Visiting Nagoya_EYNTK

In case you're wondering what EYNTK means, it simply stands for Everything You Need To Know. Haha I invented it my self (I guess).

It’s my fourth time in Japan and I am as excited as the first time I stepped into this lovely country. I visited S.Korea during the winter last year and I pretty much know how hard it is to explore a place at this time of the year given the freezing weather. That being a fact, it still did not stop me from taking a chance to see other equally lovely places in central Japan, which includes Nagoya. We have 5 days to explore Nagoya and 5 days was more than enough so we decided to explore a UNESCO World Heritage site somewhere far north. We will tell you all the details later on but first, let’s check out Nagoya.

We arrived at Chubu Centrair International Airport. Chubu CIA is also known as Central Japan International Airport incase you get confused on your way back to Chubu Centrair. The signs usually say Central Japan IA. This airport is on the southern coastal part of Nagoya and a 50-minute train ride via Meitetsu Limited Express Train.

At The Airport…

It’s always been a habit for me and my partner to go straight to the Information Counter the moment we arrive in a new country. This is important because all the things that you need to know about the place is there. The things that you can ask from the information booth are the following:

(1) How to get to your hotel/accommodation;

(2) What’s the cheapest way to get there;

(3) What are the best spots to visit in Nagoya;

(4) Do they have one-day (bus/train/subway) passes and where to buy them; and

(5) Where to find the nearest Money Changer.

The Money Changer…

Next stop at the airport is the Money Changer. When you exchange your money for Yen, make sure you have US dollars with you. The most common money changing stations that you will see in Nagoya is Travelex, although there is always the bank but good luck identifying one. Bring as many US Dollars as possible and not peso. In the Chubu IA, Travelex don’t exchange Yen for Peso and I don’t think they accept US dollars when you buy tickets too.

When you buy US dollars in the Philippines, have them broken down into $20s. The idea is that when you arrive at the airport, buy only enough yen that you will need for transportation payment to your accommodation. It’s always more expensive to buy yen or any other currencies in the airport. When you find a money changer in the city proper, have all your dollars changed to yen. Trust me, it’s not easy to find money changers in Nagoya even in Nagoya station!

The Mother of All Stations…

Usually, in most parts of Japan there is this one big station (subway/train/bus) that is connected to all the train and subway lines in the prefecture and the entire country. For Nagoya that would be the Nagoya Station. If your accommodation is near this station, that would be a great start.

I know a lot of you already researched online on all the spots to visit and how to get there but it’s still different if you ask them from an information officer. You can do this in the information center inside Nagoya Station. When you ask for information, start with the best places (given that you only have a couple of days) that you may visit and ask further what made these places special. In this way you can prioritize based on things that you love be it temples, amusement parks, historical places, museums and the like.

If ever you will be traveling to these spots via subway, the next thing you need to ask from the information officer is the nearest subway station to that spot. They will provide you with everything including a map so it would be easier for you.

The Subway...

If you choose to go around by subway/bus (which I highly recommend), buy the one-day pass for subway and bus. You may choose to ride the subway or bus, depending on your convenience. It cost around 600Yen (weekends) and 750Yen (weekdays). It's way cheaper than paying for your every trip which costs 200Yen per trip. You can get this at any ticketing machine in all subway terminals. It’s a bit hard to describe how to use them but click on the English option so you may be able to read the words. Go and explore or try observing first how they buy the ticket but most probably it will be in Japanese. HAHA

The Food...

In most cases we spend an hour or so just looking for a place to eat. My partner is the worst person to be with in this kind of situation. Just kidding! :* In the five days that we spent in Nagoya we have been to many places but nothing compares to the affordability and accessibility of 7Elevens! HAHA Well, we bought most of our meals here but this is actually just a second option. Taking into account affordability and food taste, the best place to be is this restaurant below. I don’t really know what the name is but this resto in the photo.

It’s located near the Fushimi station. It’s just a station away from Nagoya station via Higashiyama line. You need to exit at EXIT No. 1 and when you’re out you will immediately see the restaurant right across the street.

Oh! I forgot to tell you but this restaurant offers UNLIMITED RICE deal! I KNOW RIGHT?! It’s perfect for you, I know.

Inside, a machine will greet you. This machine will take your order so you better be ready. Again, you may first observe a customer or ask for assistance from the waiters/waitresses. You just need to insert your money into the machine and click on the menu on the upper side of the screen. Click the meal with the corresponding price and a ticket will be printed for you. Give the ticket to the crew afterwards and sit back and relax. Average waiting time is 5-10minutes. You may refer to the video below:

There were a couple of tourist spots that we visited so you may check them through this link.

Have you been to Nagoya? Tell us about your experience in the comment section below.

#Japan