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Mark McDonald
The visual pleasure of Nagoya (vol.1)
Humans have five senses, as we all know.
Which senses are used the most when traveling?
It could be said that of the five senses, the sense of sight is the most important when traveling. When we return from a trip, we are often asked "Where did you go?" and "What did you see?"
Therefore in these articles, I would like to show you some of the most interesting views in the Nagoya area. I hope that you will want to visit these places and see for yourself.
As an extra bonus, we have also included some hints for people who want to get some nice photos of these areas.
The first place most people will experience is Nagoya Station itself. While this is mainly a place for shopping (especially with the new JR Gate Tower having recently opened), there are also very interesting views to be seen from the station area itself. This area shows off the big-city feel of Nagoya, especially at night.
Photographic hint : You can go up fairly high in the main station building, and there are plenty of interesting views out onto the city. The higher you go, the more interesting the views are. And now with the new JR Gate Tower, there are even more views.
Starting from the station, there are many places of interest. We would like to recommend some of them, starting with those closer to the station and then moving to places a little further out. If you do not have much time, then you might want to stay in the local area, but if you have more time or feel adventurous, you can go further out. We recommend the subway first and foremost, but taxis and buses are also easily accessed.
The Nagoya TV Tower
The Nagoya TV Tower dominates the central part of the city, and can be reached from the station in only a few minutes by taking either the Higashiyama (yellow) subway line to Sakae (two stops from Nagoya), or the Sakura-dori (red) subway line to Hisaya-Odori (three stops from Nagoya). The cost is 200 yen. Both stations will put you very close to the TV tower, and if you're not absolutely sure where it is, just look around. It's almost impossible to miss (there will also be signs in the subway telling you the correct exit)
Photographic hint : the TV tower can be seen from many angles and many places. Try going up close and then moving back.
It's not just the TV Tower itself which looks good. For a small fee, you can go to the top where the views are equally interesting, especially when it gets dark outside.
※All Nagoya TV Tower facilities will be closed starting January 7, 2019 due to construction. They will be reopening summer 2020.
Photographic hint for the night view : Hold your lens right against the glass to avoid reflections, set your timer, and hold the camera very steady while shooting. The exposure will be long!
When you have seen the view from the TV Tower, you can go across the road to the Oasis 21 Bus Center, which also has good views from the roof. The roof itself also provides an interesting view of the TV Tower. There are often events held on the ground floor as well.
Photographic hint : up here, a wide angle lens is recommended.
Nagoya Castle and Meijo Park
From Sakae station, you can take the Meijo (purple) line two stops to Shiyakusho (City Hall) station, again for 200 yen. From here, follow the exit sign (exit 7) for Nagoya Castle, another principal attraction. The castle has a very interesting history and boasts interesting views from many angles.
Photographic hint : You can actually enter the castle grounds for a small fee, and this gives you different views to those from the outside.
From the castle, it is a short walk (it is not even necessary to get on the subway) to Meijo Park, just down the hill from the castle. It is a nice way to take a break from the busy city.
Photographic hint : The park has a number of different areas. Be sure to explore them all.
To get back to the Sakae area, you can take the subway from Meijo Koen station (across from the main entrance to the park) or walk back up to Shiyakusho station and take the subway from there.
Osu Kannon and shopping street
From Sakae, it is easy to get to Osu Kannon (one of Nagoya's major temples) and the shopping street which connects two areas of Nagoya. Take the Higashiyama (yellow) line to Fushimi (only one stop) and then change to the Tsurumai (blue) line, directly to Osu Kannon (also one stop). The temple is a very short walk from the exit and the station will have signs telling you the correct exit.
One of the most interesting sights, apart from the temple, is when the pigeons (who can be fed) all decide to fly to the same place at the same time. They do it quite often, so there is a good chance you will see it happen.
Photographic tip: Like with Oasis 21, a wide angle lens is useful here.
Just past the temple is a long shopping street (actually, two streets running in parallel) where you will find more personal, individual kind of shops, different to the major shopping areas like Sakae and Nagoya Station.
Photographic tip for the shopping street : Be patient. There are usually a lot of people here!
