Nagoya Castle in June of 2004.

Nagoya (名古屋市; -shi) is the fourth largest and the third most prosperous city in Japan. Located on the Pacific coast in the Chubu region on central Honshu, it is the capital of Aichi Prefecture.

As of 2003, the city has an estimated population of 2,190,549 and the density of 6,710.21 persons per km². The total area is 326.45 km².

Administration

The city was founded on October 1, 1889, was designated on September 1, 1956 by government ordinance and has the following wards (ku): Atsuta-ku, Chikusa-ku, Higashi-ku, Kita-ku, Meito-ku, Midori-ku, Minami-ku, Minato-ku, Mizuho-ku, Moriyama-ku, Naka-ku, Nakagawa-ku, Nakamura-ku, Nishi-ku, Showa-ku, and Tempaku-ku.

Sightseeing

Nagoya's famous sight seeing spots include Nagoya Castle (名古屋城, Nagoya-jō) and Atsuta Shrine (熱田神宮, Atsuta Jingū).

Nagoya jō was built in 1612. Although a large part of it was burned down by the fires of World War II, the castle was restored to the original condition in 1959. Nagoya-jō is very famous for two magnificent Kin no Shachi (金の鯱, Golden Killer Whales) on the roof. They are often used as the symbol of Nagoya.

Atsuta jingū is known as the second-most venerable shrine in Japan. It enshrines Kusanagi no mitsurugi (草薙神剣, the Kusanagi sacred sword), one of the three imperial regalia of Japan. It holds around 70 festivals in a year, and many people visit the shrine year-round. Also, the shrine has over 4,400 national treasures representing its 2,000 years' history.

Transportation

Nagoya is currently served by Nagoya Airport (Komaki International Airport, NGO) which is located in the cities of Komaki and Kasugai. Chubu International Airport (Centrair) will take over Nagoya's scheduled air services in 2005.

Nagoya Station, the world's largest train station by floor area, is on the Tokaido Shinkansen, Tokaido Main Line, and Chuo Main Line. The Nagoya Railroad and Kinki Nippon Electric Railway provide regional rail service to points in the Tokai and Kansai regions.

Economy

Nagoya's main industry is the automotive business, as many Japanese automotive companies are based out of Nagoya as U. S. automakers are based out of Detroit. Toyota is headquartered in the nearby city of Toyota. The Japanese confectionary company Marukawa is headquartered in Nagoya. There is also a sizable aerospace and electronics industry in the area.

Nagoya is also known as the birthplace of pachinko.

External links

• Official website (http://www.city.nagoya.jp/) in Japanese
• Official website (http://www.city.nagoya.jp/kokusai/en/01/index.html) in English
• Nagoya (http://www.japaneselifestyle.com.au/travel/nagoya.htm) Travel Guide