Nagoya Facts

Most descriptions of Nagoya fail to capture the atmosphere of the place, but always mentioned are its wide thoroughfares, world-class industries, and central location, which make it a crossroads for the nation. Despite being the fourth largest city in Japan in terms of population, as well as the nucleus of the third largest metropolitan area in the nation, however, it has a reputation for being conservative and provincial, and as a result is often the butt of jokes in the media. Residents here, however, know Nagoya as a pleasant place to live that possesses many of the conveniences and advantages of a major city, while offering relatively easy and quick access to the countryside. Forests, mountains...

...was founded as a castle town almost 400 years ago on orders of Tokugawa Ieyasu, who considered its strategic position on the Tokaido Highway useful for controlling Osaka and other points west. Today, Nagoya is Japan's fourth-largest city with a population of 2.19 million -- yet it's a place most foreigners never stop to see. True, it doesn't have the attractions of many of the nation's other cities, but it does have a castle originally built by the first Tokugawa shogun, as well as one of Japan's most important Shinto shrines. You can also stroll through an aquarium famous for its penguins and sea turtles, visit the world-famous Noritake chinaware display rooms, spend hours at an open-air architectural...