Nagoya and Aichi: Castle, Cars, and a Food Scene of Its Own

Nagoya Castle's main keep is a postwar concrete reconstruction — the original burned in WWII air raids — and it has been closed to visitors since 2018 over earthquake-safety concerns; the city has long-running plans to eventually rebuild it in wood, but no firm reopening date has been set, so check current status before you go. The grounds and the rebuilt wooden Honmaru Palace, however, are open, and general admission is a modest, city-set fee (roughly 500 yen for adults as of recent years, with discounts for Nagoya seniors and free entry for junior-high age and younger) — confirm the current rate before visiting.

The Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology, housed in a former Toyota textile factory, traces the company's shift from automatic looms to automobiles, with working machinery demonstrations. It's one of the better corporate museums in Japan and worth a visit even if you're not particularly interested in cars.

Nagoya has a food culture distinct from Tokyo or Osaka: hitsumabushi (grilled eel over rice, eaten three different ways from one bowl), miso katsu (pork cutlet under a thick red miso sauce), and tebasaki (fried chicken wings) are all local specialties worth trying here specifically rather than assuming you'll find the same quality elsewhere.