Top Things to See
 Nagoya provides a wide range of sightseeing options, from tall, glitzy towers to ancient, sacred shrines. Kick off your tour with a great overview from the TV Tower and then get a different perspective from Nagoya Castle. This being Japan, there are several traditional shrines but also a Catholic Cathedral. If you need a rest from your excursions, relax in the Orchid Gardens or enjoy the view from the Garden Pier.
 Atsuta Jingu Shrine
Housing one of the emperor’s Three Sacred Treasures, this shrine is revered as one of Japan’s three most important places of worship. Established in the second century and most recently rebuilt in 1935, it contains the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi (Grass-Mowing Sword), one of the Three Regalia of the Emperor. Surrounded by grand, ancient cypress trees, the shrine offers a pleasant respite from city life. Phone: +81 52 671 4151
 Nagoya Castle
The real symbol of Nagoya, the castle, boasts golden shachi dolphin roof decorations. It houses a modern museum with a major archive of surviving artefacts of an era gone by. The surrounding gardens are decorated with flowering trees, a dry inner moat housing deer and a water-filled outer moat, a haven for a multitude of waterfowl. Phone: +81 52 231 1700; website: www.museum.or.jp/nagoyajo
 Noritake Garden
For centuries, Nagoya has been a production centre for pottery and porcelain and 90 per cent of Japan’s export chinaware is produced around here. Nearly all of the work is still done by hand, and visitors can see exhibits explaining the manufacturing and decorating processes as well as witnessing craftsmen at work. There is also a museum and a gift shop. Phone: +81 52 561 7114; website: www.noritake.co.jp
Nunoike Cathedral
This is Nagoya’s Catholic Cathedral and the huge Gothic-style building with two remarkable spires was completed in 1962. There are masses held every day with several services on Sundays. Monthly masses are celebrated in both English and Tagalog. Phone: +81 52 935 6305
 Orchid Gardens
This park specialises in orchids and other blossoming plants and is situated downtown in a major shopping district. There is a large greenhouse and several exhibit rooms encircling a walled-in garden with pathways that lead you around a little pond and assorted flowerbeds. A number of small climate-controlled sheds have been set up inside the garden to cultivate rare orchids from various tropical regions of the world. Phone: +81 52 243 0511
 Port of Nagoya Garden Pier
This uniquely designed port building boasts a 57-metre-tall observatory and museum, while visitors can go on cruises to view firsthand the harbour that handles the largest amount of international cargo of any of Japan’s ports. Nearby are a modern aquarium, an Antarctic exploration ship doubling as a museum, and an amusement park. There are also several shopping and dining facilities. A range of events, including semi-annual fireworks shows, are also held here. Phone: +81 52 652 1111
 TV Tower
Smack in the city centre, this tower stands 180 meters tall and features observation decks that offer spectacular views of central Japan. It was built in 1954 and was Japan’s first multipurpose television transmission, still continuing to transmit TV programmes for several different broadcasting companies. There are also some coffee and souvenir shops. Phone: +81 52 971 8546
Top Things to Do
 Noodle slurping: Kishmen are flat noodles and a specialty of Nagoya and are available in any noodle restaurant.
 Party all night at Nagoya’s hotspots. Sakae is the city’s nightlife hub, where you can mix with the locals all through the night. There are heaps of bars and restaurants where you can sit around and drink and eat, so just pick one with an ambience that suits your mood.
 Play Pachinko, the Japanese gambling game, which has its roots here in Nagoya. The game is similar to pinball although it is played vertically instead of horizontally. It is thought to have been invented in the years following WWII.
 Scratch your shopping itch at Osu Flea Market, a complete jumble of authentic antiques and absolute junk, fine art and kitsch, the truly useful and the completely frivolous.
Soak with the locals in a traditional public Japanese spa. The attractive interior of Ueda Toron Onsen still has lustre evocative of newness.
 Sumo Wrestling can be seen during the Nagoya Basho Sumo tournament, taking place at the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium from the first to the third Sunday of July. Tickets are available at the box office on the day of the bout from 08:30.
If you arrive early in the afternoon, you can walk openly to the very front of the ring to get a close-up look at the lower-ranked wrestlers. This makes for a great photo opportunity.
 Watch traditional Japanese drama at the enormous Misonoza theatre, which seats an audience of 1,659 spectators. Performances include kabuki, noh and bunraku (puppet theatre), with kabuki being possibly the most played. There is some kind of performance every month, but kabuki generally runs through the spring and autumn seasons.
| 
