Oh Boy! THIS got hubby hooked!
 

So I've been working on hubby to join me on a lovely trip to Japan. Thus far, he has been reticent, willing but ambivalent. UNTIL NOW!!!

Yesterday he e-mailed me from work with THIS LINK and said, "When can we go?"

Who knew?! All this time, all I had to do was find a robot museum and I could've had him at "There are robots...." Heck!

So what's the scoop on Nagoya? Would I take the bullet train? How far is it and is it reasonable to make this a day trip if the rest of our trip focused on Tokyo?

Thanks,
GG

Nagoya is located in Central Japan. The scoop with the city is many will say there's not much to actually do in the city, I would say its a small hub to get to other points. But if you're aimed at the robot museum here's the direction:

To get there from Tokyo you can take the Shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Nagoya Station the trip is 1hr 40min by Nozomi Shinkansen, about 2hrs by Hikari Shinkansen. Cost is about 10780yen one way.

From Nagoya Station take the Nagoya City Subway Higashiyama Line to Sakae Station. The Museum should be nearby:
http://www.robot-museum.net/info.html

Sugoi!

Majinga!!!!

Shame this place wasn't around when I visited Nagoya.

My only suggestion is that you go there within a year or two of its opening... these museums don't always last.

I've got a Robot Dance in the company of Prince Akishino on my itinerary later this month. (I think it's this )

I recommend a visit to CEATEC if you can wait until next October (it's the first week in October every year www.ceatec.com - free if you register, go on the first day if you can, every high tech gadget you can imagine, and wall to wall singers, models, dancers, actors... it's a great day out the weather can't spoil).

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3210319

I see there's now loads in youtube showing the cool stuff at CEATEC: http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...&search=Search Enjoy!

AWESOME! Hubby arrived home and I showed him the CEATEC web site and I think I've got confirmation that we will be traveling to Japan next October. Who knew it was so easy? :D

GG

It's a wonderful time of the year to go to Japan.

(And neither the CEATEC website, nor the glimpses on 'youtube', really do it justice - I'm sure you'll both love your visit).

If you are looking at October of next year, you have plenty of time to plan a great trip! I agree with Lap Lap. October/November is a wonderful time to visit Japan.

Unless you are dead set on focusing your trip all or mostly in Tokyo, you might want to consider flying into Nagoya and making your "base" there. Nagoya has the newest and some might say best international airport, a great location on the shinkansen line between Tokyo and Kyoto/Osaka and, of course, the all-important robot museum. ;) As a destination, Nagoya is a little bland, but as a place to arrive and depart and to range outward to other places, it has some advantages. Daytrips to Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe are do-able and Tokyo is only a couple of hours away. In Nagoya, in addition to the robots, there is a pretty good castle, some other nice museums including the Noritake cermics plant and museum, the Tokugawa art and treasure museum and better hotel room rates than the sexier destinations.

Another strategy might be to arrive in Tokyo, spend a few days there, take the train to Kyoto for another few days and either do a daytrip to Nagoya then depart via KIX, or wind up the trip for a day or two in Nagoya, see the robots and depart from NGO. Depends on your airline. Mine is UA and NGO is a prime arrival/departure point.

You'll find lots of suggestions throughout this forum and the friendly denizens will be happy to add to what is already here.

JR

That's actually a really great suggestion, since we did plan to spend a day or two in Kyoto. Hm. I'll have to check and see if AA flies to NGO.

Thanks!

GG

AA doesnt fly into NGO.

They do into KIX.

You can probaby try flying into NRT, visit Tokyo, then on your way to Kyoto, stop in Nagoya to see the robot museum, head out to Kyoto then fly out of KIX (Osaka Kansai International).

I cannot imagine "centering" one's first trip to Japan on Nagoya. To me it would be sort of like centering your first trip to the U.S. on Kansas City because it's in the center of the country and hence closer to all four of NYC, Washington, LA, and SF than just about anywhere else.

And that would apply even if Kansas City had the most modern airport in the US.

Fly into Tokyo and out of Osaka or vice versa, or fly into and out of Tokyo and get a JR pass.

I might be crazy, but....
 

Although tourists often dismiss Nagoya at first blush, I'd have to say I truly love this city. Okay, okay, I lived there for year or so and as a result I'm probably biased but while I went there last year (it had changed a lot from when I was a resident-circa 1990), my travelmates were very glad that I forced the excursion.

Nagoya offers a nice glimpse into the average Japanese person's lifestyle as opposed to world-renowned chaos (and expense!) that is Tokyo. I mean, to walk into a subway station near the center of the city and not be overrun by millions of commuters is sort of a pleasure - at least to me it is. There are some great izakayas in and around Sakae where being a gaijin is really met with wide-eyed interest. In fact, my travelmates were a bit disappointed upon returning to Tokyo and seeing so many other gaijins and english/japanese menus. For trivia sake, the Nagoya Station is the largerst train station in the world. Udon (arguably, some would say) is Nagoya's culinary claim to fame. And while the city was flattened by the incessant bombing during WWII (the infamous Zero planes were manufactured there and the Allies knew it) the streets are generally in a grid fashion and thus, a bit easier to navigate than the labyrinth of Tokyo/Osaka/Kyoto.

Travel time to/from the airport into the city center is roughly 20-30 minutes and not the 90-120 from NRT to its city center. English is not as prevalent as it is in Tokyo and for me, that adds a bit of adventure (or headaches, if your so inclined). The Nagoya castle is a must see even though it was destroyed during the war but it was painstakingly rebuilt and can be appreciated.

Lastly, as I mentioned above, Nagoya residents are incredibly kind and generous when coming into contact with westerners, which probably stems from the fact that they are often ignored from the relatively small number of tourists who go to Japan as a vacation desination (compared to Europe, Disneyland, etc.) who tend to "skip" over them while on their way from Tokyo to Kyoto.

If you stay at the Marriott in Nagoya, you're literally on top of the train station and it can be had for under $200 a night if you do some searching. I am leaving for Japan this Saturday and while Kyoto and Hiroshima are the highlights of this trip, I do plan to make a special day or two stop in Nagoya, which you're unlikely hear a foreigner say (expo or Robot museum aside). Have a great trip! You and your husband will have a great time....

Well, we cannot always agree here. I don't, however, think the city is as bad as all that. I enjoyed the few days I spent there recently and found it convenient to a lot of things. Kansas City is not 1:45 from NYC or an hour from WAS by comfortable rail.

It is all moot anyway, as the OP is an AA flyer and NGO is not an option.

Regards,

JR

This month's DIME magazine has a big feature on Nagoya - asking the question "Is Nagoya the new Asian Dragon?"

I remain to be convinced of Nagoya's charms - but I'll read the article and post any good suggestions here.

One thing that really looks quite good is the new Marriott in the tower by Nagoya Station. They are probably dealing with some teething problems now but this looks like it will be a very good, lux. option in this city.

I'd reccomend going into NRT, then taking the Shinkansen to Nagoya (stopping for a night), then going on to Osaka or Kyoto, and then fly ITM-NRT-US. Personally, on a first trip, I wouldn't bother with Nagoya.

...by floor area, just like Wood Buffalo, Alberta is the 2nd-largest city in the world -- a shame most of it is tar pits. For the authentic insane Japanese train station experience, Shinjuku and its 3.47 million commuters per day (!) remain in a class of their own.

Not just any old udon though, but nikomi udon! Don't miss out on the original (courtesy Wikitravel, as usual):

Yamamotoya Sōhonke ( 山本屋総本家 ), 25-9 Meieki, B1F Horinouchi Bldg (on Sakura-dori not far from Exit 6 of the Nagoya subway station). The home of the classic Nagoya miso dish ''nikomi udon'', consisting of thick, chewy, handmade ''udon'' noodles served in boiling hot miso sauce/stock. Fairly pricy at Y1200 for a basic bowl and rather difficult to eat - diners are provided with bibs to protect themselves from soup spray - but the effort is worth it.

Just the same, I'd have to second the recommendation of flying into Tokyo and out from KIX or vv. Nagoya is easy to visit on the way, but there's just not all that much there...

Nagoya Station is the largest in the world? I spent the night in Nagoya and went through the station just in June, and it didn't strike me as being nearly as large as Tokyo Station or Shinjuku Station. It certainly doesn't have the multitude of platforms that either Tokyo or Shinjuku does.

It hides its size well.