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Built by Ieyasu Tokugawa, Nagoya Castle is the landmark of the city and the highlight of Nagoya tourism. A pair of golden shachihoko (carp-like mythical animals) sits on top of the castle ridge beam, sparkling in the sun as they welcome visitors. An extensive collection of Ieyasu's treasures is on display at THE TOKUGAWA ART MUSEUM. The museum is located next to Tokugawa-En, a spacious strolling garden with a pond where you may enjoy different seasonal views, from fresh green in early summer to colored foliage in the fall. Nagoya TV Tower, another landmark in the central area, is located within Hisaya Odori Park. Its 100-meter tall observatory offers a panoramic view of the city.
Conveniently accessible in about 20 minutes by subway from the central area, Nagoya Port and its vicinity is a waterfront destination full of tourist attractions. The Nagoya Port Wildflower Garden Bluebonnet is a spacious park where a variety of simple wild flowers and plants beautifully show off their vividness. The Nagoya Maritime Museum and the permanent display of the Former Antarctic Research Vessel "Fuji" are also located nearby. The PORT OF NAGOYA PUBLIC AQUARIUM is home to about 30,000 creatures of 450 species.
Dubbed "Meieki," the vicinity of Nagoya Station is the gateway to the city and is lined with the JR Central Towers and a number of other high-rise buildings. MIDLAND SQUARE is a recent addition to the district, featuring movie theaters and high-class restaurants. As the redevelopment project and the construction boom continues, the Meieki district is undergoing a dramatic transformation into a glamorous skyscraper city.
Sakae is the busiest district in Nagoya, crowded with business offices, shops, restaurants, leisure facilities, and more. The district is known as one of the best shopping destinations in the city, featuring major department stores, high-end boutiques, and various shopping complexes.
Osu still preserves the feeling of the old downtown. The district originally flourished as a temple town near Osu Kannon Temple. A number of unique shops sell reasonable used clothing and miscellaneous items, attracting fashion-oriented young people.
In recent years, a number of skyscrapers and high-rise building complexes have been added to the vicinity of Nagoya Station, the city's transport hub. In addition to Nagoya TV Tower, the area's longtime landmark, these tall modern buildings offer a wonderful panoramic view of the city, creating a new attraction to the area.
Nagoya TV Tower
Nagoya's longtime symbol is a steel tower shared by local broadcasting stations. The tower's Sky Deck (90m high) and Sky Balcony (100m high) offer an impressive view that captures the entire city of Nagoya. The view is especially beautiful at sunset and after dark. A restaurant, gallery, and tourist information corner are also available.
(3-6-15 Nishiki, Naka-ku, Nagoya-city)
JR Central Towers
Rising high above the JR Nagoya Station building, this new building complex is composed of a hotel tower (226m high) and an office tower (245m high). Department stores and restaurants are also housed in the complex helping it to serve as a convenient base for over-night visitors to Nagoya.
(1-1-4 Meieki, Nakamura-ku, Nagoya-city)
MIDLAND SQUARE
A new building complex highlighted by its super-tall office building (247m high). Its commercial building (50m high) houses 60 tenants, including various shops and movie theaters. Sky Promenade, an open-air observatory situated on the top three floors (44F-46F) of the office building, boasts an exclusive panoramic view of the city. Visitors can enjoy the view as they walk down a long slope that spirals around the inner circumference of the building, as if they were walking in the open sky.
(4-7-1 Meieki, Nakamura-ku, Nagoya-city)
Nagoya Lucent Tower
A high-rise building (180m high, with 40 floors above ground) featuring offices and restaurants. At a lounge located on the top floor, you can relax in and have a drink while enjoying the magnificent night view to finish your busy day.
(6-1 Ushijima-cho, Nishi-ku, Nagoya-city)
"Derauma" means "delicious" in the local language. Nagoya offers abundant choices of locally popular flavors that can also be enjoyed by visitors. Dishes made with miso (soybean paste), such as miso katsu (breaded pork cutlet), miso-nikomi udon (noodles), and miso oden (hodgepodge of stewed fishcakes and vegetables) are the most characteristic menus among the local specialties. Try hitsumabushi, a combination of rice and eel, in three different traditional serving manners. Tebasaki-no-karaage (deep-fried chicken wings) and tenmusu (tempra-style balls of rice) are among the popular casual foods that display local flare. Kishimen is a type of flat, flour-based noodle that makes a great authentic souvenir.
Miso katsu
A pork fillet is breaded, deep-fried and served with special sauce made from miso, dashi stock, and sugar. This is Nagoya's best-known specialty, perfect for filling a hungry stomach at lunch time.
Hitsumabushi
Nagoya's favotie unagi (eel) dish. Grilled and chopped unagi fillets are served on top of rice. It comes in a small o-hitsu (wooden rice dish) and traditionally is eaten in three different ways: eat it as it is for the first bowl, mix in various condiments such as asatsuki (green onions), nori (seaweed sheet), or wasabi (Japanese horseradish) for the second bowl, and pour tea or stock in and eat it like ochazuke soup for the third bowl.
Tebasaki-no-karaage
Deep-fried chicken wings are seasoned with spicy sauce. The crispy skin and juicy meat goes perfectly with beer.
Kishimen
Flat, flour noodles are a longtime Nagoya specialty. Often called "himokawa(leash)," kishimen is a perfect choice for a light snack.
