Nagoya is the fourth largest city in Japan. Located on the Pacific coast in the Chubu region on central Honshu, it is the capital of Aichi Prefecture and is one of Japans major ports. It has over two million inhabitants.

Nagoya Castle was built in 1612. Although a large part of it burned down in the fires of World War II, the castle was restored in 1959, adding some modern amenities such as elevators.

More famous for its car industry than for its tourist attractions, but it makes a good stopover if traveling around Japan. A couple of days should be enough to visit the main tourist sights.

There are a lot of places for cheap drinking. Sakae is the big nightlife district, in a loose triangle near the station. It has a large red light district but as with most of Japan theres no sense of danger so dont worry. If the bar and club scene is not for you, try their bimonthly international parties. Always a dynamic mix of foreigners and Japanese. At the party its all you can drink and eat for a set price.

Nagoya is a modern Japanese city, similar to Osaka. It has a reconstructed castle and a modern centre. The city entered the tourist circuits in 2005 with the Aichi Expo. Take a trip and have fun in discovering things for yourself.

Getting There By Train

Nagoya is located along the Tokaido Shinkansen route between Tokyo and Osaka. To the west are Gifu and Kyoto, and to the east are Hamamatsu and Shizuoka.

* A one-way ride from Tokyo is about 1 hour, 40 minutes via Nozomi (\10780) and between 1 3/4 and 2 hours via Hikari (\10580).

* From Kyoto, Nagoya is reachable in 36 minutes via Nozomi (\5640) and between 36 and 55 minutes via Hikari or Kodama (\5440).

* From the Shin-Osaka station in Osaka, Nagoya is 53 minutes away via Nozomi (\6380) and between 53 and 70 minutes away via Hikari or Kodama (\6180).

Thru Nozomi trains from western Japan reach Nagoya from Okayama (1 hr 40 mins, \10980), Hiroshima (2 hrs 20 mins, \13830) and Hakata station in Fukuoka (3 hrs 20 mins, \18030). It is slightly longer via the Hikari service; you will need to change trains at least once, either at Okayama, Shin-Kobe, or Shin-Osaka.

If you wish to sacrifice travel speed for savings, you can take advantage of the Puratto Kodama Ticket (in Japanese), which offers a discount for Kodama services if you purchase at least one day in advance. You get a reserved seat and a free drink on board. With this ticket a trip to Nagoya costs \7900 from Tokyo (3 hours; 2 trains per hour), \4100 from Kyoto (1 hour; 1 train per hour) and \4200 from Shin-Osaka (1 1/4 hours; 1 train per hour). A few early-morning Kodama trains cannot be used with this ticket.

Nagoya also serves as the terminal point for the hourly Wide View Shinano, a limited express train that runs from the mountain resort towns of Nagano and Matsumoto. Nagoya is reached in 3 hours and 2 hours, respectively.

Local trains from Tokyo take about 6 hours at a cost of \6090, requiring several train changes along the way. However, trips on local trains are more valuable if you purchase and use a Seishun 18 Ticket during the valid time period. Otherwise, consider using a bus starting from \5000, or step up to the bullet train for \7900 using the Puratto Kodama Ticket.

Remember that the Japan Rail Pass covers all journeys described above, EXCEPT for Nozomi trains.

Nagoya is also served by the Meitetsu and Kintetsu private railways. If coming to Nagoya from Osaka, a travel option that comes cheaper than the Shinkansen is a Kintetsu limited express service called the Urban Liner (アーバンライナー), which runs out of Namba station. The Urban Liner departs at 0 and 30 minutes past the hour, covering the journey in as little as two hours, but at a cost of \4150 each way. (The shinkansen, by comparison, makes the run from Shin-Osaka to Nagoya in under an hour for \5670). Japan Rail Passes are not vaild for the Urban Liner.

Getting There By Bus

A cheaper method of reaching Nagoya is by bus. Day and night services run to Nagoya from most parts of the country, particularly from Kanto. For example, a night service from Tokyo to Nagoya on JR Kanto Bus costs \6420 one way (discounted trips \5000 each way), while daytime services cost \5100 one way. The trip takes roughly 6 hours to complete.

Nightlife in Nagoya

Bars

* Shooter's, close to Fushimi station. An American sports bar that attracts a mixed crowd with live music on Sundays.
* The Red Rock, located directly behind the Chunichi Building in Sakae. An Australian pub experience.
* Hard Rock Cafe, close to Hilton. Serves the usual mix of rock music and American food.

Nightclubs

Nagoya has some of the best clubs in Japan, possibly second only to Tokyo. A lot of the DJs who play Tokyo also pass through Nagoya.

* ID club - the most popular and well-known club in Nagoya. In Sakae.

* Club Mago In Shin-Sakae on the basement level of the Flex-building. Great for house, techno, electro-clash, progressive house. 2500-3000 cover.

* Radix- one of the bigger clubs in Nagoya, a lot of big house, jungle and dub Djs play here. Expect to pay from 2000-3000 yen, usually with a free drink included.

* Club Daughter has something happening almost every night, so you'll never be stuck for something to do. It's a small place though. To western clubbers, it may seem more like a basement party then a club, and if you're going out on a Monday or a Tuesday, you may find it pretty empty. Fridays and Saturdays, though, the place is normally packed. Drinks are about 600 yen each, entry varies, check on the site.

* Club JB's is another good Nagoya club. Right around the corner from Club Daughter.

* J-Max in Fushimi attracts foreigners and Japanese alike for your weekend dance event. Entry fee is usually 2000-3000 yen, with a couple of drinks included.

* The Underground, Shin-Sakae. Has two floors for one price, upstairs is hip-hop at maximum volume levels, while downstairs more dance music is played. Always a happy crowd without annoying bouncers, ladies pay 1500 and guys 2000 with 2 drinks included. Foreigners welcome.

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