Impressions of Nagoya

I've been in Nagoya for a little while now, so what's it like?

Okay, Nagoya is in central Japan, between Yokohama and Kyoto (but closer to Kyoto). It's the fourth-largest city in Japan; at around 2.2 million people, it's smack between the populations of Yokohama (3.6 million) and Kawasaki (1.3 million).

Since Nagoya is a reasonably large city, I expected it to be bustling and lively. I knew it wasn't a major tourist draw, so I wasn't expecting many sights to see, but I thought the vibe would be similar to other Japanese cities I've visited, which includes masses of cool little streets full of shops, restaurants, businesses, bars and people.

Instead, I found the city to be pretty boring. Last weekend I was walking around Nagoya station thinking 'this is the main station?! Where are all the shops? Where are the restaurants? Where are the people?!' I walked around the station in every direction; all I found were a smattering of shops and one (admittedly large) department store. There may well be more but they weren't very visible.

This is, like, one street back from Nagoya station. Look at it!!

Any time I ask someone 'where should I go in Nagoya?' or 'where are all the shops?', people say, 'Sakae'. If I listen to friends and students, it seems Sakae is the only place people go to hang out. And Sakae is somewhat livelier, with more places to hang out.

Another thing that struck me - I suppose because food is such a priority for me ^^; - is that 90% of all Nagoya restaurants seem to be noodles-in-broth restaurants (ramen, soba, udon), or katsu or curry rice. I mean, I like these things, but not all the time.

My impression also is that Nagoya is a more car-oriented city than Yokohama, Kawasaki or Tokyo. In those three cities, restaurants, shops and businesses tend to cluster around train stations, which become hubs of energy. Even quite small and insignificant stations would have several shops and restaurants immediately around it. In Nagoya, while this is still the case, it's to a lesser extent. Things seems to be a lot more spread out, where you have to consciously make a trip to a specific store to get what you want, or research what kind of place you want to visit before you can go there. I find it a bit frustrating, because I was used to going somewhere and being able to just wander around and find lots of cool stuff serendipitously.

But I must admit, in this regard, Nagoya is more like my own hometown in Australia.

Nagoya is known as an industrial city, and there are a lot of factories. I drove from one side of the city to the other, and the city itself looked like a lot of electrical wiring and construction work, though I suppose that's the same in other Japanese cities.

On the plus side, despite the industrialisation and power lines, it does somehow feel more spacious. My own neighborhood in Nagoya feels like it has some greenery, gardens and proper houses, not just apartment blocks and concrete. When it rains it smells fresh. And that is a boon.

Oh, another interesting (albeit random) thing is that supermarkets here don't give you plastic bags, but you are expected to bring your own bags from home. I've talked before about how much excessive packaging most Japanese food stores give you, so this really surprised me. Good for the environment. ^_^

Anyway, these may or may not be accurate impressions; I've not been here long, after all. I wouldn't really recommend Nagoya to visit, but already I like it better than when I first arrived, as I've gotten to know people and had some good times with them. I suppose in the end, your feelings toward a place are a collection of memories; good times can transform even an uninspiring place into a fond recollection.