Nagoya Off The Beaten Path

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Atsuta Memorial Bridge over the Horikawa river is linking Atsuta Jingu Park and Shiratori Park where Nagoya International Convention Hall and Shiratori Teien are located. The bridge also has nice views of Horikawa River, Convention Hall, and skyscraper in the distance.

Venice? Trieste? Genoa? Nope, none of these. This is "Villagio Italia", and Italian-themed shopping complex by Nagoya harbor. I must say they have done a pretty good job. There are food and fashion stores, bars, restaurants and even a chapel. It covers an enormous area - 53,000 square meters - and you can easily spend an afternoon wandering around. Definitely worth a look if you are in the area.

It costs 1000 yen to enter (you receive vouchers for the same value to spend inside) and the complex is open from 10am 7 days.

It's the eastern area of Garden Pier in Nagoya port.

If you want to see a 'real' man-made island, check out Shin Maiko Beach. It's a small island about a half-km across the water from Shin-Maiko, and just north of Centrair Airport. There's a lot of open park space and there's a big, young forest growing there. There's also a small beach and plenty of walkways. There's a rest facility and a couple of souvenir shops. You can also get a view of Centrair Airport in the distance. There are also two huge windmills. If you've ever wanted to walk around a man-made island, this is your chance. I found it kind of interesting. There's also quite a bit of wind-surfing available in Shin-Maiko. When I was there I saw about 20 windsurfers and saw a rental shop near the bridge to the island. It's just a 20-min ride south of Nagoya on the Meitetsu Line or 5-min north of Centrair. Shin-Maiko station. 540 yen.

It's a bit of a trek north of Nagoya, but Inuyuma Castle is worth seeing. The castle has the oldest original tower, built in the 1500's. It's quite small, but it's really interesting inside. You get the feel of being in a real castle, not just a tourist trap. There are breathtaking views of the mountains, the river, and Inuyama from the tower. The surrounding grounds are also quite peaceful. It costs about 500 yen to enter.

Ok, so this is definitely off the beaten path. If you're in Nagoya in July, I suggest you make a visit to the Oiden festival. Oiden means something like 'welcome, please come and have fun'. Many people parade around the main square in Toyota, singing and dancing to the same song, over and over. You can see people wearing almost nothing, beating taiko drums, and drinking lots of sake. But the best part is the fireworks display. It happens at the end of Oiden, on a Sunday night, and lasts for over an hour. I've never seen a more awesome display of pyrotechnics.

INUYAMA is a small castle town near Nagoya. The area is a mecca for theme-park type places, but only one is exceptional - MEIJI MURA: The large open air museum in a park-like setting features Meiji-era (1868-1912) buildings moved from all over Japan. Many of these buildings were moved to escape demolition.

The park has forty or so buildings from this era including churches, government buildings and traditional Japanese merchant houses. You'll even find a jail, a bank and a telephone exchange building. Kyoto's first streetcar and an early steam locomotive transport you around the vast grounds on the shores of a large lake. It takes a full day to see all the buildings.

TOP RECOMMENDATION ****

Follow Nakasendo trail through rural Japan on foot and by train to Kyoto. A secret side of Japan to the outside world. Stunning vistas from mountain passes and lots of Nature. First stop would be Matsumoto castle. To get a taste of it do a daytrip there and find out whether you'd like it. See travelogue in my Japan page.

TAKAYAMA.

2 hours by shinkansen from Nagoya. It's a great getaway from the bustles of the city. Here, one can observe the olden Japanese way of living & indulge in the slow pace of living.

I'll write more about this wonderful town as soon as VT adds a locator for this town.