Nagoya (名古屋市, Nagoya-shi) - The
fourth-largest city in Japan.
Located on the Pacific coast in the Chūbu region on central
Honshū, it is the capital of Aichi Prefecture and is one of
Japan's major ports along with those of Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe,
Yokohama, Chiba, and Hakata. It is also the center of
Japan's third largest metropolitan region, known as the
Chūkyō Metropolitan Area (see also Chūkyō region). As of
2000, Chūkyō Metropolitan Area has 8.74 million people, of
which 2.17 million live in the city of Nagoya.
Sightseeing
Nagoya's two most famous sightseeing spots are Nagoya Castle
and Atsuta Shrine.
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. The castle is very famous for two magnificent
Golden Orca (金の鯱, Kin no Shachihoko) on the roof, often used
as the symbol of Nagoya.
Atsuta Shrine is known as the second-most venerable shrine
in Japan, after Ise Shrine. It is said to enshrine the
Kusanagi sword, one of the three imperial regalia of Japan.
It holds around 70 festivals in a year, and many people
visit the shrine year-round. Also, the shrine has over 4,400
national treasures representing its 2,000 years' history.
Other Attractions
The Nagoya TV Tower
JR Central Towers of Nagoya Station
Midland Square, the new international sales headquarters for
the Toyota Motor Corporation and features Japan's highest
open-air observation deck.
The Nagoya Port area (The Nagoya port area includes a themed
shopping mall called Italia Mura as well as the popular Port
of Nagoya Public Aquarium.)
Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens.
The Toyota museums, 1. The Toyota Automobile Museum in
Nagakute and 2. the Toyota Museum of Industry and Technology
near Nagoya station.
The Noritake factory (the home of Noritake fine chinaware)
is also open to visitors and allows people to browse through
the history of the establishment. Complete with cafe and
information/technology displays, as well as shopping
facilities, visitors can spend a whole day wandering through
the displays and grounds. It also holds a few sad reminders
of devastation during the final stages of WWII.
Transportation
Nagoya is served by Chūbu Centrair International Airport
(NGO) in the city of Tokoname and by Nagoya Airfield (Komaki
Airport, NKM) near the city boundary with Komaki and
Kasugai. On February 17, 2005, all of Nagoya Airport's
commercial flights moved to Centrair. Nagoya Airfield is now
used for general aviation and airbase facility as well as
J-Air airline hub.
Nagoya Station, the world's largest train station by floor
area, is on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen, Tōkaidō Main Line, and
Chūō Main Line, among others. The Nagoya Railroad and
Kintetsu provide regional rail service to points in the
Tōkai and Kansai regions. The city is also serviced by the
Nagoya Subway.
Nagoya Port is the largest port by international trade value
in Japan[citation needed]. Toyota Motor Corporation uses
Nagoya Port for export of their products.
Education and culture
Nagoya is home to the Nagoya/Boston Museum of Fine Arts, a
sister museum to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, which was
founded to bring aspects of the MFA's collection to Japan.
The Tokugawa Museum is a private museum belonging to the
Owari branch the Tokugawa family who lived in Nagoya castle
for 16 generations. Among other things, it contains 10
designated national treasures of Japan.
Several universities are also located in Nagoya, including
Nagoya University and Nanzan University.
The Nagoya dialect is referred to as Nagoya-ben.
Some famous Nagoya foods: misokatsu (pork cutlet with miso
sauce), tebasaki (a type of yakitori), kishimen (flat udon
noodles), misonikomi udon (noodles in thick miso soup),
Nagoya kōchin (a special breed of chicken).
Information source: “Nagoya.” wikipedia.org. Article
date: 22 Feb. 2008. Retrieved: Wikipedia. 4 Mar. 2008 <Nagoya>. |
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