I've been to Nagoya three times, and I plan to visit again. It has some nice museums and nearby attractions, but I keep getting drawn back because of the Nagashima Spaland amusement park and baseball card stores. There's always something else to do on my visit, too. Here's a look around Nagoya from my first three visits.
One of the "attractions" in Nagoya is the train station itself. This dual-tower building (JR Central Towers) is quite tall and the office tower has an observation deck. There is a hotel in the other tower.
This isn't taken from the observation deck; I haven't made it to the top yet. The Nagoya TV Tower is located in Sakae, and is Japan's oldest TV tower (yes, even older than Tokyo Tower). You'll see some more pictures of this later.
The architecture around Nagoya is pretty interesting. There are some nice western-style buildings here and there. Nagoya is Japan's fourth most populated area.
One of my first destinations in Nagoya was the Tokugawa Art Museum. It's built on the grounds of a formal ruling family's residence and contains several interesting historical antiques, artifacts and pieces of art.
The museum is situated on a large plaza with a nice area for walking, though nature enthusiasts should head to Tokugawa-en, a Japanese landscape garden next door. I haven't been to the garden yet. Admission to the museum is pricey - 1200 yen. The garden is 300 yen, but you can buy a combo ticket for 1350 yen. It's a good museum, though, with armor, swords, tea utensils, noh masks and costumes, and written works like maps and poems.
Osu Kannon Temple is the most important one in Nagoya for tourists. It was rebuilt in the past century, but the temple has existed since around the 1200s.
It is quite large in size, and it has a nice plaza in front. It was probably the busiest temple public space I've seen in Japan, with people hanging out and talking and just relaxing here. Most temples seem to be just for tourists or worshippers.
Don't get me wrong, though, Osu Kannon Temple is beautiful and well-maintained. A flea market is held on the grounds a couple times a month.
The popularity of Osu might have something to do with the nearby shopping arcade. Several covered streets sell all kinds of goods.
The shops do seem to focus on youthful customers, though, with lots of clothing shops. This is also the "Akihabara of Nagoya" with several cosplay, anime, electronics, and idol goods, as well as at least one maid cafe. Which I didn't visit, just to be clear.
Here are a couple more shots of the TV Tower. At night it's lit up, and a nearby shopping area - I think it's right on top of Sakae Station - has a rooftop plaza which provides some wonderful views.
Despite a chilly wind in the evening, several couples were out for a stroll, holding hands and enjoying each other's company as they walked around the fountain pool.
I don't remember where this was. I think I was inside Nagoya Station or a nearby mall.
There is some interesting architecture around Nagoya Station. This was across the street.
I've discussed capsule hotels before. This was the first real capsule hotel I stayed in. It's aging, but comfortable.
You can see inside my little compartment. Not as high-tech of a console, but I gather that you can watch ... paid television using that keypad. The Capsule Inn Nagoya doesn't have outlets in each capsule, but they front desk will charge your phone or camera if you're spending the night.
Here are a couple more shots of Nagoya Station and JR Central Towers, from opposite sides of the station at night.
Okay, one more thing. Nagoya is known for a few food items. One style of chicken wings in Japan is known as tebasaki, where the wings are fried without batter; they are very crispy, salty, and somewhat spicy. Nagoya has a local version of this; wings are supposedly spicier and as you can see, sprinkled with sesame seeds. I've had them twice in the restaurants under Nagoya Station and they're quite delicious, though your definition of spicy might not be the same as theirs.
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