Look down from the 51st floor of the towering new Nagoya Station building
and the Shinkansen tracks snake their way east to Tokyo and west to Osaka. The
only sign of an older Japan is the post-war reconstruction of Nagoya Castle, far
down below, rising abruptly from the urban sprawl. Since being levelled by Allied
bombing in World War II, Nagoya has established itself as Japan’s 4th largest
city and, economically, one of its most important.
Looking further back in time, the Nagoya area is notable for being the birthplace
of Japan’s three most important historical figures; Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi
Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu. They were the three men who had unified Japan by
the beginning of the 17th century.
The Tokugawa family ruled Japan for 250 years and ensured that the city was
left with a vast and varied collection of treasures. Over ten thousand pieces
are now on display at the Tokugawa Art Museum - enough to satisfy the most diehard
of Japan-philes. Once you’ve immersed yourself in Tokugawa history and checked
out the castle, head to Atsuta Jinja. It’s a shrine that’s steeped
in legend and set in large precincts among venerable trees. Come here for a bit
of peace away from the city bustle.
The Toyota motor company was also born in Aichi Prefecture and their Commemorative
Museum of Industry and Technology is an enjoyable addition to Nagoya’s tourist
scenery. Working displays include thundering looms from the early twentieth century
and villainous looking assembly line robots that could have stepped straight out
of a sci-fi flick.
Craft of an altogether more peaceful kind can be found about an hour from Nagoya
Station in Seto, one of Japan’s six major pottery producing towns. Many
of its kilns welcome visitors and it’s worth booking ahead with the Nagoya
Tourist Information Centre. That way, you can try your hand at making some setomono
of your own, under expert guidance of course, as well as see how the pros do it.
North of Nagoya is Inuyama, home to Japan’s oldest fortress, dating back
to 1440, and Uraku-en, a mossy garden which is the tranquil setting for a renowned
teahouse. A short bus ride away is the Meiji-mura, a village of buildings dating
back to the Meiji Era (1868-1912), when Japan was busy adopting all things Western.
These include the lobby of the Imperial Hotel, Tokyo, designed by Frank Lloyd
Wright, and a range of other genuine constructions. All have been painstakingly
moved and rebuilt to form an open-air museum.
An essential part of a trip to Inuyama is an evening of ukai, the ancient art
of cormorant fishing. Book your place on an expedition and a canopied boat will
whisk you up river for a pre-show picnic. Then watch as fishermen use their trained
birds, sometimes 12 at a time, to catch the silvery ayu (or sweet fish) that reflect
the light of burning braziers. It’s a tradition that has survived untouched
for around 1,300 years and is a spectacle not to be missed. |
