Home › Travel Guides › Asia Travel Guide › Japan › Nagoya › Travel to Nagoya
Image gallery

Nagoya Castle

© Creative Commons / ka_tate

+900
Nagoya Local time

Weather in Nagoya
Occ Light Snow
4
°C
Japan

Travel to Nagoya

Flying to Nagoya

The state-of-the-art Central Japan International Airport - or Centrair as it's popularly called - opened in 2005 on a man-made island south of Nagoya, and is the nearest international airport to the city. Major airlines offering flights to Nagoya from the UK include ANA, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Air France, JAL, Finnair and Virgin Atlantic. Flights to Nagoya from the UK take over 12 hours.

Flight times: 

From London - 12 hours 27 minutes; New York - 14 hours 17 minutes; Los Angeles - 11 hours 44 minutes; Toronto - 13 hours 38 minutes; Sydney - 10 hours 3 minutes.

Travel by road

Summary:

Nagoya is situated in the middle of Japan along the east-west stretch between Tokyo and the western Kansai region. It is extremely well connected, and several big motorways converge on the city. Roads are well maintained. Traffic drives on the left and the minimum driving age is 18 years old. Speed limits vary considerably so pay attention to speed limit signs. Foreign drivers can use an international license for up to one year.

The Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) (tel: (03) 3578 4910; www.jaf.or.jp/e/index_e.htm), provides an English-language ‘Rules of the Road' booklet and JAF Road Service offers 24-hour breakdown assistance for both members and non-members. In the case of an accident, the police must be informed (tel: 110).

Emergency breakdown service:

JAF (tel: 8139).

Routes:

The Tomei Expressway and Chuo Expressway both run from Tokyo westwards to Nagoya, while the Meishin Expressway takes you straight to Nagoya if you drive from Osaka or Kyoto.

Driving times:

From Tokyo - 5-7 hours; Osaka - 3 hours; Kyoto – 2 hours 30 minutes.

Coaches:

The bus station in Nagoya is located adjacent to the main train station. JR Bus Kanto (tel: (03) 3844 1950; www.jrbuskanto.co.jp/bus_route_e) operates regular coach services between Nagoya and Tokyo. JR Tokai (tel: (052) 563 0489; www.jrtbinm.co.jp) runs coach services to and from Kyoto, Osaka and several other cities.

Meitetsu (tel: (052) 582 5151; www.meitetsu-bus.co.jp) buses run between Nagoya and Kanazawa and Takayama, while Willer Express (tel: (050) 5805 0383; http://travel.willer.co.jp/index.html) has direct coaches from Nagoya to Sendai in northern Japan, as well as Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the south.

Travel by rail

Services:

Nagoya's huge central railway station, JR Nagoya Station, is located in Nakamura-ku, on the western side of Nagoya's city centre, right below the landmark Japan Railway Central Towers. It connects the city to national and regional rail networks, whilst within the city there are six subway lines convenient for Fushimi, Sakae and Imaike - the main shopping and nightlife areas in Nagoya.

Operators:

Central Japan Railway Company (tel: (050) 3772 3910; http://english.jr-central.co.jp/index.html) runs the Tōkaidō Shinkansen bullet train that stops at JR Nagoya Station on its way between Tokyo and Osaka. Departures are frequent. Nozomi trains are the fastest, while hikari trains are slightly slower – add about 10-20 minutes to the journey time. Please note that the Japan Rail Pass is not valid on nozomi trains. The JR Kansai line, servicing the western region, also runs from Nagoya’s main railway station.

Next to JR Nagoya Station is Meitetsu Nagoya Station, from where Nagoya Railroad (tel: (052) 582 5151; www.meitetsu.co.jp/english) operates the local rail network for Nagoya and the surrounding region, and Kintetsu Nagoya Station, the terminal of the Kintetsu Nagoya Line (www.kintetsu.jp/english/index.html), which connects Nagoya with Kuwana, Yokkaichi, Suzuka and Tsu.

Journey times:

Journey times using the fast nozomi Shinkansen trains: From Tokyo – 1 hour 40 minutes; Kyoto – 35 minutes; Osaka – 50 minutes.

Travel Deals

Recommended Sites:

Protect yourself from malaria
Before you travel, find out if your holiday destination is in a malaria zone.
(An educational initiative organised and funded by GlaxoSmithKline Travel Health. UK/MARK/0173/10 September 2010)
Africa, the way it should be seen
We´re cutting the cost of Africa overland trips by up to a whopping 40%. 25% off many trips departing by 30/6/12.
Travel insurance
For residents of over 150 countries. High levels of medical, evacuation, emergency & most adventure activities covered.