Japan’s fourth-largest city is chronically overlooked, but 2026 is Nagoya’s year. Here is why it deserves a place on your itinerary. Nagoya sits almost exactly between Tokyo and Osaka on the Tokaido Shinkansen, which means most visitors see it only from the window of a passing bullet train. That is a mistake.
Japan’s fourth-largest city has one of the country’s best castle complexes, its own distinct food culture (Nagoya meshi, or Nagoya food, is a genuine culinary tradition), and serves as the gateway to some of Japan’s finest mountain towns.
In 2026 specifically, Nagoya is co-hosting the Asian Games in September and October, bringing major investment to the city’s venues, transport, and tourist infrastructure. Search volume for Nagoya has been climbing sharply.
Getting to Nagoya
- From Tokyo by Shinkansen: Around 1 hour 40 minutes by Nozomi or 2 hours by Hikari, around 10,560 yen one way.
- From Osaka by Shinkansen: Around 50 minutes by Nozomi or 1 hour 10 minutes by Hikari. Around 6,680 yen one way.
- From Kyoto by Shinkansen: Around 35 minutes by Nozomi or 50 minutes by Hikari.
Nagoya is an excellent stop between Tokyo and Kyoto or Osaka, adding only a brief detour to the Golden Route.
What to Do in Nagoya
Nagoya Castle
One of Japan’s finest castle complexes, with a main keep topped by the famous golden shachihoko (mythical fish-tiger) figures. The Honmaru Palace, adjacent to the keep, has been meticulously restored over decades using traditional techniques and is one of the finest examples of Edo-period palace architecture in Japan. The painted sliding doors and coffered ceilings are extraordinary. Entry costs 500 yen.
Atsuta Jingu Shrine
One of Japan’s most important Shinto shrines, second in significance only to the Grand Ise Shrine in Mie Prefecture. The shrine is said to house one of the three Imperial Treasures of Japan, the Kusanagi sword. The forested grounds (covering over 190,000 square metres) feel ancient and quiet, even when the city surrounds them. Entry is free.
Nagoya’s Food Culture – Nagoya Meshi
Nagoya has a genuinely distinct food culture that locals are proud of, and visitors consistently overlook. The key dishes:
- Hitsumabushi: Eel (unagi) served over rice in a wooden lacquered box. Eaten three ways: plain, with condiments, then as chazuke (with dashi broth poured over). Atsuta Horaiken near Atsuta Shrine is the most famous restaurant.
- Miso Katsu: Deep-fried pork cutlet served with a thick Nagoya-style hatcho miso sauce. Richer and more intense than the standard tonkatsu sauce. Yabaton is the best-known chain.
- Morning Set (Nagoya Morning): Nagoya coffee shops serve complimentary toast, hard-boiled egg, and a small salad with your morning coffee at no extra charge, a local tradition that has spread nowhere else in Japan.
- Ankake Spaghetti: A Nagoya-invented thick, spicy tomato pasta that is nothing like Italian spaghetti and is genuinely good. Available at retro kissaten coffee shops throughout the city.
Inuyama Castle and Town
30 minutes from Nagoya by express train, Inuyama has one of Japan’s twelve surviving original castle keeps (not a concrete reconstruction) perched above the Kiso River. The surrounding old town (Honmachi) is a preserved merchant district with sake breweries, craft shops, and small restaurants. One of the most authentic castle-town experiences in Japan.
Meiji Mura Open-Air Museum
A vast outdoor museum near Inuyama preserving 67 historical buildings from the Meiji Era (1868 to 1912), transported from across Japan. The collection includes a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed hotel entrance, Kyoto’s Nijo Jinya bathhouse, and a genuine steam locomotive. Allow half a day minimum. Entry costs 2,000 yen.
Shirakawa-go Day Trip
A UNESCO World Heritage village of gassho-zukuri farmhouses (steep A-frame thatched roofs) nestled in a mountain valley in Gifu Prefecture, around 1.5 hours from Nagoya by highway bus. The village is particularly beautiful in winter when the farmhouses are snow-covered, but extraordinary in any season—one of the most distinctive architectural and cultural landscapes in Japan.
