Nagoya 名古屋市

Nagoya (Japanese: 名古屋市) is the third biggest incorporated city within the fourth most populous urban area in Japan. There are 2.2 million people living in Nagoya, within the Chukyo Metropolitan Area, which has over 8.7 million inhabitants. Nagoya is also the capital of Aichi Prefecture. It was the base for the powerful Japanese warlord Oda Nobunaga and his successors, the famous shoguns Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Tokugawa Ieyasu put Nagoya on the map when he moved his base there in 1610, constructing Nagoya Castle using materials taken from Kiyosu Castle. The townspeople of Kiyosu were systematically relocated to Nagoya, over 60,000 of them, and with their arrival, temples and shrines were rapidly put up. The ancient Atsuta Shrine was designated a way station of the Tokaido route, the road linking Kyoto to present-day Tokyo. Nagoya Castle and Atsuta Shrine are two of the famous tourist attractions in Nagoya today.

By the beginning of the 20th century, Nagoya became a manufacturing hub of Japan. It is the base for many multinationals such as Toyota (headquartered in nearby Toyota, to the east of Nagoya) and Mitsubishi Motors.

The warmest months in Nagoya are July and August, when the average high temperate may exceed 30.5°C (87°F). Coldest months are January and February, with average low temperature reaching 1°C (34°F). June and July are the wettest months, with precipitation of over 201.5 mm (7.93 inches), while the driest are December and January, with precipitation of 43.2 mm (1.7 inches) or less.

Nagoya, Japan


Nagoya Castle

Planning your trip to Nagoya

By Plane
Nagoya is served by the Chubu Centrair International Airport (NGO), a new airport which opened in 2005. The Meitetsu Airport Line connects the airport to downtown Nagoya. The trains are called the μSky (pronounced meu-sukai), which makes the journey in 28 minutes at a cost of ¥1200. Note that the ride is not free for JR Railpass holders.

By Train
You can also reach Nagoya by train. The Shinkansen going between Tokyo and Osaka stops there. A ride from Tokyo takes an hour 40 minutes on the Nozomi bullet train, and costs ¥10,780, while the Hikari bullet train takes between 1 hour 45 minutes to two hours, and costs ¥10,580.

On the opposite direction, Nagoya is 53 minutes from the Shin-Osaka Station in Osaka on the Nazomi (fare ¥6,380) and between 53 to 70 minutes on the Hikari or Kodama (fare ¥6,180).

Planning your travel within Nagoya

To be honest, it is more practical to explore Nagoya by car than by public transport. It does have a subway system with tour lines. The red Sakuradori Lne heads southwest, the purple Meijo Line loops aroound the eastern side of Nagoya, the yello Higashiyama Line links Nagoya with Fushimi, Sakae and Fujigaoka, and the blue Tsurumai Line links it with Fushimi and Osu Kannon, heading south.

If you plan to use the subway extensively, get the one-day pass for unlimited rides for ¥600.

The 36-storey 170-meter Mode Gakuen Spiral Towers in Nagoya

Places of Interest in Nagoya

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