Name: Nagoya's Highlights | Overnight Trip Itinerary | japan-guide.com
Uploaded: 2025-02-03T13:37:19.000Z
Duration: 8 min 45 s
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This is Nagoya, Japan's third largest metropolitan area.

Once a cultural and political powerhouse, today best known as a major manufacturing hub and the centre of the global Toyota empire.

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Whether it's due to a lack of information or the sense that it's a city for business rather than pleasure, Nagoya has been overlooked for far too long in favour of other destinations.

In this video, we want to highlight what visitors have been missing out on and show why Nagoya deserves your time.

Located on the Tokaido Shinkansen, Nagoya is easily accessible by train and ideally suited to a golden route style itinerary alongside Tokyo, Mount Fuji, Kyoto and Osaka.

Furthermore, it's an ideal base to set out and explore other travel highlights in the region.

Join me on an overnight trip exploring Nagoya's highlights.

After arriving at Nagoya Station, I'll jump on a tourist loop bus to our first stop at Nagoya Castle.

Then continue to the Tokugawa Art Museum before checking into our accommodation for the night in the downtown Sakai district and round off our day with a taste of Nagoya cuisine and an evening stroll.

On day two, we'll take the tourist loop bus to the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology before retracing our steps to Nagoya Station and continue on towards Kyoto and Osaka.

For a smoother booking process and to save time at the station, I booked my ticket and seat reservation using the Tokaido Sanyo Kyushu Shinkansen online reservation service.

After making my booking, I got my ticket in the form of a QR code which I then scanned to pass through the ticket gate.

Nagoya is easy to get around thanks to the Meguru bus, a sightseeing loop bus connecting all of its major spots.

The most iconic site in Nagoya City, Nagoya Castle dates back over 400 years to when Japan was ruled by the Tokugawa Shogun.

Belonging to one of the three main branches of the ruling Tokugawa clan, it was one of the most formidable and visually spectacular castles in all the land.

Although the main keep is a modern reconstruction, it's still a hugely impressive site, a sign of just how important Nagoya was.

One of the castle's most iconic features is the pair of golden, fish-like creatures you can see at the top of the main keep.

Although some like to say they look a bit like killer whales, in fact, these are called shachihoko, a mythical beast with the body of a fish and the head of a tiger, said to guard against fire.

Another highlight within the castle grounds is the reconstructed Homaru Palace, a grand structure that once served both as the lord's residence and a command centre for the entire domain.

Leaving the castle behind, I jump back on the loot bus for the next stop on today's itinerary, the Tokugawa Art Museum.

Built on the site of the Tokugawa clan's family retreat, the museum houses a collection of over 10,000 items, from samurai weapons and armour to cultural artefacts like painted scrolls, tea ceremony utensils and traditional clothing.

One of the museum's unique features is this gallery space, which reconstructs some of the personal quarters within the Homaru Goten Palace, allowing some of the most treasured items to be displayed in something like their original context.

Another highlight just a few steps from the museum is Tokugawa-en, a beautiful landscape garden that was a feature of the original retreat, with winding paths, flowing water and a large central pond representing the ocean.

Visitors to the garden can also enjoy a peaceful moment with tea and a traditional sweet at Sozanso, a lovely traditional-style building, now a cafe with views onto a little garden.

Leaving the art museum behind, I hop back on the loot bus for the busy entertainment district of Sakai.

Our accommodation for the night is the Royal Park Iconic Nagoya, a luxury hotel that opened in 2024.

Inside, the hotel has a sleek, contemporary look, with references to traditional culture, including the many ceramics on display and this gorgeous modern tea room.

Perhaps best of all, however, are the spectacular views across the city.

After checking in at the hotel, I make my way through the bustling Sakai district for a special dinner packed with local favourites at Yamachan's Kusumi Branch, a one-of-a-kind, higher-end version of a popular restaurant chain with origins in Nagoya, but also found in a few other cities across Japan.

For locals, Yamachan is the face of one of Nagoya's most recognisable dishes, which is these chicken wings called tebasaki.

They're deep-fried without batter and seasoned with a mix of herbs, spices and lots of pepper.

This was going to be the part where I showed you how to eat tebasaki correctly, but I can't do it.

How do you get the bit of chicken in the middle?

So, here is our cameraman Charlie showing the correct way to eat tebasaki.

Break off the wing tip, put the whole thing in your mouth and pull the bone out in one piece.

After a gorgeous meal, I take a stroll back to my accommodation through Sakai, a vibrant commercial and entertainment hub known for some iconic buildings.

The next morning, I set off via the Meguru route bus to the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology.

Japan is known and celebrated around the world for its manufacturing expertise.

The cornerstone of that reputation has to be the success story of Toyota, a company that began in 1926 as a maker of textile looms, only to grow into the world-spanning automobile giant we know today, based in the city of Toyota, just outside Nagoya.

Set in an interesting red brick building that was once the company's main plant, the Toyota Commemorative Museum tells that story through a well-presented and wide-ranging collection.

For car lovers, the highlight of the museum has to be the Automobile Pavilion, which charts the history of the company through some of its most iconic cars and the technology behind them.

With my time in Nagoya coming to an end, I retraced my steps to Nagoya Station, from where I continue my journey westward towards Kyoto and Osaka.

And that was our overnight trip to Nagoya.

I hope you enjoyed this video and perhaps even have some new ideas for your trip to Japan.

For more information about this trip or to watch another video, click the links on the screen now or head over to japan-guide.com your comprehensive, up-to-date travel guide first-hand from Japan.

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