Nagoya tours and excursions
Nagoya tours
Bus tours
Sunrise Tours operates bus tours of Nagoya as well as further afield, for example the historic city of Takayama and the traditional village of Shirakawayo, or Nara Park and the cherry blossoms on Mt Yoshino.
Tel: + 81 3 5796 5454.Website: http://www.jtb-sunrisetours.jp
Nagoya excursions
Meiji Mura
Outside Inuyama is the excellent outdoor architectural museum of Meiji Mura. Most of the almost 70 structures in the museum park date from the Meiji period (1868-1912) and were relocated here after surviving many earthquakes and WWII. Many of the buildings, such as post offices, banks, hospitals and telephone exchanges, were built when Japan was modernising and are unique examples of architectural hybridisation. However, there are also more traditional structures from the Edo period. The highlight is the main entrance and lobby of the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. You can get around the park by steam locomotive, street tram and bus, or on foot.
1 Uchiyama, Inuyama
Website: http://www.meijimura.com
Inuyama
Inuyama is an attractive town located to the northeast of Nagoya. It is famous for its beautiful castle, Inuyama-jo, the oldest in Japan with a donjon (keep) dating back to 1537. Nearby is the strolling garden Urakuen, which has an exquisite 17th-century teahouse. Jo-an is widely regarded as one of the finest examples of teahouse architecture in Japan. From June to September, it is possible to see ukai (cormorant fishing), in which fishermen manipulate the birds to do the actual fishing. The fishing takes place in the evening on the Kiso River near Inuyama-yuen Station. Tickets can be purchased at the tourist information office.
Inuyama Tourist Information Office
Meitetsu Inuyama Station
Website: http://ml.inuyama.gr.jp/en
Toyota City
Toyota City is worth a visit. Located to the east of Nagoya, it is home to the Toyota Motor Corporation. There are free one-hour tours of the Toyota Motor Factory. Reservations in advance are essential.
The Toyota Automobile Museum is located in east Nagoya, while the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology, which tracks more than a century of motoring history, is located in the city centre.
Website: http://www.toyota.co.jp/toyotakaikan
Arimatsu
Arimatsu is a few kilometres southeast of downtown Nagoya and was a post town of the ancient Tokaido highway. This quaint old town has been a centre for the production of tie-dyed fabrics and clothes, known as shibori, since 1608. The history of this industry is brought to life in the local museum, the Arimatsu-Narumi Shibori Kaikan. The town also features the Arimatsu Festival Float Museum, which displays the impressive floats used for the colourful annual festival there. Several of the old houses involved in the tie-dyeing industry are listed buildings because of their architectural and cultural importance.
