Nagoya & Environs

Although it's mainly a business city, Nagoya is also a great place for leisurely pursuits not least because it offers an insight into modern urban Japan and all its delights without being as overwhelming as, say, Tokyo or Osaka. Japan's fourth largest city has a modern international airport, efficient public transport, a lively music scene, excellent restaurants and fine art galleries. The powerful Tokugawa clan that ruled the nation for over 250 years hails from here and their history and richly cultured lifestyle can be traced in the grand Tokugawa Art Museum and attached gardens. The Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology ...

Although it's mainly a business city, Nagoya is also a great place for leisurely pursuits not least because it offers an insight into modern urban Japan and all its delights without being as overwhelming as, say, Tokyo or Osaka. Japan's fourth largest city has a modern international airport, efficient public transport, a lively music scene, excellent restaurants and fine art galleries. The powerful Tokugawa clan that ruled the nation for over 250 years hails from here and their history and richly cultured lifestyle can be traced in the grand Tokugawa Art Museum and attached gardens. The Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology is an interesting tribute to Nagoya's industrial heritage and one of Japan's most successful companies. In buzzing downtown Sakae, you'll find every shop you could want while nearby Osu offers traditional market arcades around a busy temple. An easy day trip is to the attractive castle town of Inuyama. Along the river here you can view the pageantry of ukai, the traditional skill of fishing with cormorants. Nearby, Meiji Mura is an architectural theme park containing 67 buildings from around Japan dating from the Meiji era at the end of the 19th century, including the foyer of Frank Lloyd Wright's Imperial Hotel from Tokyo.

About the Expert

Simon Richmond has written Rough Guides to Malaysia and Japan; Lonely Planet guides to India and Russia; and adventure travel guides for Frommer's on Australia, India, South America, and Southeast Asia.