Culture of Nagoya. Places to visit - old town, temples, theaters, museums and palaces

Travelers start getting to know attractions of Nagoya with old Nagoya Castle . This unique historical monument was built at the beginning of the 17th century and was seriously damaged during the Second World War. In 1959, its extensive reconstruction was finished and then the castle appeared in all its glory. The height of its major tower is 48 m. An excellent viewing platform is equipped for visitors on one of the last floors of the construction.

The old castle is also a location of the important cultural center, Nagoya Art Museum. During the war, most of the luxurious palaces of Nagoya were destroyed but local residents managed to save some part of their precious decorations. The museum exhibits include old hand-made partitions, precious paintings, decorative elements of rare woods and marble and a lot of other unique pieces of art, the age of which is hundreds of years.

One of the main peculiarities of Nagoya is a variety of marvelous parks and squares. The Higashiyama Park is among the most interesting places here. The park covers quite a large territory and is conditionally divided into several zones. Here, you can find an exciting amusement park, a small zoological garden and an interesting botanical garden with a rich collection of exotic plants. It is also important to note that there is one of the most beautiful skyscrapers in the city, the Higashiyama Sky Tower . The main attractive feature of the skyscraper is a viewing platform equipped at a height of 180 m. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

In Nagoya, there is one of the most remarkable religious attractions is Atsuta Shrine , a major Shinto temple in the city. There are a lot of meaningful artifacts and relics of the Emperor’s family, so the visit of the temple can supersede the walk along a museum. The main relict of the temple is the ancient sword Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi that is connected with many beautiful myths and legends. According to one of them, this wonderful weapon belonged to god Susanoo and then to hero Yamato Takeru that was famous for his deeds. The Shinto temple is distinguished by its impressive size. Three of its largest halls keep a rich collection of real masterpieces consisting of more than 3 000 exhibits.

Those travelers who are interested in rich history and cultural traditions of the city should certainly visit the outdoor Meiji-mura museum. It is located in the nearby surroundings of Nagoya and acquaints the visitors with peculiarities of old Japanese architecture. The major “exhibits” of the museum are beautiful buildings decorated in different styles. They were “brought” here from different regions of Japan. The cultural center especially attracts with old small trams running in the simulated streets and letting feel an atmosphere of the last centuries.

The picturesque Urakuen Park will be of interest of not only by nature admirers, but also those who cannot imagine their vacation without walking along historical places. Besides fabulous trees and flowers, the park keeps a real historical treasure – the Joan tea house. It was built in 1618 by one of the local monks who subsequently established a tea school. Both school and enchanting tea house have preserved to this day. As many years ago, the visitors can feel the spirit and beauty of one of the most interesting national rites.