Things To Do In Nagoya?
 

I'm competing in the Ironman Japan Triathlon on June 26, and will be in Nagoya the 20th-28th.

The race is basically around the Centrair airport and my hotel is near the airport (Toyoko Inn).

So...

...I like eat good food, have adventures and see cool things. Any recommendations on places to go, or other tips?

Miso katsu. But, I wouldn't eat it the night before you run!

http://nagoya-info.com/nagoya-famous-food/

A little bit of a haul from Nagoya proper, but I thought that Meiji Mura was kind of neat.

http://www.meijimura.com/english/index.html

Alas, I wasn't able to find much to do in Nagoya the one time I was there for a short visit.

I did enjoy Meiji Mura in nearby Inuyama, mentioned already by hailstorm.

Even more than this I loved staying in Tsumago and the delightful trek between this mountain village and Magome. Often the advice is to walk the path the other way as it is mostly downhill, but with your fitness levels I can't imagine any issue.

It takes between 48minutes and 64minutes to get from Nagoya to Nakatsugawa (the longer time is if you take a cheaper train, in other words a ¥2,740 fare vs a ¥1,590 fare)
From there it's a short cheap bus ride -or longish hike- to Magome (or go to Nagiso station and get the bus -or shortish hike- to Tsumago).
If you look up Tsumago & Magome and/or the Kiso Valley (AKA Kisoji) on the web or in this forum you'll see plenty about the area.
Click here for a picture preview.

Ise Shrine.

Inuyama Castle.

Food.

With only the food being actually available within Nagoya.

Oh dear... :(

The OP has eight (!) days in Nagoya. If he can't find a day to get out to Ise (by boat via Matsuzaka) or a few hours to Inuyama, then there's not much else I can recommend. Perhaps Nagashima Spa Land?

I think you misunderstood.
I didn't suggest anything actually in Nagoya either.
The - oh dear - was about the lack of enthusiasm amongst all of us for sights and experiences in the city.

Food - Kishimen noodles or Hitsumabushi (eel on rice) might be a good carb. boost before your triath.

If the OP likes baseball, the Nagoya Dragons are playing a three game series in the Nagoya Dome against the Hanshin Tigers from 26th to 28th.

Ah, I see! Yes, there is a dearth of decent sights in Nagoya proper. I've always compared it to Chicago, as it is first and foremost an eating town in my opinion.

I gained 5kg during a two week business trip to Chicago...then lost 3kg near the end due to food poisoning. That's never happened to me in Nagoya...

If you're planning to spend all your nights at the Toyoko Inn at/near the airport, I suggest changing your plans to spend at least a couple of nights at one of the Toyoko Inns near Nagoya Station. The Sakura Dori side of the station has two of them about a 5 minute walk away, on opposite corners from each other. The neighborhood has a bunch of restaurants, a few of which I've tried and found to be good, one of which is now my favorite place in Nagoya (as much for the atmosphere as for the food). I also recommend some Nagoya chicken wings and a beer to go along with them, both of which can be found at countless places.

From Nagoya Station you can hop on the subway and trains to explore the area. Nagoya Castle is interesting enough, though it's a replica since the original was destroyed in WWII. Inuyama Castle, mentioned above, looks interesting, perhaps more so than Nagoya Castle because it's older. The Toyota Museum is worth the trip if you like cars and have a few hours. The aquarium is OK - not super but far from something to avoid. A train trip into the mountains (Takayama, etc.) will get you some nice scenery.

Nagoya isn't the most exciting/interesting place in Japan, but I've spent enough time there that it's grown on me a bit. If this is your first time to Japan you'll find plenty of interesting stuff just by wandering around and soaking it all in.

Cool! Good info, thanks!

We visited the castle and theToyota Museum and took a tour of the Toyota auto factory. You'll need a reservation for the factory tour. For me, the factory was most interesting. http://www.toyota.co.jp/en/about_toy...our/index.html
We stayed at the Nagoya-eki Shinkansen guchi in March. Guests are normally not allowed in the rooms between 1000 and 1600-The staff cleans all the rooms during that period. We asked for the "eco" option which means that the staff doesn't enter your room but hangs a bag of towels and consumables on the door knob. There was a small "discount" and we were allowed to enter, exit and occupy our room at any time during the cleaning period.