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The places in-between: Nagoya
Most visitors to Japan could point out Tokyo and Kyoto blindfolded. But Nagoya? Many speed through on the Shinkansen bullet train without even noticing. Yet this is a city that has shaped Japan’s past and present far more than its modest profile suggests.
As a city, it houses one of Japan’s most important Shinto shrines. As a region, it gave rise to three of Japan’s greatest samurai – and the global manufacturing giant, Toyota. It’s also one of Japan’s most connected cities – with an international airport, a major port handling nearly 10% of the nation’s trade, and that bullet train line between Tokyo and Kyoto. Historically, it was the strategic seat of Owari, one of the three major branches of the Tokugawa family. Today, its centrality is economic, as much as geographic.
But most tourists pass it by. Indeed, there’s even a term, Nagoya-tobashi, commonly used when concerts and tours visit Osaka and Tokyo, but skip Nagoya.
And that’s a mistake, says Japan specialist Chris: “Everyone who comes to Japan goes to the big spots. The Golden Route: Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, maybe Osaka. But if you want to see how Japan really is, day to day, you need to visit Nagoya.”
Art, play, samurai – and the everyday
Nagoya has been long seen as an industrial powerhouse . But today, it’s so much more than that – and actively defies this myopic view.
It’s the first city in Japan to launch a “greening” initiative – encouraging the growth of green walls and roofs on homes (with financial incentives).
Visit, and you’ll find it’s not without a playful or cultural side, either. Home to Japan’s second Ghibli Park and Legoland, there’s also a vibrant art scene, if you know where to look. The Aichi Triennale transforms the city every three years, and galleries across Nagoya display works ranging from Gustav Klimt’s paintings to Taikan Yokoyama’s scrolls. Venture beyond the city, to Tokoname, and pottery pieces, lining the roads, outnumber people.
History runs deep here, too: three of Japan’s most influential samurai – Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu – were born in or near Nagoya. And the city’s castle, completed in 1615 by Tokugawa himself, is a standing reminder of their legacy.
When it comes to spirituality, Nagoya’s prefecture (Aichi) has more shrines and temples than any other in Japan – with almost two shrines and one temple per square mile. Within the city’s most revered shrine, Atsuta, rests the sacred sword Kusanagi no Tsurugi – one of the three Imperial Regalia of Japan, believed to hold the spirit of sun goddess Amaterasu.
What sets Nagoya and its prefecture apart is the way layers of history and culture seamlessly coexist. Toyota evolved from humble weaving looms into a robotics powerhouse. In nearby Arimatsu, the centuries-old tie-dyeing technique (Arimatsu Shibori) is still practiced today – and is (quietly) a tourist draw. Nagoya is where Japan’s next-generation levitating trains are being developed – just a ten-minute walk from Legoland. And on sunny afternoons, its students sip bubble tea in parks once patrolled by samurai.
Monks and miso katsu – just metres apart
Alongside its religious and historical backstory, Nagoya is, quite simply, one of the best places to shop, eat, and go on a night out. It’s a reminder that in Japan, reverent spirituality, classic history, shameless commercialism and great food can (and often do) coexist side-by-side.
Dubbed the “coolest arcade in Japan” by specialist, Chris, Osu Kannon is Nagoya’s central shopping arcade (think Kyoto’s Nishiki Market without the tourists).
Here, you can make a wish, offer a coin and watch monks light candles at the Osu Kannon temple – before turning a corner to buy vintage clothes by the kilo, browse manga stores, or sip coffee from chintz china in a jazz café.
But the best reason to visit the arcade is to snack your way through.
Miso kushi katsu (deep-fried pork skewers), Brazilian gyoza, cheesy vegetarian nachos and Vietnamese pho all find a home under this sheltered walkway. If you ever wondered what Japanese people do on a Saturday night, visit Osu at the weekend – and you’ll see.
As Chris puts it: “If Osaka is the kitchen of Japan, Nagoya is the snack drawer.” And that’s because Nagoya’s food often defies the refined aesthetic visitors expect. Elisabeth Llopis, founder of tourism organisation Nagoya Is Not Boring, calls it “ugly delicious.”
Red miso, fermented two to three years until it turns dark and deeply savoury, is the city’s signature flavour layer – slathered on katsu cutlets, stirred into soup, or spread on skewers.
“Whenever I’m back in Nagoya, I make a beeline for Yamachan’s,” says Ben, a former resident. “It’s a very local izakaya that proudly serves the gloriously messy, impossibly addictive tebasaki: chicken wings coated in a dry, spicy rub. It somehow gets all over your fingers – no matter how carefully you eat them.”
For those willing to explore a little further, the city opens its own home kitchens. On his recent visit, InsideJapan specialist Tim joined a cooking class in the suburbs:
“As a vegan, my choices are usually limited in Japan, but here I got the most delicious crash course in vegan cuisine in local chef Akiko’s own kitchen. We made miso katsu with fried tofu, and tebasaki with mushrooms instead of chicken. We plated up and ate in her living room, and her daughter joined us for a chat. It felt like I’d just been invited over for lunch.”
Beyond the city: dancing, castles, rivers
Because of its central location, Nagoya is a natural base for exploring wider Japan – and a huge part of the city’s appeal comes from this.
Ninety minutes north, Gujo Hachiman is a riverside town where life moves slowly, to the rhythm of its through-flowing waters, for 11 months of the year. But in August, during the Obon festival, the streets become an all-night dance floor. Music and festivities last until 4 or 5 am.
“This is in stark contrast to elsewhere in Japan, when the music is turned off at 11pm”, says Tim. “And locals will be only too happy to get you dancing in the streets with them. By the end of the month, the platformed wooden geta clogs people wear are worn down to stubs.” Gujo’s streets are packed with geta shops to supply this demand.
Another good day trip from Nagoya is Inuyama. Half an hour outside the city, it has one of Japan’s twelve remaining original castles – a national heritage site with sweeping views of the Kiso River. It’s also a local favourite hanami (cherry blossom viewing) spot – one to remember if you ever want to take in the springtime blooms without sharing your picnic spot with hundreds of others.
The foodie city with a samurai soul
Nagoya may never compete with Kyoto’s temples or Tokyo’s neon for headlines – but that’s its strength. It doesn’t need to. Instead, it’s a proud city where Japan’s modern engines and ancient rituals run in parallel: where the sacred sword rests a train ride away from the Pokémon Center and where visitors can still share a table with locals rather than a crowd.
As Chris sums up: “Nagoya is the foodie city with a samurai soul. It’s a more true-to-life version of Japan than the Golden Route can provide. We based our InsideJapan headquarters here for a reason: Nagoya is technologically advanced, arty, fun and a little bit gritty – in the best way. And, it’s the jumping off point for so much more of Japan’s culture – found in the smaller towns and villages, where tie-dye and pottery traditions are preserved.
“Visit, and you’ll learn just what it means to be Japanese: through beautifully beige, deeply flavoursome food, samurai, swords, shrines, and even Lego.”