To see all of Nagoya’s top attractions, you’d need way more than eight hours – but with a local host by your side, you’ll easily check at least 10 of its top spots off your sightseeing list. Take a tranquil stroll through the traditional Shirotori Garden, and join throngs of otaku enthusiasts in Osu, home of the annual World Cosplay Summit (and 700-year-old Osu Kannon Temple). Follow your host through busy central districts, past the iconic TV Tower, trendy boutiques, and the Sky Boat Ferris Wheel – mounted right on the side of Sunshine Sakae Mall! Hungry? Experience authentic Nagoya at a hidden backstreet bar, or in the city’s best-kept secret: the Fushimi underpass, where traditional restaurants serve the most mouthwatering food. 

You’ll whiz through Nagoya’s famous central districts on a whirlwind experience of castles, cosplay, and some very special chicken. Explore colorful streets filled with gaming goods and costume shops in Osu, one of Japan’s major otaku hubs, and crane your neck in the high-rise-lined streets of neighboring neon-lit Sakae. When the fast-paced downtown districts get too crowded, grab a quiet moment in the rooftop garden of ultra-futuristic Oasis 21 mall 10 minutes west. Feast on grilled cochin – Nagoya’s breed of superior, extra-tasty chicken – at an underground izakaya at nearby Fushimi station before ambling a mile north to the iconic Nagoya castle, or strolling through the parks and forests of Atsuta Shrine in the south.