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If your itinerary takes you from Tokyo to Kyoto or anywhere further south, or if you’re headed to Takayama, odds are extremely good that you’re making a stop in Nagoya. May I suggest leaving the station for a few hours and getting a taste of what this city has to offer?
Here’s my pitch for a six-hour stopover in Nagoya.
Your day in Nagoya starts now…
First things first: drop the luggage.
Upon arrival at Nagoya Station, exit the gates into the main concourse and make your way to the Taiko-dori side of the station. There, you’ll find coin lockers ranging from large to small inside the JR Expressway bus ticket office, or if those are full, head down into the ESCA shopping mall. At the bottom of the stairs, turn left and you’ll see plenty of additional lockers.
Easy peasy. Now you’re free to hit the ground running! But first… you must head to the Sakura-dori side of the station, which is easily reached by backtracking and walking straight through to the other side of the station. Oh, and be sure to pick up a city map from tourist information located in the center of the concourse!
Getting around
Today, I’d recommend using a mixture of the Me~guru bus, Nagoya’s sightseeing loop bus, and the city subway. A single journey on the Me~guru bus costs 210 yen (£1.60/$2). The only catch is that this bus doesn’t operate on Mondays, as most facilities and museums on this route are closed that day, so be careful!
Catch the Me~guru bus on Meieki-dori, the main road that runs in front of the station, next to bus stop #8. Buses depart every 20-30 minutes on weekends and holidays, and every 30-60 minutes on weekdays.
Visit the Toyota Museum
The first stop on the route is the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology. The museum is housed in the birthplace of Toyota: an old industrial factory. While it may be known as the nation’s largest automotive manufacturer these days, the company’s roots lie in the textile industry, right here in Nagoya. Though not every exhibit has English signage, the machinery and displays speak volumes. Tours of the museum are free, but reservations need to be made in advance (If you’re an Inside Japan customer, we can arrange this for you).
Explore Nagoya Castle & Honmaru Palace
Next, it’s on to Nagoya Castle! Built by order of Tokugawa Ieyasu in the early 17th century, most of the castle was destroyed in WWII. These days the reconstructed castle serves as a symbol of the city, and houses a museum with exhibits providing a glimpse into the life and times of the lords who resided in it. Of greater interest, to me at least, is the reconstructed Honmaru Palace on the castle grounds. Here you have the opportunity to step back in time and experience the splendour of the palace’s former days. Since it’s not yet complete, you can also take a peek at the traditional building methods and techniques that are being used in the reconstruction process, too.
Indulge in misokatsu
Moving on through the castle grounds, I recommend you leave through the East entrance, as it’ll put you very close to Shiyakusho subway station (on the Meijo Line). Hop on the subway and ride for three stops, alighting at Yabacho Station. Leaving the station through exit 4 puts you on Hisaya-odori. You’ll see the elevated expressway straight ahead, so walk towards it, but don’t cross under it just yet. Once you reach the main road that runs under it (Wakamiya-dori), turn right and walk down to the light. Cross under the expressway here, and you’ll see on the other side… a large pig wearing a keshomawashi (a Grand Champion sumo wrestler’s ritual apron).
This is a restaurant called Yabaton. Among Nagoya’s famous foods is misokatsu: a pork cutlet that’s been breaded with panko (Japanese-style breadcrumbs), deep fried to crisp, golden perfection and then doused with a thick, luscious miso-paste-based sauce (drool!). Yabaton is synonymous with misokatsu, and this outlet is their main store. It also happens to be where I fell in love with the dish!
Go shopping at Osu Kannon
After your meal, you’ll probably want to take a little walk to help you digest your miso-doused feast, and what better place than the Osu shopping district? Home to over 1,200 shops, restaurants and covered arcades to shield you from the elements, it also happens to be just a couple blocks down from Yabaton!
Exiting the restaurant, turn right and continue down the street until you come to the big golden dragon attached to the Osu 301 building. This is the entrance to one of the covered arcades. I do, however, encourage you to break off and have a wander down the other parallel and bisecting streets, which are filled with small shops and local shrines. However, if you follow this particular covered arcade all the way down, you’ll eventually end up at Osu Kannon Temple. Walk through the grounds, taking care not to step on any of the (seemingly) oblivious pigeons, and turn right at the 7-11 convenience store.
Return to Nagoya Station
Straight ahead you’ll see the stairs down to the Osu Kannon subway station (on the Tsurumai Line). Take the subway one stop to Fushimi subway station and transfer to the Higashiyama Line. From there it’s just one more stop and you’re back at Nagoya Station. Be sure to grab some ogura toast-flavoured Country Ma’am cookies from one of the gift shops in the main concourse, and some tenmusu for your Shinkansen ride, fetch your luggage, and you’re on your way!
**Note: Ogura toast is sweet red bean jam and butter on toast, and tenmusu is a shrimp tempura in a rice ball with the tail sticking out the top; both are Nagoya specialties (more drool!!)
Ahh, Nagoya
Nagoya doesn’t get much attention from western visitors, which is a bit of a shame, I think! Did you know that Satsuki and Mei’s house is in Nagoya? Those who are true fans will know what I’m referring to here. Ever dream of walking through the lobby of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Imperial Hotel? You can still do that in Inuyama, which is within easy reach of the city. Ever want to learn about and try your hand at making wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets) that are used in tea ceremony? I’ve got a fantastic recommendation for you in Gifu City, just 20 minutes away by train. Oh, and let’s not forget Legoland Japan opening in April 2017!
Definitely watch this space for more from Japan’s central region, and give a visit to Nagoya some thought!
Fancy spending six hours – or more – in Nagoya? As the home of the Inside Japan office, we know quite a lot about the city! Get in touch with one of our expert travel consultants to find out more or start planning your trip.