Getting There: By Air: Nagoya is serviced by the highly modernized Chubu International Airport (also Centrair) (http://www.centrair.jp/en/index.html). The following airlines provide service to and from Centrair: Air Canada (http://www.aircanada.com/) Air China (http://www.airchina.com.cn/en/) Air France (http://www.airfrance.com) Air Japan (http://www.air-japan.co.jp/ ) Air New Zealand (http://www.airnewzealand.com/gateway.jsp) All Nippon Airways (http://svc.ana.co.jp/eng/index.html ) American Airlines (http://www.aa.com/)] Australian Airlines (http://www.australianairlines.com.au/aahome.html) Cathay Pacific Airways (http://www.cathaypacific.com/) China Airlines (http://www.china-airlines.com/en/index.htm) Continental Airlines (http://www.continental.com/) Delta Airlines (http://www.delta.com/home/index.jsp) JALways (http://www.jalways.co.jp/) Japan Airlines (http://www.jal.co.jp/e/index.html ) Korean Air (http://www.koreanair.com/ ) Lufthansa (http://www.lufthansa.com/) Malaysian Airlines (http://malaysiaairlines.com/) Northwest Airlines (http://www.nwa.com/alliance/) Singapore Airlines (http://www.singaporeair.com/) Thai Airways (http://www.thaiairways.com/) United Airlines (http://www.united.com/)
Transport to and from the airport is available by train, airport bus, chartered bus, taxi, and boat. Some of the most prevalent taxi companies include Meitetsu Taxi (+81 52 331 2211), Kintetsu Taxi (+81 52 221 6611), Fuji Taxi (+81 52 523 2211) and . Be advised that transportation services in English are extremely limited.
Car Rental:
Hertz - Nagoya Domestic Airport Phone: 05 6829 0700 Fax: 05 6829 0489 Web: http://www.hertz.com Open hours: Daily 8a-8p
Hertz - Nagoya International Airport Phone: 05 6938 0100 Fax: 05 6938 0489 Web: http://hertz.com Open hours: Daily 7:30a-10p
Hertz has 16 other locations in and around Nagoya. See website for details.
National Car Rental - Nagoya Airport Tokoname-shi Aichi Pref., 479-0881 Phone: 81 5 6829 0919 Web: http://www.nationalcar.com Open hours: Daily 8a-8p
By Train: Nagoya is the premier transit hub of central Japan and train services are available to destinations throughout the country. Japan Rail (http://www.japanrail.com/), Kintetsu (http://www.kintetsu.com/), and Meitetsu (http://www.meitetsu.co.jp/) rail companies offer a variety of efficient transportation options.
By Bus: Highway buses offer transportation to numerous destinations. Meitetsu buses (http://www.meitetsu.jp/meitetsubus/index.html) offer direct services to Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, and Fukuoka.
By Car: Nagoya can be accessed by the Tomei, Chuo, Hokuriku, and Meishin Expressways.
Getting Around: Nagoya is serviced by an expansive network of subway lines (http://www.urbanrail.net/as/nago/nagoya.htm) that include the Higashiyama Line, the Meijo & Meiko Line, the Tsurumai Line, the Sakura-dori Line, and the Kami-iida Line. Local buses also provide transportation to destinations in and around the city. Information in English is extremely limited, so plan accordingly.
Planning a Trip
Getting There
By Plane -- Known formally as the Central Japan International Airport but dubbed Centrair (tel. 0569/38-1195; www.centrair.jp/en), Japan's newest international airport occupies 22 hectares (54 acres) of a man-made island in Ise Bay. It boasts two hotels, 130 shops and restaurants (including Japan's largest duty-free store), ATMs that accept foreign credit cards, health and dental clinics, a post office, and even a relaxation area Kutsurogi-dokoro (tel. 0569/38-8282), open 8am to 9pm with Jacuzzi, sauna, and large baths with views of planes landing and taking off (fee: ¥900/$7.50/£3.75). There's also a Travel Information Center (tel. 0569/38-1050), located past the arrivals hall, open daily 9am to 7pm, but little English is spoken.
Trains connect Centrair with Nagoya Station in 40 minutes by regular train (¥850/$7.10/£3.55) or in 30 minutes by express (¥1,200/$10/£5). A taxi from Centrair to downtown Nagoya will run about ¥12,000 ($100/£50).
By JR Train -- The fastest way to get to Nagoya from Tokyo is by Shinkansen bullet train, which takes approximately 2 hours from Tokyo Station to JR Nagoya Station and costs ¥10,070 ($84/£42) for an unreserved seat. Nagoya is 40 minutes from Kyoto and 1 hour from Shin-Osaka Station.
By Bus -- From Shinjuku Station in Tokyo, the bus costs ¥5,100 ($42/£21) one-way for the 6-hour trip, with several departures daily. From Kyoto, the Highway Bus costs ¥2,500 ($21/£11) and takes 2 3/4 hours; from Osaka, the trip takes just over 3 hours and costs ¥2,900 ($24/£12).
Visitor Information
Before departing Tokyo or Narita or Kansai international airports, stop by the Tourist Information Center for the leaflet "Nagoya and Vicinity," which contains a city map and transportation and sightseeing information (you can also download it from the Japan National Tourist Organization's website at www.jnto.go.jp by looking under "Browse by Destinations"). In Nagoya Station, the Nagoya Tourist Information Center (tel. 052/541-4301; daily 9am-7pm) in the central concourse, opposite the Central exit wickets of the JR Line (look for the ? and JR signs), has maps.
For more detailed information about Nagoya, walk 8 minutes from Nagoya Station's Central exit straight down Sakura Dori (or take the subway one stop to Kokusai Center Station) to the Nagoya International Center on the third floor of the Nagoya International Center Building, 1-47-1 Nagono (tel. 052/581-0100; www.nic-nagoya.or.jp; Tues-Sun 9am-7pm; closed second Sun in Feb and Aug). It's one of Japan's best facilities for foreign visitors and residents, with an English-speaking staff, a lounge area with a TV featuring CNN newscasts, Internet access, and lots of information on the city, including the free monthly publications Nagoya Calendar and Avenues. The center also advises foreign residents on how to get a visa, where to find an apartment, and which doctors speak English. On the fourth floor, you can apply to visit a Japanese family in their home in the local Home Visit system. You must apply in person no later than 5pm the day before you wish to visit; be sure to bring your passport. Call tel. 052/581-5689 for details; the earlier you reserve, the better your chances of finding a family.
For recorded English-language information on events, concerts, festivals, and the arts, call tel. 052/581-0400. You can check the city's website at www.ncvb.or.jp.
Internet Access -- The Nagoya International Center provides 50-minute Internet access for ¥100 (85¢/45p).
Money/Mail -- Nagoya's Central Post Office (tel. 052/564-2106), located to the left of the Sakura exit of JR Nagoya Station, is open for mail and money exchange Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm. In addition to a counter open 24 hours for mail, it has ATMs open 24 hours Monday through Saturday and 12:05am to 8pm on Sunday.
Orientation
Almost completely destroyed during World War II, Nagoya was rebuilt with wide, straight streets, many of which are named.
The ultramodern, twin-towered JR Nagoya Station, with its many train lines (including the Shinkansen), soars more than 50 stories above the skyline and contains Takashimaya department store, offices, a Marriott hotel, many restaurants, and an observatory. Built in 1999, it has been recognized by Guinness World Records as being the world's largest building containing a railway station. Clustered nearby are the Meitetsu Bus Terminal, Meitetsu Nagoya Station, the city bus terminal (on the second floor of Matsuzakaya department floor), Kintetsu Station, and a subway station for the Sakura Dori and Higashiyama lines, as well as many hotels and a huge underground shopping arcade that stretches 6km (3 3/4 miles) and includes about 600 shops.
Most of the city's attractions spread out east of Nagoya Station (take the Central/Sakuradori exit), including the city's downtown area, Sakae, two subway stops from Nagoya Station and with many shops, restaurants, and department stores. Also in Sakae is Hisaya Odori, a wide boulevard that stretches north and south with a park and a TV tower in its green meridian. North of Hisaya Odori is Nagoya Castle, while south is Atsuta Jingu Shrine.
Getting Around
The fastest way to get around is via the city's four-line subway system, which is simple to use because station names are written in both English and Japanese, and there are English-language announcements and digital signs in trains. Probably the most important line for tourists is the Meijo Line, which runs through Sakae underneath Hisaya Odori and takes you to both Nagoya Castle (Station: Shiyakusho) and Atsuta Jingu Shrine (Station: Jingu-Nishi), with one branch terminating at Nagoya Port with its aquarium; if you take this line in the opposite direction, you'll eventually end up at the -- I like this -- Ozone stop. Individual tickets for the subway are ¥200 to ¥320 ($1.65-$2.65/85p-£1.35), depending on the distance.
The Nagoya Sightseeing Route Bus, departing from platform 0 of the city bus terminal (on the second floor of Matsuzakaya department store next to Nagoya Station), is convenient for traveling to the Toyota Museum, Noritake Garden, Nagoya Castle, and Tokugawa Art Museum. It costs ¥200 ($1.65/85p) per trip or ¥500 ($4.15/£2.10) for a 1-day pass (Me-guru 1-Day Pass). It operates from 9:30am to 5pm, running hourly Tuesday through Friday and twice an hour weekends and holidays.
For city buses, you'll pay a flat fare of ¥200 ($1.65/85p). There's also the private Meitetsu Bus Line with a terminal located at Nagoya Station; for these buses, take a ticket and pay the exact fare according to the digital panel display at the front when you get off.
There are several transportation passes worth considering if you'll be traveling a lot within a single day. For subways, there's a 1-day pass (Ichinichi Jo-sha) for ¥740 ($6.15/£3.10) that allows you to ride as much as you want for a full day; for ¥850 ($7.10/£3.55), you can ride as much as you want on subways, city buses, and the Sightseeing Route Bus. On the weekends the Eco Pass for ¥600 ($5/£2.50) allows unlimited rides on subways and buses.
A Note on Directions -- All directions in our listings are from Nagoya Station unless otherwise noted; the time in parentheses indicates walking time from the subway or bus stop indicated.
Planning a Trip
Getting There
By Plane -- Known formally as the Central Japan International Airport but dubbed Centrair (tel. 0569/38-1195; www.centrair.jp/en), Japan's newest international airport occupies 22 hectares (54 acres) of a man-made island in Ise Bay. It boasts two hotels, 130 shops and restaurants (including Japan's largest duty-free store), ATMs that accept foreign credit cards, health and dental clinics, a post office, and even a relaxation area Kutsurogi-dokoro (tel. 0569/38-8282), open 8am to 9pm with Jacuzzi, sauna, and large baths with views of planes landing and taking off (fee: ¥900/$7.50/£3.75). There's also a Travel Information Center (tel. 0569/38-1050), located past the arrivals hall, open daily 9am to 7pm, but little English is spoken.
Trains connect Centrair with Nagoya Station in 40 minutes by regular train (¥850/$7.10/£3.55) or in 30 minutes by express (¥1,200/$10/£5). A taxi from Centrair to downtown Nagoya will run about ¥12,000 ($100/£50).
By JR Train -- The fastest way to get to Nagoya from Tokyo is by Shinkansen bullet train, which takes approximately 2 hours from Tokyo Station to JR Nagoya Station and costs ¥10,070 ($84/£42) for an unreserved seat. Nagoya is 40 minutes from Kyoto and 1 hour from Shin-Osaka Station.
By Bus -- From Shinjuku Station in Tokyo, the bus costs ¥5,100 ($42/£21) one-way for the 6-hour trip, with several departures daily. From Kyoto, the Highway Bus costs ¥2,500 ($21/£11) and takes 2 3/4 hours; from Osaka, the trip takes just over 3 hours and costs ¥2,900 ($24/£12).
Visitor Information
Before departing Tokyo or Narita or Kansai international airports, stop by the Tourist Information Center for the leaflet "Nagoya and Vicinity," which contains a city map and transportation and sightseeing information (you can also download it from the Japan National Tourist Organization's website at www.jnto.go.jp by looking under "Browse by Destinations"). In Nagoya Station, the Nagoya Tourist Information Center (tel. 052/541-4301; daily 9am-7pm) in the central concourse, opposite the Central exit wickets of the JR Line (look for the ? and JR signs), has maps.
For more detailed information about Nagoya, walk 8 minutes from Nagoya Station's Central exit straight down Sakura Dori (or take the subway one stop to Kokusai Center Station) to the Nagoya International Center on the third floor of the Nagoya International Center Building, 1-47-1 Nagono (tel. 052/581-0100; www.nic-nagoya.or.jp; Tues-Sun 9am-7pm; closed second Sun in Feb and Aug). It's one of Japan's best facilities for foreign visitors and residents, with an English-speaking staff, a lounge area with a TV featuring CNN newscasts, Internet access, and lots of information on the city, including the free monthly publications Nagoya Calendar and Avenues. The center also advises foreign residents on how to get a visa, where to find an apartment, and which doctors speak English. On the fourth floor, you can apply to visit a Japanese family in their home in the local Home Visit system. You must apply in person no later than 5pm the day before you wish to visit; be sure to bring your passport. Call tel. 052/581-5689 for details; the earlier you reserve, the better your chances of finding a family.
For recorded English-language information on events, concerts, festivals, and the arts, call tel. 052/581-0400. You can check the city's website at www.ncvb.or.jp.
Internet Access -- The Nagoya International Center provides 50-minute Internet access for ¥100 (85¢/45p).
Money/Mail -- Nagoya's Central Post Office (tel. 052/564-2106), located to the left of the Sakura exit of JR Nagoya Station, is open for mail and money exchange Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm. In addition to a counter open 24 hours for mail, it has ATMs open 24 hours Monday through Saturday and 12:05am to 8pm on Sunday.
Orientation
Almost completely destroyed during World War II, Nagoya was rebuilt with wide, straight streets, many of which are named.
The ultramodern, twin-towered JR Nagoya Station, with its many train lines (including the Shinkansen), soars more than 50 stories above the skyline and contains Takashimaya department store, offices, a Marriott hotel, many restaurants, and an observatory. Built in 1999, it has been recognized by Guinness World Records as being the world's largest building containing a railway station. Clustered nearby are the Meitetsu Bus Terminal, Meitetsu Nagoya Station, the city bus terminal (on the second floor of Matsuzakaya department floor), Kintetsu Station, and a subway station for the Sakura Dori and Higashiyama lines, as well as many hotels and a huge underground shopping arcade that stretches 6km (3 3/4 miles) and includes about 600 shops.
Most of the city's attractions spread out east of Nagoya Station (take the Central/Sakuradori exit), including the city's downtown area, Sakae, two subway stops from Nagoya Station and with many shops, restaurants, and department stores. Also in Sakae is Hisaya Odori, a wide boulevard that stretches north and south with a park and a TV tower in its green meridian. North of Hisaya Odori is Nagoya Castle, while south is Atsuta Jingu Shrine.
Getting Around
The fastest way to get around is via the city's four-line subway system, which is simple to use because station names are written in both English and Japanese, and there are English-language announcements and digital signs in trains. Probably the most important line for tourists is the Meijo Line, which runs through Sakae underneath Hisaya Odori and takes you to both Nagoya Castle (Station: Shiyakusho) and Atsuta Jingu Shrine (Station: Jingu-Nishi), with one branch terminating at Nagoya Port with its aquarium; if you take this line in the opposite direction, you'll eventually end up at the -- I like this -- Ozone stop. Individual tickets for the subway are ¥200 to ¥320 ($1.65-$2.65/85p-£1.35), depending on the distance.
The Nagoya Sightseeing Route Bus, departing from platform 0 of the city bus terminal (on the second floor of Matsuzakaya department store next to Nagoya Station), is convenient for traveling to the Toyota Museum, Noritake Garden, Nagoya Castle, and Tokugawa Art Museum. It costs ¥200 ($1.65/85p) per trip or ¥500 ($4.15/£2.10) for a 1-day pass (Me-guru 1-Day Pass). It operates from 9:30am to 5pm, running hourly Tuesday through Friday and twice an hour weekends and holidays.
For city buses, you'll pay a flat fare of ¥200 ($1.65/85p). There's also the private Meitetsu Bus Line with a terminal located at Nagoya Station; for these buses, take a ticket and pay the exact fare according to the digital panel display at the front when you get off.
There are several transportation passes worth considering if you'll be traveling a lot within a single day. For subways, there's a 1-day pass (Ichinichi Jo-sha) for ¥740 ($6.15/£3.10) that allows you to ride as much as you want for a full day; for ¥850 ($7.10/£3.55), you can ride as much as you want on subways, city buses, and the Sightseeing Route Bus. On the weekends the Eco Pass for ¥600 ($5/£2.50) allows unlimited rides on subways and buses.
A Note on Directions -- All directions in our listings are from Nagoya Station unless otherwise noted; the time in parentheses indicates walking time from the subway or bus stop indicated.
