Nobody offers Nagoya a good shake, not even me. So once I had an opportunity to drop in once more on a latest journey—I had a couple of hours of downtime on my method again to Kyoto from the Fuji 5 Lakes area—I took it. And I’m so blissful I did.
As typically occurs to me once I journey with an open thoughts and coronary heart, an attention-grabbing factor occurred. I used to be at Atsuta Shrine taking a self-portrait, when a person approached me. Whereas I initially assumed he was a guard telling me to place the tripod away, it turned out he was merely a pleasant native man with a narrative to inform.
“My identify is Tanaka,” he mentioned in English, and requested if he may stroll with me as I re-acquainted myself with the shrine. In fact he may, I advised him—I used to be delighted, the truth is, that another person’s presence had gotten me out of my very own head, into which I so typically settle as a solo traveler.
Is Nagoya Price Visiting?
As we bought on our method, we handed by a wall that dates again to the time of Nobunaga. Some of the consequential warlords in Japanese historical past, who simply occurs to be from Nagoya, Nobunaga is the determine I typically consider when attempting to place town’s significance into perspective. You possibly can say what you need about Nagoya’s modern bodily state (which is essentially as a result of heavy bombing it suffered throughout World Struggle II), however Japanese’s current wouldn’t be the identical with out the essential chapters of the previous that went down right here.
To place it one other method, Nagoya is totally value visiting, though it’s not as instantly satisfying as most different Japanese cities. You don’t essentially have to have a neighborhood information, interspersing tales of his a few years at Toyota (which is headquartered close by) as he takes you to neglected components of shrines most vacationers miss. The extra customized your journey may be, nonetheless, the higher.
The Finest Issues to Do in Nagoya
Begin at Nagoya Citadel—however don’t end there
As Japanese castles go, Nagoya’s isn’t distinctive—it’s not certainly one of the 12 “authentic” castles, neither is it architecturally distinct from Osaka Citadel, which is a way more well-known reconstruction. Nonetheless, Nagoya Citadel is without doubt one of the icons of town’s in any other case very fashionable cityscape. As we walked by Atsuta Shrine and Tanaka-san advised me about his love of baseball, he beneficial I benefit from the view of the fortress from the Midland Sq. Sky Promenade (an amazing suggestion, if I do say so myself).
TIP: If you wish to keep longer at Nagoya-jō and luxuriate in Japanese arts and crafts, I encourage you to do that fan-making workshop on for dimension.
Say a prayer at Atsuta Shrine
One other perception Tanaka offered me was that Atsuta Shrine is definitely Japan’s second-most vital Shinto shrine, after Ise Grand Shrine situated simply to the south in Mie. Whereas this reality alone may not make it one of many prime issues to do in Nagoya, the shrine’s spacious grounds (that are lower than 10 minutes from Nagoya Station through the Meitetsu Line) are nonetheless a slice of serenity I believe we are able to all recognize.
(Or Osu Kannon)
Earlier than Tanaka bid me farewell—he after all snapped a selfie of us collectively—he jogged my memory to re-visit a spot that had confirmed certainly one of my favorites throughout earlier visits to Nagoya: Osu Kannon, a Twelfth-century temple (which has clearly been reconstructed since then) that sits close to a sprawling buying arcade of the identical identify. Like Atsuta Shrine, it’s an oasis of tranquility inside an city jungle, and at a naked minimal, a pleasant place to have a stroll after lunch.
Chow down on Misokatsu
Which properly segues into what I take into account to be #1 amongst issues to do in Nagoya: Consuming Misokatsu. If you wish to begin your journey off on essentially the most scrumptious notice, I like to recommend arriving an hour or two earlier than your lodge check-in, then heading to the ninth flooring of the Meitetsu Division Retailer and grabbing a seat at Yabaton. Right here, because the odor of Nagoya’s most well-known dish wafts in, attempt to not drown in your personal drool because the odor of fresh-fried pork cutlet fills the air, and watch in awe because the waiter drizzles your tonkatsu with the candy, pink miso sauce that provides it its unique-to-Nagoya identify.
Make a pilgrimage
Another excuse to go to Nagoya? Utilizing it as a base for extra peripheral discoveries, or a beginning off level for them. For instance, whether or not you’re taking a day journey or a multi-day journey, Nagoya is well-situated for exploring the Nakasendo, which was an historical buying and selling route between Kyoto and Edo (the previous identify of Tokyo).
Likewise, Nagoya sits simply up the (rail) street from Mie and Wakayama prefectures, and simply south of underrated Inuyama Citadel. When you can realistically go to locations in Mie (just like the aforementioned Ise Shrine or the meat metropolis of Matsusaka) on day journeys, I like to recommend spending a couple of nights in Wakayama, whether or not atop Mt. Koya, or climbing the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage.
The place to Keep in Nagoya
Like town itself, most resorts in Nagoya aren’t going to win any Japan-wide awards. However, there are many trendy and reasonably priced boutique properties within the metropolis heart. I stayed at Lamplight Books Lodge throughout my first substantive go to to Nagoya, whereas Nishitetsu Lodge Croom can also be a spot I don’t assume twice about calling dwelling for an evening.
Luxurious resorts like The Royal Park Canvas are additionally handy to issues to do in Nagoya, if that type of lodging is extra your fashion. On the alternative finish of the spectrum, Journey & Sleep Hostel is a clear, centrally-located and reasonably priced choice if privateness isn’t amongst your chief issues.
When to Go to Nagoya
As a normal rule, Nagoya climate is much like what you’ll discover in Osaka and the lower-lying parts of Japan’s “Pacific” facet—which is to say that a lot of the 12 months options comparatively agreeable temperatures and manageable precipitation. With this being mentioned, cherry blossom season is the essentially the most stunning time to go to Nagoya, simply because it’s typically the perfect time to go to Japan so far as most vacationers are involved.
In fact, autumn in Nagoya (and alongside the aforementioned Nakasendo) is none too shabby. Try to be conscious, nonetheless, that Nagoya’s fall season begins later than you would possibly anticipate, as is the case with different locations you go to in autumn in Japan, Nagoya’s peak colours can take till almost the primary of December to manifest! In winter, Nagoya hardly ever sees snow.
Different FAQ About Issues to Do in Nagoya
What’s Nagoya well-known for?
When it comes to sights, Nagoya is known for its eponymous fortress, and for the sprawling Atsuta Shrine; it’s additionally well-known for being the birthplace of scrumptious misokatsu. Amongst Japanese, Nagoya can also be notorious: For being badly bombed throughout World Struggle II, which is why it appears much less culturally and architecturally wealthy than different Japanese cities.
Is Nagoya value visiting?
Nagoya is value visiting in case you’ve set real looking expectations for what town has to supply. Moreover, it helps if certainly one of two issues are true: 1) You don’t have anyplace else within the nation you need to go to extra; or 2) You will have sufficient time in Japan (let’s say one month in Japan or longer) you can be a bit carefree with it.
How far is Kyoto from Nagoya?
Kyoto is about 130 km from Nagoya by street, which equates to a driving time of about two hours. However, the journey will take you about 35-40 minutes on the Nozomi Shinkansen, the quickest bullet practice that presently exists.
The Backside Line
The exuberance of my Nagoya journey information stands in stark distinction to town’s lukewarm popularity. Whereas it’s true that you just’re in all probability not going to spend a very long time right here, or return to town on a number of journeys to Japan, the amount—and high quality—of issues to do in Nagoya justify no less than a brief keep, significantly in case you’re fortunate sufficient to fulfill somebody as cool as my buddy Tanaka-san. Sit down for a plate of steaming misokatsu on a layover between Shinkansen journeys—or rent me to plan your journey to Japan, and to chart a really distinctive course by Nagoya for you within the course of.