Nagoya

INTRO
Simply Japanese - that is how Nagoya can be described in two words. Being the fourth largest city in Japan, and a major Pacific port, it is bustling and busy and easily can leave its visitors out of breath. Nagoya has it all - even though it is not a major tourist destination, Nagoyans have succeeded in creating a harmonious environment of technology, lifestyle and culture work in their city.

City Profile
City: Nagoya
Country: Japan
Area: 326,45 km2
Population: 2 225 866
Districts: 10
Governor: Masaaki Kanda
Language: Japanese

LOCATION
Nagoya is located in central Japan, on the Pacific coast in the Chubu region on central Honshu. It is one of Japan's major ports and the capital of Aichi Prefecture. Nagoya is also the centre of Chukyo Metropolitan area, which is Japan's third largest metropolitan region.

TIME TO VISIT
Probably the best time to visit Nagoya is in the autumn - from late September to November. Summers in Nagoya are usually sunny and hot. Weather from June to August is often very humid - as that is the rainy season. If you decide to visit Nagoya in the spring - from March till May, you will enjoy mild temperatures and the cherry blossom period. Winter is relatively hot and dry - temperatures are usually around zero degrees Celsius. Nagoya is not the most popular travel destination, so it is "safe" to visit it all year round without need to worry about crowds of tourists and overbooked hotels.

POPULATION
The inhabitants of the city of Nagoya are 2,17 million, and the whole population of Chukyo Metropolitan Area is 8,74 million. Back in 1889, one of the earliest censures ever carried out in Japan gave Nagoya's population as 157 496, and the 1 million mark was reached in 1934. Even though it can be called a metropolitan city, Nagoya is mostly inhabited by Japanese - there are very few immigrants.

DISTRICTS
The area of Nagoya city is 326,45 km2, and with population of 2,17 million people, the density is more than 6800 people per km2. Apart from being a major urban centre and the capital of Aichi Prefecture, Nagoya is also important centre of Japan's manufacturing industry. The country's image of world leader in manufacturing in large part is due to the industries based in Nagoya and its surrounding area.

Toyota City, the location of the headquarters of Toyota Motor Corporation is. Nagoya area as a whole is studded with large number of all other manufacturing businesses.
Shikemichi quarter has a lot of old warehouses, private homes, temples and shrines. Its history dates back from the 18th century - the days of commodities merchants, and the quarter is well worth a visit.
Downtown Nagoya is bustling and busy, and it is a shopping paradise. It is the heart of the city, and there you can feel the pulse of the 4-th largest city in Japan. Along with hundreds of shops, there are plenty of places to eat, drink or have a chat.

SIGHTS & ATTRACTIONS
Although being far from a major tourist destination, Nagoya has a number of worthwhile sights and landmarks. This major industrial centre has rich history and can offer a lot to the people that are interested in learning more about Japan's past, culture and lifestyle.

Nagoya Castle is undoubtedly the main landmark in town. Built in 1612, during the Edo period, it made Nagoya one of the most important castle towns in Japan, and also one of the main stops along the Tokaido road which linked Kyoto and Edo - the two capitals of the country then. On top of the castle are two golden tiger-headed fishes - used as a talisman for fire prevention. They were the symbol of the feudal lord's power and authority. In 1945, during World War 2, the castle was burnt down after an American air raid. Many of the paintings inside, however, survived and are perfectly preserved to this day. More info - http://www.seekjapan.jp/resources-article/353/Nagoya+Castle.
Atsuta Shrine is another site that needs to be visited while in Nagoya. It is famous for being the second most admirable shrine in Japan. It enshrines Kusanagi no mitsuguri (the Kunsagi sacred sword), one of the three imperial regalia of Japan. The shrine is visited by many people - locals and tourists, all year round, and it holds more than 70 festivals every year. The shrine has over 4000 national treasures which represent its 2000 years of history. More info - http://www.atsutajingu.or.jp/eng/index.htm.
Nagoya TV tower - it is the oldest TV tower in the Country of the rising sun - completed in 1954. It is 180 meters high, and has 2 observation decks. It closely resembles the Eiffel tower. More info - at http://www.nagoya-tv-tower.co.jp/english/english.html
Nagoya Station is the world's largest train station by floor area - 410,000 sq m. It houses the headquarters of Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central). On top of the station are the JR Central Towers. The station complex as it is now was fully completed in 1999. With ridership of 1,120,000 per day, Nagoya Station is the 6th busiest station in Japan. More info - http://www.seekjapan.jp/resources-article/350/Nagoya+Station.
Midland Square, or as it is officially called Toyota Mainichi Building is a skyscraper situated in the Meieki district. Being open since the beginning of 2007, it is the 5th tallest building in Japan. The building houses a lot of companies, including Toyota Motor Corporation. With its 247 meters it is slightly taller than JR Central Towers. The skyscraper features also a huge shopping centre, as well as a cinema and 2 car showrooms. The elevators in Midland Square are double-floored, and take only 40 seconds to rise from the ground floor to the top..

AIRPORT
Nagoya is served by 2 major international airports that are easily reachable from any city in the world.

Chubu Centrair International Airport is located south of Nagoya city on an artificial island in Ise Bay. It is certified as a first class airport. Centrair is an abbreviation of Central Japan International Airport. It is Japan's third largest off-shore airport - after Nagasaki Airport and Kansai International Airport. Construction started in 2000, and the facility was open on the 17th of February 2005. The main terminal of Chubu Centrair International Airport is shaped like a "T", and has 3 piers, radiating from a central ticketing area. The airport is easily accessible by bus, train and ferry. A bus ticket to Central Nagoya costs Y1,000, and takes 60 minutes. Taxi fare to Central Nagoya is approximately Y12,000. More info - http://www.centrair.jp/en/index.html.
Nagoya Airfield is a secondary domestic airport serving Nagoya. It is an airbase and is used for general aviation. J-Air is the only airline that offers scheduled transport service from the airfield. The airfield was named Nagoya Airport and served as main airport for the city until the opening of Centrair in 2005. Aichi Prefectural Government is the current owner of the airport. More info - http://www.nagoya-airport-bldg.co.jp/.

LOCAL TRANSPORTATION

The Metro network is well developed and like other big Japanese cities, Greater Nagoya's subways are complimented by suburban rail, forming a network of 37 lines. The Nagoya Subway has 6 lines, and fares range between 200 - 320 yen. A little more than 90? of the total track length is underground. If you do not know much Japanese - subway is the most convenient public transportation to use.
Public buses - one of the cheapest ways of getting around Nagoya. Fares - between 200 - 400 yen. If you plan to do a lot of traveling by subway and bus, you can get a convenient and money-saving one-day pass - available at subway stations.
Taxi - to get a Taxi you can go to a taxi stand, call a taxi company directly or just flag down any cab displaying a "vacant" sign on the right side of the windshield. Door is controlled by the driver automatically, so you do not need to open or close it. Taxi fare is a combination of the basic flat rate (around 610 yen per 1.8 km) and the time and distance. Fares increase by 20% between 23.00 and 05.00.

HISTORY
In 1610, Tokugawa leyasu moved the capital of Owari province from Kiyosu to present-day Nagoya - because of its more strategic location. Nagoya Castle was constructed partly with materials from Kiyosu castle. Along with the construction of the new castle, all 60,000 people from Kiyosu moved to the new planned town around Nagoya Castle. In the following years Nagoya became an industrial centre of the surrounding region. Part of the effort for modernization of the Meiji Restoration was restructuring of Japan's provinces into prefectures, and the government introduced official rule instead of earlier family rule. On the 1st of October 1889 Nagoya was proclaimed a city, and on the 1st of September 1956 it was designated a city by government ordinance.

CITY LINKS

Nagoya International Centre - http://www.nic-nagoya.or.jp/
Official web site - http://www.city.nagoya.jp/global/en/
Nagoya convention and Visitors bureau - http://www.ncvb.or.jp/
Nagoya Subway - http://www.urbanrail.net/as/nago/nagoya.htm
Japan Airlines - http://www.jal.com/en/

UNIVERSITY LINKS

Nagoya University - http://www.nagoya-u.ac.jp/en/
Nanzan University - http://www.nanzan-u.ac.jp/