The season of summer festivals has come to an end, and it is gradually getting colder in Nagoya: autumn is finally here. Autumn is one of the most beautiful seasons for a visit to Japan, and depending on whom you ask, even better than spring! While September, the official start of autumn can still be quite hot and humid, temperatures start to drop little by little in October. And in...Read More

Lovers of Studio Ghibli listen up! You might have heard that a gigantic theme park dedicated only to Studio Ghibli will open here in Aichi in autumn 2022. (If this is news to you, you can find out more here) We can’t wait for it to open and so can’t the rest of the world it seems. To give a taste of what’s to come, Studio Ghibli created an exciting...Read More

Kiyosu with its castle is just minutes from Nagoya Station, and yet it is one of those places generally never mentioned in guidebooks or travel magazines. In fact, I know many people in Nagoya who have never heard of Kiyosu Castle, and even I (Elly) heard about it for the first time after living in Nagoya for more than 10 years and researching castles in the Aichi area!  So I...Read More

If you know anything about cars, you are probably aware that Toyota is one of the biggest car manufacturers worldwide.  But did you know that Toyota is originally from Nagoya? Logically, Nagoya and other parts of Aichi Prefecture are the perfect places to geek out about cars in general and Toyota in particular. In fact, there are 3 Toyota museums in Aichi:  Toyota Kaikan Museum in Toyota (yes, they named...Read More

The Nippon Domannaka Festival, commonly known as Domatsuri, is one of the most energetic and vibrant festivals all around Japan. It is held in Nagoya, at the end of August, when the summer heat reaches its peak.  Domatsuri is a 4-day-festival that fills Nagoya city and its surroundings with hundreds of Yosakoi dancers coming from all over the country and even abroad. Watch the performance of the winning team from...Read More