Most people fly into Tokyo, maybe hit Kyoto and Osaka, and consider the trip done. We did that for years. Then we stopped in Nagoya and felt embarrassed it had taken us this long.
Nagoya sits almost exactly halfway between Tokyo and Osaka on the shinkansen. Most people treat it as a blur out the window. On the 2025 trip we decided to actually get off the train, and it turned out to be one of the best decisions we made the whole week.
The Castle
Nagoya Castle is genuinely one of the most impressive castles in Japan, and because it doesn't have Himeji's reputation it's also significantly less crowded. We arrived mid-morning and walked straight in. The stone walls alone are worth the trip — the scale of the foundation is hard to grasp until you're standing at the base looking up at it.
The castle itself was destroyed in the Second World War and the current structure is a 1959 reconstruction, which purists will note. But honestly, standing in front of it against a clear blue sky with the distinctive golden shachihoko dolphins on the roof, it doesn't feel any less impressive for it.
The Food: Miso Katsu
Nagoya has its own food culture, which is genuinely different from the rest of Japan. The defining dish is miso katsu — a tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet) served with a thick, dark miso sauce made from Hatcho miso, which is a local variety that's been fermented for over two years. It's richer and more intensely flavoured than the lighter miso you find everywhere else.
We ate it at a counter restaurant near the castle. The set came on a lacquered black tray: the cutlet with shredded cabbage, a bowl of white rice, miso soup, and pickles. The sauce is the whole point — poured generously over the pork, it's simultaneously savoury, slightly sweet, and deeply umami in a way that regular tonkatsu sauce isn't. We both ordered seconds of the rice without thinking about it.
Why It Works as a Stop
Nagoya is easy to underestimate because it doesn't have a single world-famous landmark in the way Kyoto does. But that's also what makes it good. The castle without the crowds. The food without the tourist markup. A city that's clearly comfortable in itself without needing to perform for visitors.
On the shinkansen between Tokyo and Osaka, Nagoya is about 40 minutes from each. You could realistically do a half-day stop on the way through, though we'd recommend a full day if the itinerary allows it. There's more food to eat — hitsumabushi (eel rice), tebasaki (chicken wings), kishimen (flat udon) — and we've barely touched it.
Stop in Nagoya. Even half a day. Get the miso katsu. Walk around the castle. It's not on the standard itinerary because it doesn't need to be — it'll earn its place anyway.