Nagoya

Nagoya (名古屋) is a biiig town with thousands of restaurants, bookshops, bars, clubs, karaoke joints, everything you can imagine. Here's a small sampling of what's available for those in the Ken feeling city-starved.

Orientation

All trains from Mie (JR, Kintetsu, whatever) arrive at Nagoya Station. This is a massive complex with several department stores, endless restaurants, etc. - you can play here if you just want to shop and can't be bothered travelling to other parts of Nagoya.

The other main gaijin centre of gravity, as well as nightlife and shopping central, is Sakae. To get here you take the Higashiyama subway line (yellow line) two stops east from Nagoya Station to, funnily enough, Sakae Station (only takes a few minutes, ¥200). You'll find yourself in a nest of more underground shopping malls - best to head up to street level to work out where the hell you are (unless there's a typhoon on). (You can also use Yabachō subway station for the south of the Sakae shopping area, but getting there from Nagoya station requires changing lines so it's a bit of a pain.)

Ōsu-Kan'non is another cool area with the famous-ish Ōsu-Kan'non temple, and seems to be where the funky people who can't afford Sakae hang out. Subway: Ōsu-Kan'non; see below for more details.

Nagoya International Association publishes a monthly English guide to what's on in Nagoya, including movies, events, classes, etc. - you can pick it up in Maruzen bookstore and various cafes/bars.

For incredible listings of events, festivals, concerts, plus detailed maps of many areas in Nagoya, check out the regularly updated handiwork of the amazing Kikuko. It also has maps of the area and more.

• Nagoya Information