Nagoya Information
Nagoya is the principal
city of the Tokai area. A first time visitor to Nagoya
may be appalled by the number of skyscrapers, the
traffic congestion, and the number of people walking
on the street. He or she will also be amazed at the
vastness of the underground shopping centers around
Nagoya Station--including Unimall, Terumina, Meichika,
and Sun Road. The size of this underground complex
with its restaurants, boutiques, and gift shops, ranks
as the biggest in Japan. Another pride of the Nagoyaites
is the broad streets. The 100-meter wide Hisaya and
the Wakamiya Boulevards intersecting at city center,
offers some relief of sunshine and green from the
looming skyscrapers and also a relief of trees, benches,
fountains, and sculptures. This is one manifestation
of the city's self determined policy to become known
as the "City of Design." This policy has made Nagoya
into one of the most beautiful cities in Japan.
Nagoya Attractions:
What to See?
Nagoya Castle
Nagoya's symbol is
the "Golden Grampus" and grampuses adorn the two rooftop
corners of Nagoya Castle. They were destroyed along
with the castle tower during World War II, but the
tower was reconstructed in 1959. Now it is used as
a museum. Valuable paintings and artifacts include
the drawing on the sliding doors. The three donjons,
gate, stone fortress, tea house, and the garden were
not destroyed by bombs during the war and you can
see these artifacts.
Tokugawa
Art Museum (Artifacts Sanctuary)
In this museum you
can see valuable items that Tokugawa Ieyasu used,
such as the world-famous "Picture Scroll of the Tales
of Genji," the royal treasures of the Tokugawa family,
the armors of the Owari clan, paintings, tea ceremony
items, old books, and crafts--over 11,000 items. This
museum has the largest sword collection in Japan.
Atsuta Jingu, ("Atsuta-san")
It is said that the
sacred sword, one of the three divine symbols of the
imperial throne, is offered in this shrine. There
are 28 shrines within the compounds and a stone wall
and a 7.4-meter stone lantern donated by Oda Nobunaga
is in this shrine. The Treasure Museum contains over
4000 historic items.
Ohsu Kannon
Officially it is
called the Kitanosan Shinpuku-ji Houshou-in Temple.
Within the compounds is a main temple painted in beautiful
red, a copy of the Kojiki (Records of Ancient Times)
considered a national treasure, and an archive of
more than 10,000 historical documents called the Ohsu
Library. An antique market is held every month on
the 18th and 28th. This market is always crowded.
There are various shops in front of the temple. This
area has a downtown atmosphere.
