Christmas in Nagoya

 

It's become a tradition for us to travel on a major holiday! It's hard to believe this is our 4th Christmas season in Japan. In 2021 we made it back to the US, but the other years we have gone on trips in Japan. This year we decided to check out Nagoya. 

Nagoya is the 3rd largest city in Japan (Tokyo 34M, Osaka 19M, Nagoya 9.5M) with the largest shipping port in the country. It is also the headquarters for Toyota and it has a large train museum, including the Maglev train. So, lots of things to see and experience.

By taking the Shinkansen you can get from Yokohama to Nagoya in an hour and a half! We headed out on Saturday morning (Dec 23) and arrived at Nagoya station by 9am. Our hotel was the JR Gate Tower and we were able to drop our bags off early so we could enjoy the sights without lugging them around.

 (JR is one of the main train line companies, but they also have hotels connected to many of their big stations. We stayed at a JR hotel in Hokkaido and really liked the convenience and the quality) 

Both of the JR hotels we have stayed at were located on the upper floors of shopping and office high rises right next to the station. Our room this time was on the 23rd floor. 

The JR Gate Tower had a really nice breakfast buffet! (Japanese and Western foods - including the local delicacy Hitsumabushi, a specially prepared eel dish)

Our first stop was the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology. The Toyota company had it roots in the textile industry before it moved into the automobile industry. This museum has amazing displays highlighting the progress of the industrial revolution and the how textiles are made (I now see all fabric in a new light!). 

Sakichi Toyoda was the founder of the  Toyota Company, and in 1906 he invented the circular loom, along with many other very successful looms. His son, Kiichiro Toyoda is the one who moved the company's focus to automobiles.

Kimball's favorite part of the whole trip was watching the demonstrations of the looms to make textiles and the robots used in automobile productions. Very interesting museum. We spent several hours there!

Our next stop was to visit Nagoya Castle. It was destroyed during WWII, but later re-built. Visitors are not allowed to go inside this castle, but Hommaru Palace is right next to the Castle and we were able to go on tour of the Palace.

  We finally made it back to the hotel to pick up some warmer clothing and then we headed right back out to go to a HUGE illuminations event called Nabana no Sato. It was the biggest illuminations I have ever been to. Very impressive, but also a mix of things....not really a Christmas theme. Oh well, it was pretty cool to see. There was a large greenhouse area filled with begonias and another one filled with poinsettias. There was also a "ride" you could take to see the lights from above. Dad thought it was a UFO looking thing. The line was super long and we didn't want to wait. 

Exhausted and 30,000+ steps later was finally fell into bed!

Sunday morning (Dec 24) we joined our Branch Sacrament meeting via Zoom. After church we took the train to the main Port of Nagoya area. There are several attractions all located in the same area - the Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium, the Port of Nagoya Lookout Tower, the Fuji, Antarctic Museum, and the Nagoya Maritime Museum. We managed to make it to all 4! The aquarium is nice but we have seen such incredible aquariums in Japan that we must be spoiled. However, the "Tornado of Sardines" event was impressive and unique (light show, soundtrack, special effects - very Japanese)

The Fuji is an icebreaker ship that was used for 18 years in the Japanese expeditions to the Antarctic. It is now permanently docked at the Port of Nagoya and serves as a museum. It's hard to imagine life on board in the rough, treacherous, and icy Southern Ocean.

During our visit to the Nagoya Maritime Museum dad was able to try the simulators for docking a large shipping vessel and for working the dock cranes.

To get back to the main downtown area from the port area we decided to take a canal boat. It was a little longer than the train, but we got to go through a set of locks which was fun.

Our last stop was to the Midland Square Sky Promenade. Its an open-air sky walk on the 46th to 42nd floors of a skyscraper. You start on the 46th floor and as you walk around 360 degrees, you end up on the 42nd. The views of the city at night are incredible. We found the Nagoya Castle and took a pic.

Christmas day we headed to the Maglev train museum. It is located right next door to Legoland and our train was packed with families and lots of kids!! It was funny getting off  the train in a huge crowd and then have everyone head in the opposite direction as us. haha But the train museum was interesting...if you're into trains. I enjoy it for the most part. The advancements in train travel are phenomenal!

Speaking of trains, right after the museum we took a train ride from the south by the water to an hour north of Nagoya to visit the Inuyama Castle. It is located on a hill top and has the perfect spot for defense of the area. Inuyama Castle is one of only 5 in Japan that are original (not rebuilt) and are designate as a National Treasure. It was built in 1537!

You are allowed to go inside and climb to the top. You can even walk around at the top. I think its crazy that the railing is so low - very unsafe in my opinion. I was a little freaked out, but I made it.

After the castle we visited a small museum that housed the floats used every year at the Inuyama Street Festival. They were pretty impressive. The museum had a great movie that showed the past Festivals. They are held in the Spring in connection with Sakura season. It would be so fun to go, but I doubt we will ever get back there.

Before we left Inuyama we stopped by an old bar/restaurant place that turned out to have really good sushi and the Nagoya special chicken wings. Christmas dinner!

Our last day in Nagoya (Dec 26) we spent the morning in the hotel Zooming with kids. That was so fun. I missed being with everyone. Check out was at 11am and our train back wasn't until 4:30. Our plan was to visit the Noritake  Garden, Craft Center, and Museum. But, when we got there only the main store was open. During the week before New Years, many business start to shut down. That is something I might be tempted to return and do.

 We filled our time visiting a famous shrine - Atsuta-jingu, but many of the things in the shrine area were also closed. Nearby was a lovely Japanese garden called Shirotori Garden. It's called "strolling garden" and it has several different features including a waterfall, bamboo forest, bridges, and fountains.

 On our way back we crossed over a canal like the one we took the boat up from the Port of Nagoya. Overall we had a lovely time visiting this place. I highly recommend it, but I think most places in Japan are like this. Lots to see and do wherever you go!