Discover Nagoya and the Surrounding Area
Nagoya offers a variety of cultural and historical attractions for visitors. Within the city, you may enjoy Nagoya Castle (Web), famous for its golden shachihoko (mythical tiger-fish ornaments), and the Atsuta Shrine (Web), one of the most important Shinto shrines in Japan. I used to offer prayers at the Nobunaga Wall, a historic structure at Atsuta Shrine in Nagoya, hoping for successful typhoon aircraft observation flights. The Nagoya City Science Museum (Web), with its world's largest planetarium, is also a popular destination.
For those interested in traditional culture, the Tokugawa Art Museum (Web) and its beautiful Japanese garden are highly recommended.
Nagoya is also well known for its local cuisine, including hitsumabushi (grilled eel over rice), miso katsu (pork cutlet with miso sauce), and tenmusu (rice balls with shrimp tempura).
A major recent attraction near Nagoya is Ghibli Park (Web), located in Expo 2005 Aichi Commemorative Park (Moricoro Park). Opened in 2022, the park recreates the world of Studio Ghibli's famous films, including My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away. It is a must-see for fans of Japanese animation and can be reached from Nagoya in about one hour.
If you have extra time, day trips from Nagoya are convenient. You can visit Inuyama Castle (Web), one of Japan's oldest original castles, the historic villages of Shirakawa-go (a UNESCO World Heritage site), or the traditional townscape of Takayama in the mountains. Kyoto is also accessible in about 35 minutes by Shinkansen: a symmetry of colored trees, Kiyomizu Temple, colored autumn leaves. and so on. It may be a bit far, but extending your trip to visit the beautiful Himeji Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, would be well worth it.
If you're returning to Tokyo by Shinkansen, there's one special spot along the way where you can enjoy a view of Mt. Fuji. Be sure to look out for it! When traveling from Nagoya to Tokyo, Mt. Fuji can be seen on the left-hand side of the train.
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