsuta Shrine completes the trio of the most sacred sites in Japan and nearly 10 million people annually visit to get close to the legendary Kusanagi Sword and the other 4,000 exhibits.

Nagoya TV Tower

180 meters tall, this is a great place for first time visitors to enjoy a great view of the city. There is a choice of observation decks along with souvenir and coffee shops.

Higashiyama Zoological and Botanical Garden

Higashiyama Zoological and Botanical Garden is a vast green expanse right in the heart of Nagoya City. The 20 hectare open-range zoo is one of Asia’s largest, featuring lions, tigers, giraffes, bears and many other species. The new Higashiyama Sky Tower has observation decks and a restaurant, and offers great views of the surrounding area.

Yanagibashi Wholesale Market

Yanagibashi Wholesale Market is home to over 400 shops and fish stalls, dating back to the Edo era (1603–1868) and second in size only to Tokyo’s giant Tsukiji Fish Market. Giant tuna, octopus, shrimp and many other varieties of fish are on sale here from early morning (around 6 am is best).

Tokugawa Gardens and Art Museum

These lavish gardens were constructed in 1694 as a residential retreat for Mitsutomo, the second Lord of the Owari clan. Sadly, however, most of the garden and its buildings were destroyed during World War II. Restoration took a long time, with the garden being finally opened as a public park in 2004. If time permits, visit the adjacent Tokugawa Art Museum, the third oldest private museum in Japan, which miraculously survived the World War II air raids.

Kiso Valley

Four hundred years ago, both Magome and Tsumago were two of 69 staging posts on the 500 km Nakasendo “Highway”, a foot-trail along which local warlords had to make an annual pilgrimage to the then-capital Edo (now Tokyo), to report in. Today, Magome and Tsumago look much as must have done in yester-century. Magome, easily accessible from Nagoya by rail and bus has a modern part of town with a few low-key gift shops but once you veer onto the broad foot-trail leading north through “old” Magome, it is very easy to forget that the subsequent centuries ever existed.

Hamanako Garden Park

About 30 minutes by rail from downtown Nagoya via Hamatsu City, Hamanako Garden Park is what remains of Pacific Flora, a floral exhibition that ran as a precursor to Expo 2005. Now the site, superbly located on a peninsula in Lake Hamana, has become a permanent civic attraction. Flowing through the grounds, just as during Pacific Flora, is the scenic Iridori Canal, still bridged by the classic Taikobashi (“tympani”) Bridge. The park is now a popular staging ground for rally events, including the HPI Challenge All Asia Finals.

Nadya Park

Take a culture break in the Design Museum and Design Gallery. These cover everything from industrial and commercial to historical design, and have the visitor wondering (as happens every few minutes or so in Japan): “just where does this astonishing creativity come from?”

Port of Nagoya Aquarium

Housed in two separate buildings (one on five levels and the other three levels), this is a huge museum. Large underwater viewing rooms make it easy to appreciate dolphins and other marine species close-up.

Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology

The huge Toyota Museum is a must-visit for all those interested in automotive history. The automotive pavilion features a great range of vintage trucks and cars, while kids will love Technoland, a hands-on series of interactive displays. There is also a Textile Machinery Pavilion.

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