Enjoying Culture in Nagoya

Nagoya is an important industrial and cultural center located in Central Japan. It’s also the 4th largest city in the nation. While not a highly popular tourist destination compared to other cities, there are plenty of sights to see, including historic museums, zoos, shrines, castles and parks, and festival events.

One of the most sacred shrines in Japan is found in Nagoya. The Atsuta Jinja (Jinja means “Shinto shrine”) is one of the most important shrines in Japan. It is surrounded by 1,000-year-old cypress trees and houses the sacred imperial sword, which is one of the three regalia of the imperial family. The other two being the sacred mirror at Ise and the sacred jewels in Tokyo in the Imperial Palace. Over 8 million people visit the site every year.

Another must-see is the Nagoya Castle. This was originally built in the year 152 and it displays Edo period armor and fusama-e (paintings on sliding doors). They have treasured arts that survived the war bombings. On top of the castle are two gold dolphins called kinshachi. It is supposedly a symbol of feudal lord’s authority.

The best time to go to Nagoya Castle is in the spring when 2,000 Cherry Blossom trees are in bloom. They are absolutely beautiful.

Another Nagoya stopover is the Museum Meiji Mura. This 250-acre open-air architectural museum has over sixty buildings from the Meiji period (1868-1912) that was rebuilt and brought here—ten of which were appointed as “Important Cultural Property.”

The Meiji era was an important period for Japanese culture. Japan opened her doors to the outside world. You’ll noticed the used of wooden architecture on the buildings. The Western influence is apparent with the use of bricks, stone, iron, and painted wood.

Earthquake, war, fire and greedy land developers unfortunately destroyed many of the buildings in that era.

Still, there’s much to enjoy and it’ll take about 3 hours to see everything.

Shopping in Nagoya is wonderful. There are plenty of department stores and huge underground shopping malls (Nagoya Station and Sakae) downtown. However, they also have the traditional arcades where you find souvenirs of better quality. A favorite is the Osu Shopping Arcade. The prices are very reasonable.

One of the things that people love about Nagoya is the festival events, such as the “Shichi-go-san” festivals. It literally means seven-five-three. This celebration is held on November 15, for when a girl turns 3 or 7, or when a boy turns 5.

There you have it. I hope that you’ll give Nagoya a visit when you’re traveling in Japan. Just hop on the bullet train and enjoy this beautiful city filled with historic sights to see.