Nagoya (名古屋), A Central Capital

This view is approaching Nagoya via the Kintetsu Nagoya Line. The center two of the four tallest buildings pictured are the JR Central Towers, which houses both the main Nagoya Station and the headquarters of JR Central. By floor space, Nagoya station is the largest train station in the world.

Now that I think about it, I probably should have started with a description of Nagoya instead of Nakatsugawa the last time I wrote on this blog; sorry about that!

Anyways...

A major port city and the capital of Aichi Prefecture (愛知県 Aichi-ken), that would be Nagoya (名古屋市 Nagoya-shi). The city thrives from the various industries located there, mainly automotive, electronic and other trades. The majority of Japanese automotive companies are based out of Nagoya with many branching out to nearby suburbs such as Okazaki. The Nagoya area also hosted Expo 2005 from March until September of that year. There is also Nagoya Port, which is the largest by international trade value, with notable users such as Toyota Motor Corporation.

Having such an industrial status, Nagoya was one of several strategic targets during World War II. The city was one of three of the largest industrial centers, mainly for aircraft production. Nagoya served as the heart of the Japanese aircraft industry at the time, with an estimated 40-50% of all the Japanese combat aircraft in addition to aircraft engines produced from the city itself. The air raids left nearly one-fourth of the city in ruins.

Being a major city, Nagoya has many sightseeing locations, many which are easily accessible via the city's subway system. One of two of the most famous sites would be Nagoya Castle (名古屋城 Nagoya-jo). The exterior has since been restored from the war days but the interior serves as a museum with many of the original artifacts from pre-war days on display as well as a history of the site.

Nagoya Castle exterior.

One of several views from the top level of Nagoya Castle.

Here are some of the displays:

Katana (swords) on display.

Examples of interior designs of the time period.

Samurai and other period accurate headgear.

The common symbol is the gold dolphin (or is it a whale?).

Here's another one of those dolphins?

Blueprints detailing the original castle layout.

The other site worth checking out in Nagoya would be the Atsuta Shrine, a Shinto shrine considered second-only to Ise Shrine. It's said to hold one of the three sacred treasures of Japan (the Kusanagi sword). The shrine also hosts 70 different festivals throughout the year. Other sites include various museums ranging from art to automotive, a zoo, an aquarium, sports hot spots, among other things.

Now you're gonna hate me for doing this last but Nagoya also is known for some of it's cuisine. One of my personal favorites is Miso Katsu:

Deep fried pork or chicken cutlets glazed in red miso sauce with egg and rice makes a good dish.

Other dishes include Tebasaki (sweet marinated chicken wings with sesame seads), Kishimen (flat udon noodles in a slippery texture dipped in light soy sauce and a sliced leek, hot or cold), and Tenmusu (rice ball wrapped in laver with tempura in the center) just to name a few.

And there's also other choices of deep-fried goods:

After spending nearly two years living near and frequenting the city of Nagoya, I've come to find a love for it. There are many things about it that makes it unique. And that goes the same for many other cities and towns dotted across Japan.

A view of the JR Central Towers from the Sky Promenade, which is a city observation deck just across the street from the main Nagoya Station.

Another view of the cityscapes. Photo taken from the Sky Promenade observation deck.