Why visit Nagoya? Why not?

The Sky Promenade observation deck offers breathtaking views of Nagoya. / Korea Times photos by Jung Min-ho

The large yet relatively unknown city gives visitors much to explore

By Jung Min-ho

NAGOYA, Japan ― Nagoya is not necessarily a popular city for tourists. World War II (1939-45) left the city with few historic landmarks and other interesting traces of the past, putting the city at a major disadvantage in terms of attracting visitors.

Over decades, the city developed a reputation for its soullessness, with one local paper even calling it “the most boring city in Japan.”

But once you get to the city, you’ll find that the title is somewhat of an exaggeration. In fact, the city’s exciting aspects is under-promoted, and the lack of foreign visitors gives it a distinct local vibe, in contrast to the country’s other big cities.

Sky Promenade

The Sky Promenade observation deck atop the 247-meter-tall Midland Square offers one of the best, if not the best, night city views in Japan.

The deck features big glass walls all around, letting you enjoy breathtaking views of the city.

Further, the open roof lets you feel the rush of wind around you.

Up there, the first thing you may notice is the hugeness of the city, which feels much smaller when you’re on the ground. At night, with the magnificent mountains at the back, the beautiful city is lit up by all the lights from buildings.

But perhaps the best part of the place is that it is rarely crowded on weekdays, unlike those in many other cities around the world. That means you neither have to wait in a queue for a long time nor fight other visitors for a better view.

Moreover, the huge deck can give you a special, semi-private feeling.

You can conclude your visit by having dinner at any of the fancy restaurants just below the deck, which also gives visitors a view of the city through big glass windows.

Inside the Toyota Tecno Museum

Toyota Techno Museum

What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of what cars are made of?

For many people, it is obviously steel. But another important part is textile, which makes up much of a car’s interiors.

Textile is where Toyota, now the world’s largest automaker, started its business 80 years ago. The Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology, also known as Toyota Techno Museum, tells the story of the firm’s tumultuous history and the people behind its global success.

From the demonstration of the company’s textile looms to the exhibition of its automobiles models, the museum lets you experience the whole world of Toyota.

Not all museum staff are fluent in foreign languages, but they are no less passionate about explaining what visitors through gestures and humor.

One of the most interesting places in the museum is the section dedicated to Sakichi Toyoda (1867-1930), the founder of the Toyota empire. The businessman also invented numerous weaving devices and the principle of “jidoka,” which enables a machine to stop automatically when a problem occurs. The concept later became a key part of the Toyota Production System and is used today beyond the automobile industry to solve production problems, improve quality and reduce costs.

A wide range of visitors, from car engineers to fun-seeking tourists, will find the museum one of Nagoya’s most interesting places to visit for education and inspiration.

Beer tanks at Asahi Brewery

Asahi and Kirin breweries

Japanese beer brands have many fans around the world. Two of their best ― Asahi and Kirin ― offer visitors free tours to their breweries and free samples of their freshest possible beer.

Asahi provides visitors with audio devices that offer language services ― Korean, English and Chinese. The tour focuses on explaining the general beer production process rather than what sets Asahi apart from its competitors.

The tour at Kirin does a better job of explaining its history with interesting graphics and special effects. However, it does not offer audio devices with language services; those who do not understand Japanese only gets English language brochures.

A perfect day for ninja training at Nagoya Castle

Nagoya Castle

Nagoya Castle, the city’s most famous landmark, is definitely worth visiting. You can enjoy the historical atmosphere as you stroll around the place.

In addition to an enjoyable stroll in the castle's historic atmosphere, you can receive ninja training on weekends and public holidays from Hattori Hanzo and the Ninjas, a group of skilled acrobats.

When they are not teaching, they walk around the area and gladly take photos with visitors.