Nagoya Activities

Me-Guru Sightseeing Buses

Hop on a Me-Guru, Nagoya’s famous yellow-and-white tour buses and enjoy many of the city’s famous attractions such as Nagoya Castle, Noritake Garden, Tokugawa Museum, the Toyota Commemorative Museum and Nagoya Station. One-day passes are recommended as you can also get discounts at most city attractions when you display them at the gate. These can be purchased on the bus. This is truly a fun and economical way to see Nagoya.

Nagoya English-Language Theatre

Nagoya is home to two active English-language theatre groups. The first one was established in 1975 and is called the Nagoya Players consisting of members of all ages and nationalities. Some of their past shows have been The Red Oni Cried, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, The Boys Next Door and The Vagina Monologues.  The second and much younger group is called Maidenagoya Productions. It consists of members from Japan, UK, Germany, Australia, USA and France. Its previous shows included Bent, Death and the Maiden and a bilingual version of Romeo & Juliet. If you are interested to see one of their productions, get in touch with them for the latest schedules.

Ukai Fishing

Ukai or cormorant fishing is one of the world’s most fascinating traditional fishing methods and has been practiced in Japan for over 1,300 years, although nowadays it is primarily for the benefit of the tourist industry. The fishermen use a flat-bottomed boat and light a lantern at the prow before letting their cormorants, which are on leashes, dive down to look for the fish. The cormorant has a ‘snare’ or a ring at the base of its throat to prevent it from swallowing larger fish (although it can swallow the smaller ones) which it regurgitates for its master once back onboard. Ukai fishing is truly an amazing scene to witness, especially to see the fishermen in their traditional working costumes and working in harmony with their well-trained birds.

Baseball at the Nagoya Dome

Surprisingly enough, baseball is one of Japanese's most loved sports. Visitor can catch this phenomenal game at the Nagoya Dome during the season, which runs from April until September. Tickets for certain matches can run out fast, so it is best to reserve them in advance. They are available at convenience stores like Family Mart and Lawsons.

Strawberry Picking

Unbelievably, strawberry picking tours are quite popular in the Nagoya area, especially as a children’s activity. If you want to join in, it’s more likely that you’ll be doing so in a greenhouse rather than in an open field far out in the countryside. All the same, somehow or other strawberries are even tastier when you pick them yourself.

Nagoya Nohgakudo (aka Noh Theater)

A simple gateway to enter into the world of Japanese old charm is to try its traditional stage play, noh. It dates back more than 700 years and is probably the only traditional show that is still performed in its original style. Out-of-town visitors interested in noh may pay a visit to the Nagoya Nohgakudo, a modern and well facilitated theatre. It sometime offers headphones with commentary in English too. This is to help the first time noh audience to appreciate the drama even more.

Jo-an Tea Room

The most famous tea ceremony location in Nagoya, located within the Uraku-en Garden, a short walk from Inuyama Castle in Inuyama City.

Kirakuya Café

Kirakuya Café is in the Marutan Building, downtown Nagoya, with rooms devoted to the tea ceremony.

Shinyo Country Club

An 18-hole course with lovely surrounding waterfalls and lakes.

Fujioka Country Club

Featuring 18 holes, Fujioka was founded in 1971 and covers 80 acres/32 hectares.

Nagoya Golf Club Wago Course

This is another well-known course in the Nagoya area.

Midland Square Cinemas

109 Cinemas Nagoya

Norie Mori’s Cooking Class

Aichi Women’s Center

Hideko’s Cooking Class

The Utopia Takara Onsen

The Utopia Takara Onsen offers 10 baths, three different saunas, an outdoor Jacuzzi with a gazebo and a children’s bath with slide. Other facilities include accommodation, a movie theatre, hair salon, restaurants and games room. Note: If you have tattoos please cover them, especially while bathing or you may be either refused entry or asked to leave.

Dai-Nagoya Onsen

Dai-Nagoya Onsen is an onsen adjacent to a hotel located by the Shonai River. It features several pools with different temperatures as well as a sauna room, massage chairs and restaurant.

Nagashima Onsen

Nagashima Onsen, also known as Nagashima Spa Land, is a huge place consisting of an amusement park, a few hotels and a spa resort which offers 13 outdoor baths.

Nippon Gaishi Arena

The Nagoya Sports Center Rink

Wel Sunpia Gifu Rink