Things to Do in Nagoya-shi

Built in 1612 by Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu as the stronghold of the Owari branch of the Tokugawa Dynasty, this was one of the largest castles in the country. The castle's prestige was such that the town around it eventually became Japan's 4th largest city. Unfortunately, the original castle did not survive Allied bombing in WWII. The 48 metre building you see today was reconstructed from ancient plans of the castle. Indeed, the reconstruction, which started in 2009, is still going on, and will only be complete by 2018. This provides an excellent and unusual tourist and academic opportunity to see 17th century construction methods live. Inside, you can now find a museum on the castle's history and significance.

Three of the original corner turrets survived the bombing and are thus significant. Also important to check out are Kinshachi, or the golden dolphins, the original of which used to rise above the main ridge of the castle roof.

Moats surround the castle grounds, which is a park. There is a tradition in Japan called the Hanami, or cherry blossom viewing. The castle's park is one of the more popular blossom hotspots in late March or early April.

The Nagoya Castle Summer Festival is held in August - period firearms, beautiful lanterns, beer and a night market.

Spiritually, this is one of Shinto religion's most important shrines. As such, this is one the most important attractions of Nagoya, and is visited by almost 9 million people annually. It's the Shrine of the Atsua-no-Okami. It's thought to be almost 2000 years old, built during the time of the Emperor Keiko (71-130) AD. Furthermore, the shrine is also the host of the one the three Sacred Treasures of Japan - the ancient sword Kusanagi no Tsurugi. The sword's divine identity has represented the authority of Japanese emperors for millennia. At the shrine's treasure hall today, you'll find a collection of over 4000 relics, artifacts and national treasures - these include swords, garments, furniture and mirrors.

On the shrine grounds you'll find a restaurant selling excellent bows of kishimen noodles. You'll also find a 1300 year old camphor tree. The grounds are quite large and shady with trees, with small running streams, making it a pleasant place to stroll.

But one of the best ways to visit the shrine is during one of the 70 annual festivals celebrated there. For details, check out the attraction website.

Toyota is Japan's largest car manufacturer. This is not the automobile museum. For the company, it's actually a history museum. Housed in the original brick building of the former Toyoda textile factory and research center, the museum explores the company's origins from a textile concern to a automobile concern. The complex has two main buildings: one dedicated to textiles and the other to automobiles, and both are equally fascinating. Dynamic exhibitions demonstrate how industrial looms work, and also provide insight into early spinning techniques. You will also find a metalwork exhibit; the Tecnoland area is an interactive exhibit that allows you to play with the tools of production of Textiles and Automobiles; and a 1989 steam engine exhibit in recognition of the Industrial Revolution.

Built in 1992, this public aquarium is one of Japan's better ones. It has two major exhibits. The north building is dedicated to cetaceans - killer and Beluga whales, dolphins, porpoises and such. It has one of the largest outdoor tanks in the world, where audiences are treated to fantastic dolphin shows. You can also see how these dolphins are fed and trained. The second exhibit in the south building is more unusual: It documents and narrates the journeys of the Antarctic research and icebreaker ship Fuji, which was active for 18 years from 1965. The ship itself is on exhibit here, and has been converted into a museum for the Antarctic world. It's utterly fascinating.

Religion, entertainment, commerce and culture are all colorfully expressed in this sprawling and thriving shopping district. Founded 400 years ago, the nine streets of 1200 shops are close to the revered Osu Kannon Temple. The goods sold here have evolved over the years but their price has not. Everything is unbelievably cheap - appliances, cosplay outfits, otaku outlets, musical instruments, electronics, second hand clothes, furniture - you name it, they have it. A particularly popular stop is 'M's Melody' where customers are greeted by hostesses in maid outfits with the words 'Welcome home, Master.' Naturally, it's almost always thick with locals and tourists alike; the atmosphere is bustling, almost festive. Indeed, events and festivals happen all around the year, for example, the the Osu Summer Festival (August) and the Osu Daido-chonin Festival (October).

Do visit the temple though.

If you are train geek, this could easily be your favorite museum ever. Where to start? First, there are the 39 retired train carriages that you can climb into and underneath. These range from ancient steam engines to the latest maglev models. Exhibits inside and around the trains explain all you need to know about them - operation, construction and maintenance. The second floor of the museum is more kid oriented, including train simulators. And if you have a thing for miniature trains, check out the incredibly detailed dioramas with miniaturized recreations of Osaka, Nagoya and Tokyo. There's also a historical collection of train artifacts.

It's hard to miss the museum - the giant silver globe that houses the world's largest planetarium is rather prominent. The planetarium shows, which happen six times a day, are the main attraction of the museum. Most of the Museum's other attractions were renovated in 2011 and 2012 to coincide with the opening of the planetarium. The museum has seven floors of exhibits which are mostly interactive, and stimulate various scientific and natural phenomena - the water cycle, tornadoes, electricity, and deep freezing, to name a few. Temporary exhibitions are held in the basement. Check the schedules for these exhibits on the attraction website. Also of interest are the buildings own photovoltaic power generators, the exterior green wall, and the earthquake resistant construction.

They managed to pack a lot of highlights into what is now one of Asia's largest attractions at 60 hectares.

First there is a zoo which has a hundred and twenty-five species of animals. In addition to the more generally popular animals, resume to breed the rare Persian leopard and the Mackenzie Valley wolf. The Worldwide Medaka Hall houses hundres of medaka (Japanese killifish).

Then there's the Botanical Garden. this contains western-style greenhouses, a Japanese garden, a Rose Garden, a Gassho-style house, a playground, a Tokai Model Forest and a Tokai Flora Preservation Garden. There's also a corridor of Chinese cherry trees.

At the top of the Higashiyama Sky Tower, there's a sky restaurant. And all of these delights are rounded off by a small amusement park.

The Tokugawa Dynasty, descended from the first Shogun Tokugawa, is one of Japan's most historically influential families. It also used to be one of the wealthiest. This Museum and garden was commissioned in 1935 at the site of the Owari's former feudal residence as a place to exhibit and preserve the legacy of the family - Arms and Armory, artwork, Furniture, clothing, Costumes, the Tale of Genji picture scrolls, the the hina dolls and Doll Festival furnishings, and maps. In the library, there are over one hundred thousand of classic Japanese and Chinese masterworks.

And outside of this immense historical legacy, is an exquisite Japanese garden. Exit delightful place for a stroll all around the year, as different flowers bloom in different seasons. There is a large pond in the center of the garden that is supposed to represent the ocean.

They call this striking-looking building a modern facility, but at its heart it is just a mall. The most famous feature is the roof - a large oval structure made of glass and filled with water with the dual purpose of keeping the mall cool and creating interesting optical phenomena. This has led to the public event and exhibition area directly underneath the roof being called the Milky Way Square and the roof itself is called the Spaceship Aqua. There are a bunch of shops and restaurants at the complex. Nearby is a green lawn and flower garden where you can open find people lounging. There is a bus terminal on the basement floor. Every Saturday morning there is a farmers market. 

The temple worships the Goddess of Mercy. Completed in the 14th century, it was moved to its current location in the 17th, by the Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. The Shinpukuji Library below the temple contains around 15,000 antique Japanese and Chinese texts. The wooden statue of the goddess was carved by the influential Buddhist Kobo Daishi. Another of the temples precious treasures is the oldest hand-written copy of the Kojiki - a Chronicle of early Japanese history. On the 18th and 28th of every month there is a flea market of about 60 stalls on temple grounds. It is a common custom of the visitors to the temple to attach a written wish to the giant red lantern on the temple front. You can also feed the massive flock of pigeons around the temple grounds.

Though simply ornamented, this park manages to be beautiful. For one, the name itself is quite pleasant - it means 'the place where water runs.' It has an Eastern side and western side. The western side has a fountain, a rose garden, and a flower park. In the center of the park, there is a music gazebo built in European style. On the Eastern side Is a beautiful Japanese garden, which is a popular spot for locals together during Hanami, or cherry blossoms blooming season. You can get a full calendar of of which flowers bloom during which months on the Park's website. The park is also occasionally used for events and festivals. There is also a library and a playground.

Rather than one park, this is a series of little parks that run down a boulevard, that together act as a Central Park for the downtown area. The parks run from north to south for about two kilometers. Decorated with elegant trees, water fountains, sculptures and other types of public art and installations, the area is quite popular with the locals. It gets very crowded during the Nagoya Festival.

Highlights to watch out for include:

• Replica of the anchor of H.M.S.SIRIUS at Sydney Plaza
• Nanjing monuments at Nanjing plaza
• The plaza of Relaxation with Mexican sculptures
• The streams, fountains, eagle sculpture at the Los Angeles Plaza (LA is a sister city)
• The Central Bridge
• The Garden of Sculpture
• The TV tower
• Japanese style Tower Plaza
• The Plaza of Hope
• The sculptures at Angel Park and the Angel Bridge
• The Plaza of light
• Nagoya Orchid Gardens at the southern end.

Also check out the Crystal Hiroba at the center of Sakae Chika (Sakae Underground Shopping Mall).

Nagoya's tallest building (at 247 meters) multitasks well - shopping complex of about 60 brand stores, a cinema, a couple of car showrooms, and the country's highest open air observation deck (the Sky Promenade). The deck is on the top three floors of the 46 story high building, and had terrific views of the city. Naturally, it's a selfie hotspot. Up there, you'll also find some terrific restaurants. The only unusual thing inside are the double-floor high speed elevators, which will take you from the bottom to the top in about 40 seconds.

There are other, more popular parks in the city, but for those who love Nagoya, nothing beats this park. Created in 1931, this serene public space is easily the most charming place in the city. The Nagoya Castle towers over it; indeed, the park was once part of the castle's extended grounds, and served as its pleasure garden. Famous for the many flowers cultivated in it, the park is a popular flower show ground. It's famous for the annual spring wisteria and cherry blossom blooms (hanami). There is a wide lawn with a stream running through it. There is a central pond in which ducks and swans swim. For some reason, there's a windmill too. You can picnic on the grounds. And though there are always people there, you can usually carve your own serene pocket of space in it.

The park grounds contain the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium and Nagoya City Archives.