Nagoya is a 2.3 million-person industrial powerhouse in the middle of a 10 million-person urban metropolis in central Japan, roughly halfway between Tokyo and Osaka, two of Japan’s most well-known cities.
However barely any worldwide voyagers visiting Japan experience it.
Nagoya probably won’t have the global draw of Tokyo, Kyoto or Osaka, however it positively doesn’t merit the sobriquet of “Japan’s most exhausting city.”
There are a lot of things to do in the city and the Chukyo area that surrounds it. Historical castles, delectable cuisine, picturesque rail journeys, thrilling theme parks, a thriving local bar scene, and some of Japan’s finest museums are among these.
So for what reason does it have a standing among a few Japanese inhabitants for being dull? It supposedly completely began in 2016, as per the Japan Times, when Nagoya ended up keep going on an overview asking occupants in eight urban communities to choose which ones were the most engaging as movement objections.
In the years since, the city has demonstrated the inverse is valid, as per Nagoya occupants Lena Yamaguchi and Elisabeth Lloris.
The two of them started Nagoya Is Not Boring in 2020 as a local tour company with the intention of bringing their enthusiasm for the city to visitors.
According to Lloris, “travelers can enjoy both traditional and modern in a compact size, and not only during daylight, when you can explore the numerous castles, temples, and shrines of the area.” She advises going to the nearby izakaya bars at night “to get a closer look at the local culture of the city.”
A great way to get a feel for the city is to join one of Nagoya’s Not Boring’s street food or sake night walking tours. For voyagers who like to investigate all alone, the city is handily explored with a guides application and a travel smartcard – pretty much every sort in Japan is tradable, yet the nearby ones are called Manaca and Toica.
Here is a closer look at what first-time visitors to Nagoya can do.
A bustling modern city
Assuming you’ve gone by Shinkansen shot train among Tokyo and Osaka, you’ve gone through Nagoya, and could try and recollect the high rise region around its focal rail route station.
A Takashimaya department store, a large BIC Camera outlet for electronics or the Hands (previously Tokyu Hands) craft and lifestyle store, a Uniqlo for Japan’s newest fashions, hotels for every budget and altitude, and so much more can be found here.
Toyoko Inn is a cheap, cheerful, and meticulously clean chain of Japanese “business hotels,” and there are several of them within walking distance of the station.
From an onsen, you can watch planes take off in Japan. Nagoya is also a great place to spend a lot of money. You could stay at the Nagoya Marriott Associa in one of the skyscrapers above the main railway station. This building has amazing views of the city and, for railway enthusiasts, views high over the tracks of the Shinkansen and local lines to give the impression of a real-life train diorama.
Starbucks fans can get a similar view at the outlet in the same JR Towers complex if they don’t want to spend the money on the Marriott.
The three high rises include an interlinked set of eatery floors on the twelfth and thirteenth floors, with 75 cafés for each tastebud and financial plan that are an extraordinary initial or exploratory experience.
On the 51st or 52nd floors of two of the skyscrapers, cafés and restaurants offer breathtaking panoramic views.
Delicious local specialty food
Nagoya’s local dish, Nagoya-meshi, is a nod to the city’s past as both a port and a stop on the Tokaido road that connected Kyoto and Edo, Tokyo’s former capital, respectively.
It includes everything from chicken wings and Italian fusion spaghetti to more adventurous options like raw chicken sashimi. It is incredibly diverse.
The five distinct styles of Nagoya-mesh are based on the local red miso (hitsumabushi eel, miso katsu pork, and miso nikomi udon noodles); the local kochin breed of chicken (tebasaki chicken wings and toriwasa raw chicken sashimi); Italian fusion (teppan and ankake spaghetti); Asian fusion (kishimen, sugakiya, and Taiwan-style
The smaller eateries scattered throughout the Esca underground shopping mall, which is concealed beneath the western side of the station, are less panoramic than the restaurant floors of the towers, but they are more local.
Just a few hundred meters away from the station, especially on the western side, visitors quickly transition from 50-story skyscrapers to typical Japanese neighborhoods with low-rise apartments and houses. You’ll get a real sense of how ordinary people live here, with its small shops and restaurants.
Authentic Japanese history and tradition
The majority of Japan’s stunning castles are replicas, constructed after World War II using cutting-edge construction techniques.
Nagoya Palace is one of the most outstanding instances of these, with its enormous fundamental keeps reconstructed in concrete during the 1950s and presently part of the historical center complex that likewise incorporates the Nishinomaru Okura Gallery, which opened in 2021. The outer towers are currently being rebuilt by the city using original materials, and the castle precinct is still being developed with cultural heritage and artifacts in mind.
Inuyama Castle in the town of the same name in the northern suburbs of Nagoya, nestled in the foothills of the Japanese Alps, is one of only 12 remaining original castles in Japan.
Only a short ways from Nagoya Station on the private (non-JR) Meitetsu railroad, the region between Inuyama station and its palace has been thoughtfully reestablished lately.
The Honmachi-Dori shopping street, which was redesigned to reflect its history during the Showa era (1926-1989, when the Showa emperor, also known in the West as Hirohito, ruled, is the main attraction. On your way to and from the castle, indulge in everything from rental kimonos to traditional sweets.
Japan Monkey Park, a relatively tame but very typical Japanese-style theme park with rides and a water park section, is also a good option for younger visitors.
Parks and museums featuring ancient and modern Japan
Nagoya and its encompassing towns are additionally home to a portion of Japan’s most fascinating galleries.
Meiji-mura, an open-air architectural museum on the shores of Lake Iruka in Inuyama that preserves buildings from the Meiji period, a century of rapid modernization in Japan. The Imperial Hotel, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, is the most well-known, but each is remarkable in its own way.
Back in Nagoya, a couple of kilometers east of Nagoya Palace you’ll find the Tokugawa Craftsmanship Historical center, quite possibly of Japan’s best confidential gallery, which holds a few Irreplaceable assets of Japan thanks to its association with the Tokugawa family tradition. It is located within the stunning Tokugawa-en Gardens, which were renovated in 2004 and are well worth a visit.
Toward the south of the downtown area, under thirty minutes from the fundamental station on the private (non-JR) Aonami Line (which wends its direction through Nagoya’s clamoring port region), you’ll find both Legoland Japan and the SCMaglev and Rail line Park train gallery on the recovered island of Kinjofuto.
In addition to the Sea Life Nagoya aquarium inside the hotel, Legoland has dozens of other attractions, including Lego brick replicas of numerous Japanese landmarks and roller coasters.
In contrast, the SCMaglev and Railway Park is one of the best railway museums in Japan. It is associated with the JR Central railway company, which built the 500 km/h superconducting maglev (magnetic levitation) Chuo Shinkansen line between Tokyo and Nagoya and operated the original Shinkansen line west of Tokyo.
The exhibition hall highlights everything from preliminary maglev prepares as far as possible back to verifiable steam trains, and furthermore offers test systems to have a go at driving yourself. Visit during the week to avoid crowds and sign up early for the simulator lottery.
The Toyota Automobile Museum, located approximately 45 minutes east of Nagoya Station, houses 140 historical automobiles. Take the quirky Linimo, a local maglev transit system designed to transport visitors to the 2005 Expo outside of Nagoya, to get there. The Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology is another manufacturing museum that can be found at the former headquarters of Toyota’s predecessor company, 20 minutes’ walk north of Nagoya Station.
The brand-new Ghibli Park, of which Stage 1 is finished, can be found in the Expo Park, a beautifully landscaped area. Although there are no rides or attractions, the first three sections are already constructed and appear to be a lot of fun for Studio Ghibli fans.
Meanwhile, a china painting experience can be had at the Noritake Garden museum and craft center, which is located at the Noritake ceramics company’s home and is just a quick 15-minute walk north of Nagoya Station. Additionally, there is a delightful French restaurant that serves truly exquisite afternoon tea.
Also, last, avid supporters in the playing season should go out to the Vantelin Vault to watch the neighborhood ball club, the Chunichi Mythical serpents. Even if you aren’t a huge baseball fan, Japanese baseball is an amazing experience that you shouldn’t miss.
