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Aichi · Capital · Designated city

Nagoya

名古屋市なごやしNagoya-shi

The Owari Tokugawa's castle city and hub of Japanese industry

Nagoya is the capital of Aichi Prefecture and the largest city of central Japan, midway between Tokyo and Osaka on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen. Built around the castle of the Owari Tokugawa from 1610, it is known for Nagoya Castle, Atsuta Shrine, its museums of industry and a distinctive local cuisine, and it anchors Japan's leading manufacturing region.

Overview

Nagoya lies at the head of Ise Bay on the Nōbi Plain, where the Shōnai and Hori rivers reach the sea. It is the centre of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, Japan's third-largest, and a city of broad avenues laid out after the Second World War, with the Nagoya Station skyscrapers in the west, the Sakae shopping district in the centre and the castle to the north.

The city was founded in 1610, when Tokugawa Ieyasu ordered a great castle built for his son Yoshinao and moved the entire population of Kiyosu, some 60,000 people, temples and all, to the new site. As the seat of the Owari Tokugawa, one of the three senior branches of the shogunal house, Nagoya became one of the largest cities of Edo Japan. Its golden shachihoko, the dolphin-like finials on the castle keep, became the city's emblem.

From the Meiji era Nagoya grew into an industrial city of textiles, ceramics, clocks and machinery, and in the twentieth century of aircraft and automobiles. Heavily bombed in 1945, it was rebuilt on a new plan. Visitors come for the castle and its reconstructed palace, the sacred sword shrine of Atsuta, the treasures of the Tokugawa Art Museum, industrial museums and the food known as Nagoya meshi.

Landmarks

  • Nagoya Castle

    名古屋城Nagoya-jō

    Keep with golden shachihoko on its roof, original corner turrets and the faithfully rebuilt Hommaru Palace.

  • Atsuta Jingū

    熱田神宮Atsuta Jingū

    Shrine holding the sacred sword Kusanagi, one of the three imperial regalia, in a forest of camphor trees.

  • Tokugawa Art Museum and Tokugawa-en

    徳川美術館Tokugawa Bijutsukan

    Treasures of the Owari Tokugawa, including the National Treasure Tale of Genji scrolls, beside a stroll garden.

  • Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology

    トヨタ産業技術記念館Toyota Sangyō Gijutsu Kinenkan

    Museum of looms and cars in the red-brick buildings of Toyoda's original weaving works.

  • Ōsu Kannon

    大須観音Ōsu Kannon

    Temple at the heart of the Ōsu shopping district, with a library of early manuscripts.

  • SCMaglev and Railway Park

    リニア・鉄道館Rinia Tetsudōkan

    JR Central's museum of Shinkansen, maglev and steam trains at Kinjō Futō.

  • Chubu Electric Power MIRAI TOWER

    中部電力 MIRAI TOWERChūbu Denryoku Mirai Tawā

    The former Nagoya TV Tower of 1954 in Hisaya Ōdōri Park, the first tower designated an Important Cultural Property.

  • Arimatsu

    有松Arimatsu

    Tōkaidō village of shibori tie-dye merchants' houses, a preserved historic district.

Districts

  • Meieki

    名駅Meieki

    Nagoya Station area of towers, department stores and the Noritake Garden.

  • Sakae

    栄Sakae

    Central shopping and entertainment district around Hisaya Ōdōri Park and Oasis 21.

  • Ōsu

    大須Ōsu

    Temple-town shopping arcades of electronics, second-hand clothes and street food.

  • Shikemichi

    四間道Shikemichi

    Old merchants' street of storehouses near the Hori River.

  • Kakuōzan

    覚王山Kakuōzan

    Hillside district around Nittai-ji temple with cafés and villas.

History

Before Nagoya existed, the area was dominated by Atsuta Shrine, one of Japan's most sacred sites, and by castles such as Nagoya-no-shiro, where Oda Nobunaga is said to have been born. In 1610 Ieyasu began the new castle, with the stone walls built by daimyo from across western Japan, and the move from Kiyosu, known as Kiyosu-goshi, followed. The keep was completed in 1612 and the Hommaru Palace in 1615.

Nagoya became a city in 1889 and grew rapidly as an industrial centre. American air raids in 1945 destroyed the castle and most of the centre. The keep was rebuilt in concrete in 1959, the same year that the Isewan Typhoon struck the southern districts. Nagoya became a designated city in 1956, and the reconstruction of the Hommaru Palace using traditional methods was completed in 2018.

  1. 1610

    Construction of Nagoya Castle begins; Kiyosu moves to Nagoya.

  2. 1612

    The castle keep is completed, crowned by golden shachihoko.

  3. 1889

    Nagoya is incorporated as a city.

  4. 1911

    Toyoda Sakichi's weaving works, later part of the Toyota museum site, open in Noritake.

  5. 1945

    Air raids destroy Nagoya Castle and much of the city.

  6. 1954

    Nagoya TV Tower, the first television tower in Japan, is completed.

  7. 1956

    Nagoya becomes a designated city.

  8. 1959

    The castle keep is rebuilt; the Isewan Typhoon floods the southern wards.

  9. 1964

    The Tōkaidō Shinkansen opens with a stop at Nagoya.

  10. 2018

    The reconstructed Hommaru Palace opens in full.

Culture

Nagoya's culture combines the legacy of the Owari Tokugawa, patrons of Noh and the tea ceremony, with the pragmatism of an industrial city. Its café culture is famous for the "morning" set with coffee, and its food, weddings and dialect are the subject of affectionate national jokes. The city is proud of its role in the story of the three unifiers, celebrated each October in the Nagoya Festival, and hosts the July sumo tournament.

Festivals

  • Nagoya Festival

    名古屋まつりNagoya Matsuri

    Held in October, with a procession of Nobunaga, Hideyoshi and Ieyasu and floats with karakuri puppets.

  • Atsuta Festival

    熱田まつりAtsuta Matsuri

    The main festival of Atsuta Jingū on 5 June, with lantern-hung makiwara boats and fireworks.

  • Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament

    名古屋場所Nagoya basho

    Fifteen-day professional sumo tournament in July.

  • Nippon Domannaka Festival

    にっぽんど真ん中祭りNippon Domannaka Matsuri

    Large dance festival in late August with teams from across Japan.

Food

  • Hitsumabushi

    ひつまぶしhitsumabushi

    Grilled eel on rice, eaten in three ways; a Nagoya invention.

  • Miso-katsu

    味噌カツmiso-katsu

    Pork cutlet in a thick sauce of Hatchō miso.

  • Miso-nikomi udon

    味噌煮込みうどんmiso-nikomi udon

    Chewy udon simmered in miso broth in an earthenware pot.

  • Tebasaki

    手羽先tebasaki

    Fried chicken wings with a peppery sweet glaze.

  • Kishimen

    きしめんkishimen

    Flat noodles in broth, a classic at station stands.

  • Ogura toast

    小倉トーストogura tōsuto

    Toast with sweet red bean paste, served with morning coffee.

Getting around

  • Nagoya Station is served by the Tōkaidō Shinkansen (about an hour and forty minutes from Tokyo, under an hour from Kyoto and Osaka), JR lines, and Meitetsu and Kintetsu trains.
  • Six subway lines cover the city; the Higashiyama Line links Nagoya Station with Sakae, and the Meijō Line forms a loop.
  • The Me-guru sightseeing bus connects Nagoya Station with the castle, the Tokugawa Art Museum and the Toyota museum.
  • Chūbu Centrair International Airport is about 30 minutes from Meitetsu Nagoya Station by the μSKY limited express.

Day trips

  • Inuyama

    犬山Inuyama

    National Treasure castle, Uraku-en garden and Meiji Mura, 30 minutes by Meitetsu.

  • Toyota

    豊田Toyota

    Car-making city with the Kōrankei gorge and the old town of Asuke.

  • Gifu

    岐阜Gifu

    Nobunaga's castle city and Nagara River cormorant fishing, 20 minutes by train.

  • Ise

    伊勢Ise

    Ise Jingū, Japan's most sacred shrine, about 90 minutes by Kintetsu.

  • Tokoname and Seto

    常滑・瀬戸Tokoname, Seto

    Pottery towns with kiln lanes and museums, each within an hour.

Other cities in the prefecture

CityInuyamaInuyama-shiThe white keep above the Kiso RiverCore cityToyotaToyota-shiJapan's car city with a mountain hinterland

Frequently asked questions

Is Nagoya worth visiting?

Yes, for a day or two: Nagoya Castle and its palace, Atsuta Shrine, the Tokugawa Art Museum, the Toyota and railway museums and the local food, and as a base for Inuyama, Takayama and Ise.

What should I eat in Nagoya?

Hitsumabushi eel, miso-katsu, miso-nikomi udon, tebasaki chicken wings, kishimen noodles and ogura toast at breakfast.

How far is Nagoya from Tokyo and Kyoto?

About an hour and forty minutes from Tokyo and about 35 minutes from Kyoto by the fastest Tōkaidō Shinkansen trains.

Is Nagoya Castle original?

The keep was destroyed in 1945 and rebuilt in concrete in 1959; three corner turrets and several gates are original, and the Hommaru Palace was reconstructed with traditional methods.

Related

Sources

  1. 1.令和2年国勢調査 (opens in a new tab) — Statistics Bureau of Japan
  2. 2.名古屋市公式ウェブサイト (opens in a new tab) — 名古屋市
  3. 3.Japan National Tourism Organization (opens in a new tab) — Japan National Tourism Organization

Editorial team · Published: