Nagoya Must-Visits for First-Timers

There are a lot of nice places that you can visit in Nagoya but I will only talk about the four that we visited. You can add them to your existing list if you want.

1. Koshoji Temple

This is one magnificent place that you can visit. If you try to search for tourist destinations in Nagoya you won’t probably see this temple. There’s not much information about it either on the internet but I highly recommend you go the extra mile and visit this place. Trust me, you will not regret it. Here, you will see a great Buddha in front of a five-story pagoda. The Buddha here reflects a calm disposition. It holds a rainbow colored string that rolls down to its base. They say you can hold the string and make a wish from the Buddha.

Entrance Fee: 500Yen (Entrance to the Fumon Garden, this already includes sweets and a cup of tea)

Temple Hours: Not Sure

2. Nagoya City Science Museum

We weren’t able to go inside the museum as it was closed during that time but from how it looks outside it’s rather interesting to explore it. If you’re a science geek, this place is for you. They say you can experience the Aurora in this place. You should go!

Entrance Fee: 800Yen (Museum and Planetarium)

Museum Hours: 9:30AM-5:00PM (tickets sold until 4:30PM)

3. Atsuta-Jingu Shrine

The shrine is considered to be the oldest landmark in Nagoya dating to almost 1,900 years of history. Some camphor trees inside the shrine are estimated to be 1000 years old. When I first entered the main gate the first thing that came to mind was the beautiful Meiji Shrine in Tokyo. It’s rather similar in terms how the shrine was structured. Towering Tori Gates will greet you at the entrance and you will notice many visitors making a wish and buying goodluck charms that they can take home.

If you are a Naruto fan, here’s a crazy fun fact for you. It was said that one of the three legendary swords of Japan named Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi (which was originally called as the Heavenly Sword of Gathering Clouds) is in Atsuta. The sword belongs to the Shinto god Susanoo who then defeated an 8-headed monster. After possessing the blade, it was then offered to the sun goddess Amaterasu to settle an old grievance. This blade is considered as national treasure of Japan.

Entrance: Free

Entrance to the Treasure Hall: 300Yen

4. Nabana No Sato

The Nabana No Sato is a flower park inside the Nagashima Resort and is one of the four main attractions of the resort that is known for its flora. It is home to different types of flowers like Hydrangea, Tulips, Roses and Daffodils that bloom in different seasons of the year.

This is not the best part yet, it is during the winter season (October to May) that the park attracts the most number of visitors because of its breath-taking winter illumination. What makes the light more beautiful is the accompanying music that will definitely take you to another world. The best attraction during this time is the tunnel of lights that will make your jaw drop.

How to get there?

Your one-day pass is not allowed here as you will not be riding a bus or a subway. You need to buy a ticket at the Kintetsu Line Ticketing Office. The cheapest way to go there is to buy their packaged ticket that's worth 3,190 yen. This already includes your RT train ride (from Nagoya Station to Nagashima Station), RT bus ticket (from Nagashima Station to Nabana No Sato), your 1,000 yen worth of ticket that you may use to buy for food and souvenir items inside the park, and for the park entrance fee. If you will buy them individually that will cost you around 4,100 yen. You saved around 910 yen (around 450 pesos).

5. Nagoya Castle

I really think Japan has a lot of castles scattered all over the country. The Nagoya Castle in particular is one of the biggest I've seen so far. It's a 7-story high magnificent structure and like the Osaka castle, it was transformed into a museum to provide history to the people of Japan and to visitors from other countries.

Tip: If you're lucky you'd get to see a live performance from Ninjas and Samurais inside the compound. It's free so you don't have to worry about it. You will see the schedule of their performance at the main entrance.

Entrance Fee: 500 Yen

Museum Hours: 9:00AM-4:30PM

6. Shirakawa-go

This should be on your top priority when you visit Nagoya during the winter season. Shirakawa-go, which also means White River Old District, is a UNESCO World Heritage that is located in between the borders of Gifu and Toyama Prefecture. Want to go there? Click this link for more details.

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

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