Nagoya celebrates its 400th birthday in 2010 and will be a special year for festivals, events, and exhibitions in the City.
The history of Nagoya can be traced back to 1610 when Tokugawa Ieyasu moved the capital of Owari Province from the nearby castle town of Kiyosu to a site that had a better defensive location across the Shonai River. On this site a new castle was constructed and the
entire population of Kiyosu around 60,000 people, along with the temples and shrines, were moved to the new planned town.
Discover Nagoya
But there is more to Nagoya than just the castle. Why not take this wonderful opportunity to discover Nagoya’s historical, cultural, and industrial heritage?
Jump aboard the Nagoya Sightseeing Route Bus and explore Nagoya’s hard-to-reach tourist spots. If you’re after industrial heritage, visit the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and
Technology or the Noritake Gardens. For peek into Nagoya’s Edo-era traditional craft and heritage visit the preserved district of Arimatsu along with its Shibori Museum and festival float museum.
The City has a host of old temples & shrines ranging from the well known sites such as Atsuta Jingu and Osu Kannon, to the less well-known but equally stunning places such as Koshoji and its pagoda (built 1688) and Toganji (built 1532) and its
huge Buddha (added
1987).
Let you fingers do the walking and take a lot at the videos, old maps, photos, and illustrations on the “network 2010” site. The site even has its own
YouTube channel. To understand the roots and reasons behind the founding of Nagoya, you will need to look into the history of the power struggle of the 16th century - “Aichi, Home of the Samurai Spirit” is an excellent interactive site well worth the time to visit. The Nagoya Convention & Visitors Bureau’s English website
“What to See” section
has an comprehensive, searchable database of all historical sites, temples, shrines, and sites related to industrial tourism.
NIC Walking Guides
If you’re into real walking, Nagoya International Center Volunteers have been prepared a set of walking guides to the City that will guide you around lesser-known historical and cultural hotspots. Contained in each guide is a model walking route applicable to the
specified area or spot. There are guides specific to Nagoya (Nagoya Castle, the Nagoya
Cultural Path, Horikawa River, Yagoto Area, and
Chikusa) as well as historical area further afield such as Inuyama,
Tokoname, Seto, and the Nakasendo. The guides are available in a printer-friendly PDF format
on our website at www.nic-nagoya.or.jp/en/nagoyawalkingguides.
Free Guided Tours of Nagoya Castle (in English!)
From January the Aichi Goodwill Guides Network will be offering a weekly English-speaking tour of Nagoya Castle. Guides are free, but entrance fees are to be paid by participants. No reservations are needed. Tours
depart from the East Gate of Nagoya Castle at 13:30 every Saturday.
Discover Nagoya
