One of Japan’s Most Underrated Cities
When I see itineraries of trips to Japan, they rarely include Nagoya and the surrounding areas. Popular bloggers, foreigners living in Japan, and travel sites often pay little attention to the city or even highlight many “negative aspects”. In my opinion, Nagoya is one of the most underrated cities in Japan. It’s food, history, traditional experiences, and numerous other things make it a great place to add into your trip to Japan.
The biggest mistake that travelers make when coming to Nagoya is that they expect to find every detail or thing to do listed online. While strides have been made to highlight many things in English, there are still attractions and places that have received very little attention. Furthermore, like any city in Japan, there are multiple restaurants, shops, and bars hidden on side streets that have virtually no online presence. You can plan much of your trip using guidebooks and online resources but leave a little free time just to explore. Even if it’s not as publicized as other cities, Japan’s fourth largest city deserves a visit.
The food culture in Nagoya and surrounding Aichi Prefecture is a reason in and of itself to visit this area. Local foods taste more flavorful and richer than many other areas of Japan. The utilization of red miso plays a major role in this. Misokatsu, which I discuss more here, is one of the famous foods in the area. It’s a deep-fried pork cutlet served with red miso sauce. Depending on the shop, the sauce could be thin and reddish to thick and almost black.
Additionally, Hitsumabushi remains another popular dish in the area. Some people may be familiar with unagi and unadon. However, Hitsumabushi takes unagi to a different level. The eel is served on rice, similar to unadon, and is expected to be eaten in three ways—one with only rice, one with condiments (wasabi, seaweed, and green onion) added to the rice and eel, and one with a special soup added to the previous ingredients. While more expensive than unadon or unagi and rice, it’s definitely an experience that shouldn’t be missed.
Another popular food is cochin chicken. Several Nagoya cochin restaurants exist throughout the city. Some even make every dish in their course menu from some cochin chicken product. This ranges from broth soup to using the eggs in oyakodonburi (egg and chicken served over rice) and pudding desserts.
As more restaurants appear every month, there are more and more offerings that go away from traditional Japanese foods. The Italian, French, Chinese, and Vietnamese restaurants are phenomenal as well. When in Nagoya, make sure to try a variety of shops. You don’t need to venture far from the main areas of town to find delicious foods, but the suburbs and less popular neighborhoods also have great options.
In addition to foods, the history and culture of Nagoya offer travelers some unique experiences. This area played a major role in the unification of Japan under Tokugawa Ieyasu. Many of the castles and battle sites in this area have a connection to Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu. Nagoya Castle is surrounded by beautiful gardens that are alive with cherry and plum blossoms in the spring. While not original, the castle interior exists as a museum and two famous golden shachi sit on top of the castle. While many of the castles are reconstructions like Nagoya Castle, they are home to a variety of artifacts from Japan’s feudal and recent past. Additionally, there are multiple museums showcasing the history of Nagoya and feudal Japan.
An hour outside of Nagoya, you will find Inuyama Castle, one of the four original castles in Japan. Out of all the castles that I’ve visited, Inuyama is one of my favorites. The city recreated a portion of the castle town in the traditional style, and it’s filled with souvenir shops, cafes, and restaurants. The castle retains much of the original interior, so be careful going up the steep stairs inside! While not as grand or large as other castles, it still provides great insight into what the interior of castles was like.
If feudal Japanese history isn’t your thing, there are many other aspects of history that can be seen in Nagoya. Noritake Gardens has a few impressive pieces at the museum if you prefer art and pottery. There are some explanations of the creation process of bone china as well. Just south of Nagoya, you’ll find Tokoname. It is easily accessed by train or car from downtown and has one of Japan’s six original kilns and is known for the pottery footpath where you can see many historical sites but also visit many local artisans to purchase beautiful pottery. Toki in Gifu Prefecture is just outside of Nagoya as well and offers a completely different type of pottery and experience. When visiting Toki, be sure to check out some of the local shops as well as the museum.
Maybe you don’t like feudal history or pottery? That’s no problem. Aichi Prefecture is home to Toyota. In Nagakute, just outside of Nagoya, you can find the Toyota Automobile Museum. Don’t worry! Even if you aren’t a fan of Toyota, you’ll see something you love. They have two of my favorite Mercedes ever produced as well as a couple original Volkswagens. The museum also has a stunning pink Cadillac that I would love to take for a spin. The museum route starts with the invention of cars and continues through to modern cars. There is something for every car or history lover. Be sure to check out their website for special events and exhibits. My favorite was the tailfin exhibit last year because there were so many classic American cars.
While I’ve already mentioned the famous red miso, I would be remiss not to mention that two factories in Okazaki provide tours and a small history lesson about the famous red miso. The tours are quite interesting and explain both the history and the process behind the miso. At the end, you even get to sample a little of the miso. Okazaki is located just south of Nagoya city and is easily accessible by train or car. If you are a foodie or just really like the taste of red miso, this is a must-see on your trip to Nagoya.
There are several history and art museums, including the Nagoya City Museum, the Tokugawa Art Museum, and Aichi Museum of Art, throughout the city and surrounding areas. However, if those don’t interest you or you have children, be sure to check out the Nagoya City Science Museum. It is home to a large planetarium and multiple exhibit halls. There is even an arctic experience you can try. Just make sure to check that all exhibits are open before you go.
For Ghibli fans, you can check out Satsuki and Mei’s house from My Neighbor Totoro. While it’s currently closed, you can visit Aichi Koen and see the exterior from the observatory. The reopening of the house hasn’t been set yet.
If the food, history, and museums don’t draw you to Nagoya, maybe shopping will. There are three major shopping districts in Nagoya city—Osu, Sakae, and Meieki—and many malls and shopping areas outside the city center. Osu shopping streets are located around Osu Kannon, a Buddhist temple. This area remains popular with teens and young adults. It offers a variety of vintage and trendy goods, second-hand goods, and delicious food options. This is a great neighborhood for tourists to find interesting and unique souvenirs to take back. It’s also where you’ll find the main location of Komehyo, one of the major second-hand chains. The streets are also filled with trendy restaurants and cafes, many catering to the kawaii culture.
Sakae used to be the most popular shopping area in Nagoya. Mitsukoshi, Parco, Lachic, and Matsuzakaya department stores all have large shopping centers here. Outside the department stores, you can also find many standalone brand shops, like Gucci, Audemars Piguet, and Harry Winston. In 2020, renovations were completed on Hisaya-Odori park, and a new shopping center was built. You can learn more about that here. While Sakae still has many famous brands, it’s also home to many Japanese streetwear shops, including A Bathing Ape, Supreme, and Neighborhood.
In the last five years, the addition of many shops and completion of the JR Gate Tower Mall near Nagoya Station has helped to revitalize the area. There are numerous brand shops, international boutiques, select shops, and restaurants. There’s something for the whole family in this area. Whether you choose Midland Square, Takashimaya, JR Gate Tower Mall, Dainagoya Shops, or the Unimall, you are sure to find something you enjoy. The Meitetsu Department store has a great food and souvenir floor. However, I’m not a fan of the upper floors. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t explore them though! While shopping, don’t forget to see Nana-chan and check out what kind of fashion she’s wearing.
Have you decided to add Nagoya to your itinerary yet? In addition to all the reasons I’ve provided, there are also professional sports teams and sumo tournaments that are worth checking out as well. I’m sure you can tell that Nagoya and the surrounding areas have more to offer than is seen at first glance. Be sure to visit my Instagram page to see even more places in Nagoya and the rest of Japan.
