Nagoya

Nagoya is a city in Aichi that sits in the middle of the line connecting Tokyo and Osaka. "Nagoyameshi" is the city's unique cuisine, and it includes plenty of regional dishes with deep flavors, like hitsumabushi (eel), tebasaki chicken wings, miso katsu, miso nikomi udon, miso oden, tenmusu, and more. The city is famous for the "morning set" breakfast available at coffee shops, so when you visit, please enjoy a morning set or Ogura toast, a unique dish that's considered part of Nagoyameshi. For sightseeing, you can visit Nagoya Castle, topped by glittering gold shachihoko; Atsuta Shrine, a shrine filled with a solemn atmosphere and a camphor tree that's over 1,000 years old; the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology; the SCMaglev and Railway Park; and more. For those that like castles, Inuyama Castle, in the same prefecture, is recommended. It's one of Japan's 12 castle towers that remain from ancient times, and it's very beautiful during the cherry blossom season. Also, from Nagoya you can reach other popular sightseeing areas such as Hida-Takayama (around 3 hours by train or bus) and Ise Jingu (around 2-3 hours by train or bus).