Nagoya
・The world’s largest planetarium
・Atsuta Shrine, where one of the Three Sacred Treasures is enshrined
【City description】
Nagoya City, the prefectural capital of Aichi Prefecture, is a city with ties to famous Sengoku warlords such as Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu. The Kusanagi sword, one of the three sacred treasures, is enshrined at Atsuta Shrine, and Aichi Prefecture actually has more temples than Kyoto Prefecture. Here we will introduce a model itinerary that includes historically famous tourist spots and the highlights of the entertainment districts of Sakae and Osu.
【Overall rating】
★★★★★
【Time required】
7 h 30
【Budget】
3750 yen
【Fatigue】
★★★★☆
Itinerary Map
Navigation
【Start】①Nagoya Station
★Route time required：30 min
Take the Higashiyama Line bound for Fujigaoka and change to the Meijo Line clockwise at Sakae Station (fare 240 yen). Get off at Nagoyajo-mae Station and go out from Exit 7 to the ground level, where you will come to an area lined with shops. Just follow the road and you will arrive at the castle.
★Route time required：5 min
Return to the subway and take the Meijo Line (counterclockwise) and get off at Hisaya-odori Station (fare: 210 yen). Once above ground, you will see the TV tower, so continue straight.
★Route time required：10 min
After leaving the TV tower, go left and cross the crosswalk. You will see a large glass roof on your right, so continue straight.
★Route time required：20 min
Follow the map from the basement of Oasis 21 to the subway, take the Higashiyama Line towards Nagoya and get off at Fushimi Station, one stop away (fare 210 yen). Once you come out onto the ground from Exit 5, just keep going straight until you see a park on your left. If you go left without entering the park, you will arrive at a building with a giant sphere on your right.
★Route time required：15 min
After leaving the Science Museum, go through Shirakawa Park, which has a large grounds, and when you reach the main road, turn right, cross the pedestrian crossing at the intersection, and go straight. After going straight for a while, you will see a temple on your left, so go inside.
★Route time required：a few minutes
After passing through the temple grounds, you will enter the shopping district.
★Route time required：a few minutes
Turn left at the intersection with ABC Mart ahead on the left and you will see the temple on your left.
★Route time required：30 min
Return to the original road, go through the shopping district and come out onto the main street, then head towards Kamimaezu Station on your right. Take the Meijo Line (left-hand direction) and get off at Atsuta-Jingu-Nishi Station (fare: 240 yen). Go out from Exit 2 and continue straight for a while. After passing the footbridge, you will see a torii gate on your left. Continue past that.
★Route time required：20 min
Once you exit the East Gate, go left, cross the footbridge and then go left again to reach Meitetsu Jingumae Station. From here, take the train bound for Nagoya back to Nagoya Station (fare: 250 yen).
Nagoya Station
Click the square mark on the top left of the map to see a list of tourist spots. If you open the enlarge button on the top right corner on your smartphone, this model course will be displayed on Google Maps along with its location information. You can also quickly return to this map from the table of contents in the sidebar (if using a smartphone, select “Go to table of contents” from the menu at the bottom of the screen).
【Start】
①Nagoya Station
★Route time required：30 min
Take the Higashiyama Line bound for Fujigaoka and change to the Meijo Line clockwise at Sakae Station (fare 240 yen). Get off at Nagoyajo-mae Station and go out from Exit 7 to the ground level, where you will come to an area lined with shops. Just follow the road and you will arrive at the castle.
②Nagoya Castle
Time required : 1 h
Admission fee：500 yen
Opening hour：9 am – 4h30 pm
Close：No
It is one of Nagoya’s popular tourist spots, and is famous for the golden shachihoko on the roof. It was originally built by Tokugawa Ieyasu on the site of Nagoya Castle during the Muromachi period. It was not Ieyasu who actually lived there, but Tokugawa Yoshinao and other feudal lords of Owari, who lived there for about 260 years. Originally, Kiyosu Castle was the base of Owari, but it was moved here due to the risk of flooding and other disasters, and was completed in 1612. When it was moved, the entire town was moved from Kiyosu, and a castle town was created with a goban-like layout, which is also connected to the current shape of Nagoya.
During the Meiji period, it came under the jurisdiction of the military and was used as a detached palace for the imperial family, but it was returned to the hands of Nagoya City in 1930. It was then the first former national treasure of Japan as a castle, and was opened to the public in 1931, but it was burned down in an air raid in 1945, and the castle tower was rebuilt with reinforced concrete. Currently, the castle tower is undergoing further renovation and cannot be entered, but it is considered one of Japan’s three most famous castles. It has five floors above ground and one below, with a height of 55.6m including the foundations, equivalent to an 18-story building, and a total floor area of 4,424.5㎡, making it the largest castle in history.
Golden shachihoko
The famous golden shachihoko was made when the castle was built in 1612 to show the dominance of Tokugawa Ieyasu and the authority of the Owari Tokugawa clan. The two shachihoko are of different genders, with the northern one being a larger male and the southern one a female with more scales. In 1870, it was taken over by the Imperial Household Agency and exhibited at expositions throughout Japan and at the World’s Fair in Vienna, but was returned in 1879 due to protests from local residents. However, it was lost in an air raid in 1945, so the current one is the second generation.
Honmaru Palace
The Honmaru Palace was left as it was after it was lost in an air raid, but in 2018 it was restored and is now open to the public. Originally it was the residence and place of work for the lord of Owari. But when the first lord moved to the Ninomaru Palace, it became the exclusive lodgings for the Tokugawa Shogun. It is built in the samurai-style Shoin style, where the interior structure and decoration vary depending on the status and purpose of the room, and the Omote Shoin, where formal audiences were held, is the most prestigious place with its gorgeous interior featuring gold folding screens. Additionally, the Jorakuden Hall, built for Tokugawa Iemitsu’s stay, is home to many works by Kano Tan’yu and is just as gorgeously decorated, making it a must-see.
Other highlights include:
Ninomaru Garden:
A garden of about 3 km2 located to the north of Ninomaru Palace, it is the largest palace garden in Japan.
Maintenance began during the time of the first feudal lord, Tokugawa Yoshinao, and was expanded by the 10th lord, Tokugawa Nariakira, who established a teahouse and other facilities.
Nishinomaru Mikura Castle Treasure Museum:
A museum introducing the history of Nagoya Castle.
The items that were originally inside the castle can now be seen here after renovations.
The museum exhibits items such as the partition paintings from the Honmaru Palace.
Kinshachi Yokocho:
Two alleys around the moat of Nagoya Castle lined with souvenir shops and restaurants.
The area right by the subway exit is called the Muneharu Zone and mainly sells new items, while the Yoshinao Zone near the main gate mainly sells traditional items.
Omotenashi Busho-tai:
You can meet Sengoku warlords every day in the castle.
Martial arts demonstrations are also held on weekends and holidays.
★Route time required：5 min
Return to the subway and take the Meijo Line (counterclockwise) and get off at Hisaya-odori Station (fare: 210 yen). Once above ground, you will see the TV tower, so continue straight.
③Chubu Electric Power MIRAI TOWER
Time required : 30 min
Admission fee：1300 yen
Opening hour：10 am – 9 pm
Close：No
This TV tower is located in Hisaya Odori Park in the center of the Sakae area of the entertainment district. It was designed in 1954 by Tanaka Naito, the same man who designed Tokyo Tower and Sapporo TV Tower. It is Japan’s first integrated radio tower, standing 180 meters tall, and was also called the Eiffel Tower of the Orient at the time. It underwent a full renovation in 2019, and its name was changed from Nagoya TV Tower to its current name in 2021 due to a partnership with Chubu Electric Power. In 2022, it became Japan’s first tower to be designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan. The low center of gravity and solid appearance are due to the fact that the subway will be running directly underneath it in the future, so it can withstand construction work.
There are two observation decks, and the indoor observation deck the Sky Deck is located at 90 meters, where you can see not only the Nagoya cityscape but also projection mapping. The other observation deck, the Sky Balcony, is located at 100 meters and is even more impressive as it is outdoors. There is a cafe and goods shop on the third floor, and a hotel on the fourth and fifth floors.
★Route time required：10 min
After leaving the TV tower, go left and cross the crosswalk. You will see a large glass roof on your right, so continue straight.
④Oasis 21
Time required : 30 min
Admission fee：0 yen
Opening hour：6 am – 11 pm
Close：No
This complex is marked by a huge glass ceiling. This roof is called the Water Spaceship and you can climb up to it. The 14m high observation deck is also popular when lit up at night. The green grounds above ground are used as a bus terminal and a place to relax. The basement is called Galaxy Plaza and is lined with multi-purpose spaces and shops.
★Route time required：20 min
Follow the map from the basement of Oasis 21 to the subway, take the Higashiyama Line towards Nagoya and get off at Fushimi Station, one stop away (fare 210 yen). Once you come out onto the ground from Exit 5, just keep going straight until you see a park on your left. If you go left without entering the park, you will arrive at a building with a giant sphere on your right.
⑤Nagoya City Science Museum
Time required : 1 h
Admission fee：800 yen
Opening hour：9h30 am – 5 pm
Close：Monday, 3rd Friday, 12/29 – 1/3
This is a science museum where you can learn about biology and science. It was built in 1962 as part of the city’s 70th anniversary project, and underwent renovations and renewal in 2011. The highlight of the museum is Brother Earth, the world’s largest planetarium with an inner diameter of 35m. The upper half of the huge sphere between the two buildings is the planetarium, which is registered in the Guinness World Records. Each month, guides will teach you about celestial bodies while showing you beautiful starry skies with a different theme, while you relax in separate reclining seats.
Seats fill up during the summer holidays and New Year’s holidays, so it is recommended that you make a reservation in advance on the website.
Official Site
https://ticket.ncsm.city.nagoya.jp/en/
The lower half of the sphere is the Astronomical Observatory, where you can see explanations about space and the planetarium projector that was used until the renovation. There are also the Science and Engineering Hall and the Life Science Hall, where you can see how a 9m-tall tornado is created and learn various things through experiences.
So it will take 3 to 4 hours to look around carefully. Among them, the Discharge Lab, where you can experience 1.2 million volts using a large Tesla coil, and the Extreme Cold Lab, where you can experience a world of -30 degrees, are particularly popular and require numbered tickets, so it is best to get them early.
★Route time required：15 min
After leaving the Science Museum, go through Shirakawa Park, which has a large grounds, and when you reach the main road, turn right, cross the pedestrian crossing at the intersection, and go straight. After going straight for a while, you will see a temple on your left, so go inside.
⑥Osu Kannon Temple
Time required : 30 min
Admission fee：0 yen
Opening hour：6 am – 7 pm
Close：No
This is a famous temple that is counted as one of the three great Kannon temples in Japan. It originally originated from Nakajima Kannon in Osu, Hashima City, Gifu Prefecture, and Kitano Tenmangu Shrine was built there by order of Emperor Godaigo. The founder, Noshin, spent 100 days in seclusion at Ise Shrine thinking about what should be enshrined there, when he received a prophecy in a dream that Kannon would be best. He moved the Kannon Bodhisattva from Shitennoji Temple in Osaka, which has the same appearance as the one he saw at that time (click here for more information about Shitennoji Temple in Osaka). Then, in 1612, it was moved to its current location by order of Tokugawa Ieyasu. It was later destroyed by fire and air raids, so the current one was rebuilt in 1970.
Osu Kannon is home to the oldest surviving Kojiki, which is registered as a national treasure, and is also the birthplace of the Taishogoto. Every year on Setsubun, February 3rd, beans are thrown here, and then the Seven Lucky Gods ride on a treasure ship and parade through the town of Sakae. As the temple treasure contains a demon mask, during bean-throwing, the words “Oni wa soto” (“demon out”) are forbidden, and only “Fuku wa uchi” (“good fortune in”) are said. The bell tower in the temple grounds was donated by women, mainly the local women’s association, and is therefore called the “Women’s Bell,” and is said to be a bell of a mother’s love that prays for the growth of her children. An antique market is held in the temple grounds on the 18th and 28th of every month.
★Route time required：a few minutes
After passing through the temple grounds, you will enter the shopping district.
⑦Osu Shotengai Shopping Street
Time required : 40 min
This shopping street is one of Japan’s three major electric towns, alongside Akihabara and Nihonbashi. It is made up of nine shopping streets, with a total of about 400 stores, and about 1,200 stores in the entire district, including the surrounding areas.
When Osu Kannon was moved in the Edo period, many temples and shrines were built in the surrounding area, and shops and lodgings were built for the worshippers. As a result, it flourished as one of Japan’s three major bustling districts from the end of the Edo period to World War II. Although it managed to recover from the damage caused by air raids, it declined as it could not keep up with the trend of department stores and television. But it was revived as a result of events organized by an assistant professor and students from Meijo University, the opening of the subway, and the attraction of electronics stores and computer specialty stores from Akihabara. Due to this background, it is also characterized by a large number of annual events such as the World Cosplay Summit and the Osu Daido Chonin Festival.
It is also characterized by the large number of restaurants, second-hand clothing stores, and select shops, as well as the headquarters and main stores of major local companies such as Komehyo, Yabatan, and Aoyagi Uiro. This is because they have adopted a system that matches stores that have closed due to aging with young people who want to open new stores, and now there are many people wanting to open stores, so the area is expanding even further by renovating private homes. At the Osu Shopping Street Fureai Hiroba, there is a giant 2.2m tall Maneki-neko cat which is a female cat that beckons people by raising its left front paw.
★Route time required：a few minutes
Turn left at the intersection with ABC Mart ahead on the left and you will see the temple on your left.
⑧Bansho-ji Temple
Time required : 10 min
Admission fee：0 yen
Opening hour：10 am – 6 pm
Close：No
This temple is located in a shopping arcade. It is a building with 5 floors above ground and 1 floor underground, but it was built by Oda Nobunaga‘s father, Oda Nobuhide, as the family temple of the Oda clan. Tokugawa Ieyasu spent 3 years here in his childhood. It is also the place where Oda Nobunaga threw incense at Nobuhide’s funeral, and the scene of that time is reproduced with a mechanical doll. It is said that he acted strangely like that to lull the lord of a neighboring country into a false start as a fool.
Now it is a building in a shopping arcade, but it used to be located on the border between Nishiki and Marunouchi in Naka Ward, and was moved here when Nagoya Castle was built. After that, in 1912, most of the land was released, and Osu Shopping Arcade was born.
The eleven-headed Kannon Bodhisattva is enshrined here, and in the main hall on the first floor, Misasagi Fudo Myo-o and Shirayuki Inari are enshrined. The other floors are not open to the public, such as the ossuary, but the crystal hall on the third floor has an interior with crystal walls that has been a hot topic in the media. The temple has its own unique character and while it is a historic temple associated with famous military commanders, it also incorporates many modern elements.
★Route time required：30 min
Return to the original road, go through the shopping district and come out onto the main street, then head towards Kamimaezu Station on your right. Take the Meijo Line (left-hand direction) and get off at Atsuta-Jingu-Nishi Station (fare: 240 yen). Go out from Exit 2 and continue straight for a while. After passing the footbridge, you will see a torii gate on your left. Continue past that.
⑨Atsuta-jingu Shrine
Time required : 40 min
Admission fee：0 yen
Opening hour：24 hours
Close：No
This shrine is home to the Kusanagi Sword, one of the three sacred treasures. It is also known as Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi, and is said to have been born from the tail of the Yamata no Orochi when Susanoo-no-Mikoto defeated it. Later, the sword came to be called Kusanagi Sword when Yamato Takeru-no-Mikoto escaped danger by cutting down grass in the eastern part of the country. Emperor Yamato Takeru traveled west with the sword, leaving it on Mount Hikami in Otaka-cho, Midori-ku, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, and losing his life in Mie Prefecture. His wife, Miyasuhime-no-Mikoto, placed the sword in Atsuta, and this is how Atsuta Shrine began.
The main deity is Amaterasu Omikami, also known as Atsuta-no-Okami, who enshrines the Kusanagi Sword as her sacred object. The following five gods, who are related to the Kusanagi Sword, are the co-deities, and are known as the Five Gods.
① Amaterasu Omikami
② Susanoo no Mikoto: Amaterasu Omikami’s younger brother
③ Emperor Yamato Takeru
④ Miyazuhime no Mikoto
⑤ Takeinadane no Mikoto: Miyazuhime no Mikoto’s older brother
By the way, ④ and ⑤ are said to be the distant ancestors of the Owari clan. It is also one of the most popular places in Aichi Prefecture, attracting more than 2 million worshippers during the New Year’s visit, and the approximately 20,000 square meters of grounds are filled with trees, including a large camphor tree that is over 1,000 years old and was planted by Kobo Daishi.
The main highlights are as follows:
Main Hall:
Until 1893, the shrine was built in a unique style called Owari-zukuri, but the same Shinmei-zukuri style as Ise Jingu Shrine has been adopted. You cannot enter the shrine, but worship at the worship hall in front. By the way, Owari-zukuri can still be seen at Hikami Aneko Shrine on Mt. Hikami, where Emperor Yamato Takeru left the Kusanagi sword.
Hakkengu Shrine:
This is a branch shrine, and it began in 708 when Emperor Genmei ordered a sacred sword to be made and enshrined here. The architectural style and ceremonies are all the same as the main hall. Samurai were deeply religious, and Oda Nobunaga, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and Tokugawa Tsunayoshi all repaired it.
Treasure House:
A museum that mainly displays approximately 6,000 items donated by the Imperial family and others, 177 of which have been designated national treasures or prefectural cultural properties. There are two buildings located separately: the Culture Hall, which focuses on donated items, and the Kusanagi Hall (Treasure House of Swords), which focuses on famous swords.
Nobunaga Wall:
This earthen wall was built as a thank you gift for Oda Nobunaga’s work at the Battle of Okehazama and is about 200 meters long. It is one of the three great earthen walls in Japan, and the Taiko Wall, built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, is located at Sanjusangendo Temple in Kyoto. Click here for more details.
★Route time required：20 min
Once you exit the East Gate, go left, cross the footbridge and then go left again to reach Meitetsu Jingumae Station. From here, take the train bound for Nagoya back to Nagoya Station (fare: 250 yen).
【Goal】
Nagoya Station
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