Nagoya walking tour & city guide

A walk from the station to the castle

The towers around Nagoya Station mark the modern city, with an underground mall and the old Yanagibashi market close by. From here, the long avenues lead east to Sakae, the shopping and entertainment centre, where the glass roof of Oasis 21 and the TV tower stand above Hisaya Odori Park.

South of Sakae, Osu is the city's most enjoyable place to wander: a grid of covered arcades full of second-hand shops, electronics, street food and small temples, ending at the bright red Osu Kannon. To the north, Nagoya Castle, rebuilt after the war with its famous golden dolphins on the roof, stands beside the reconstructed Hommaru Palace.

Gardens, shrines and history

Atsuta Shrine, in the south of the city, is one of the most revered Shinto shrines in Japan, set in a quiet wood of camphor trees. The Tokugawa Garden, a strolling garden with a koi pond, waterfall and stone lanterns, is especially beautiful in autumn and in the peony season.

Nagoya is also the home of Toyota, and its industrial heritage can be explored at the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology, housed in an old red-brick textile mill. The old merchant quarter of Shikemichi preserves a short street of traditional storehouses.

Visiting tips

The Nozomi bullet train reaches Nagoya in about 1 hour 40 minutes from Tokyo and 35 minutes from Kyoto. Two subway lines link the station, Sakae, the castle and Osu, but much of the centre is walkable. Nagoya is also the gateway to Takayama, the Kiso Valley and the Ise Peninsula.