Nagoya, one of the most famous cities in Japan, is a popular tourist destination thanks to its attractions like iconic castles and ancient shrines, as well as a wide selection of unique local dishes. This article will offer recommendations for sightseeing spots, specialty foods, and restaurants where you can enjoy the local cuisine!
What Is Nagoya Like?
Historically, many military commanders sought to unify the country by using Nagoya as a foothold. This has led to the city being home to numerous tourist spots, including historical heritage sites. Nagoya, which is located between Tokyo in eastern Japan and Osaka in western Japan, is also famous for its specialty dishes, which make up a unique food scene that developed by incorporating cultures from both the east and west.
How to Get to Nagoya
There are also numerous domestic and international flights to and from Chubu Centrair International Airport in Tokonami City, Aichi Prefecture. As of November 1, 2023, the airport served routes to 17 overseas destination cities, including Beijing, Taipei, Seoul, Hanoi, and Bangkok. The Nagoya Railroad μSKY Limited Express will get you to Nagoya Station from the airport in 28 minutes at the quickest.
Must-See Tourist Spots in Nagoya
・Nagoya Castle
Nagoya Castle is distinguished by the iconic golden shachihoko (tigerfish) on the tower keep. The castle was built in 1617, but the five-story main tower keep and the small tower keep you see today were restored in 1959 after they were destroyed by fire during World War II.
The castle is famous for its cherry blossoms, with the grounds boasting approximately 1,000 cherry trees of about ten varieties that attract numerous visitors during the cherry blossom season between late March and early April, when the Nagoya Castle Spring Festival is held.
This is a major commercial development right in front of Nagoya Castle that is packed with approximately 20 well-established as well as up-and-coming restaurants offering outstanding culinary experiences centered around Nagoya specialty foods. Restaurants in the East Gate area are open until 10:30 pm, perfect for late-night dining.
An ancient Shinto shrine that was established in 113 and still attracts nearly 7 million worshippers every year. The vast shrine grounds that cover approximately 190,000 square meters are full of trees, including a camphor tree that is more than 1,000 years old, creating a sacred atmosphere that feels as though your body is being purified.
A comprehensive science museum boasts one of the world's largest planetarium domes, which measures 35 meters in diameter. It's full of areas and exhibits to experience the wonders of science, including a -30ºC room with images of the aurora, as well as equipment that lets you experience an artificial 9-meter-tall tornado. At this museum, both adults and children can have a full day of fun.
To celebrate its 100th anniversary, the Western-style tableware manufacturer Noritake, which was established in 1904, built this multipurpose complex on the site of an old factory next to its headquarters. The complex is full of greenery and includes a center introducing Noritake's history and techniques, a restaurant and cafe serving creative French cuisine on Noritake tableware, and a shop.
What to Eat in Nagoya - A Treasure Trove of Local Specialties
Hitsumabushi is a dish where eel is grilled without steaming it first, then chopped into small pieces and served on top of rice. The eel is seasoned with a sweet and salty soy sauce-based sauce. Hitsumabushi can be enjoyed three ways: as-is, with condiments such as spring onions, seaweed, or wasabi, or as ochazuke (rice with tea or dashi poured over it).
・Miso Katsu
Miso katsu is a pork cutlet with a sauce made of soybean miso, like hatcho miso, dashi stock, and sugar. Hatcho miso, which is originally from Okazaki City in Aichi Prefecture, is characterized by a deeper, richer flavor than standard miso due to its long fermentation period. Miso katsu is a mouthwatering dish with a delicious combination of pork umami and sweet and savory sauce.
Miso oden is a dish made with soybean miso, like hatcho miso. Oden is typically simmered in dashi (broth) made from bonito or kombu (kelp) and flavored with condiments such as soy sauce, but miso oden is cooked in a large pot with a jar of miso in the middle, so the ingredients can be dipped in the sauce before eating. The miso sauce is commonly made with soybean miso, sugar, mirin (cooking wine), and sesame seeds, but recently it has become popular to cook the ingredients in dashi flavored with soybean miso.
・Kishimen
Kishimen is a type of flat udon noodle, generally about 1 millimeter thick and 7-8 millimeters wide. Because of the flat surface, it readily soaks up the flavors of the soup and is traditionally served with a dipping sauce seasoned with mackerel scad and tamari soy sauce. The dish is generally topped with kamaboko (fish cake), leafy green vegetables such as spinach or Japanese mustard spinach, spring onions, aburaage (deep-fried tofu), and bonito flakes.
・Tenmusu
Tenmusu are bite-size onigiri wrapped around tiny shrimp tempura. The tempura batter is flavored with sauce, and the rice has no salt in it so that the flavors of the seasoned shrimp come through. The plump shrimp and fluffy tempura batter go perfectly with rice.
Recommended Restaurants for Nagoya Specialty Dishes
Hitsumabushi Nagoya Bincho Lachic Location (Sakae / Japanese)
1-minute walk from Sakae Station, which is 6 minutes by train from Nagoya Station. The signature [Hitsumabushi] (3,850 JPY) is slowly grilled at some distance from the charcoal fire to achieve harmony between the crisp eel skin and fluffy meat. The eel, which is cooked in a special sauce made with tamari soy sauce from Aichi Prefecture and mirin, has a rich yet refined flavor.
Hitsumabushi Nagoya Bincho Lachic Location
Closed: Irregular
Average price: [Dinner] 5,000 JPY / [Lunch] 3,000 JPY
Access: 1-minute walk from Exit No.16 of Sakae Station / On the 7th floor of LACHIC
Address: 702, LACHIC, 3-6-1, Sakae, Naka-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi Map
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Yamatora (Nagoya / Japanese)
Yamatora
Closed: None
Average price: [Dinner] 3,000 JPY / [Lunch] 1,000 JPY
Access: 1- 5 minutes walk from Nagoya Station on any line
Address: 3F, 3-28-12 Meieki, Nakamura-ku, Nagoya, Aichi Map
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