(名古屋市; -shi) is the fourth largest (third largest metropolitan region) and the third most prosperous city in
Japan . Located on the
Pacific Coast in the
Chūbu Region on central
Honshu , it is the
Capital of
Aichi Prefecture .
The city was founded on
October 1 ,
1889 , and was designated on
September 1 ,
1956 by
Government Ordinance . The city's name was historically written as 那古野 or 名護屋 (also read as ''Nagoya''), and as the city is located between
Kyoto and
Tokyo , it was also historically known as ''Chūkyō'' (中京, "central capital").
]]
Nagoya's famous sight seeing spots include
Nagoya Castle (名古屋城, Nagoya-jō) and
Atsuta Shrine (熱田神宮, Atsuta Jingū).
''Nagoya jō'' was built in 1612. Although a large part of it was burned down by the fires of World War II, the castle was restored to its original condition in 1959. ''Nagoya-jō'' is very famous for two magnificent ''Kin no Shachihoko'' (金の鯱, Golden Orca-like fish) on the roof. They are often used as the symbol of Nagoya.
''Atsuta jingū'' is known as the second-most venerable shrine in Japan. It enshrines ''
Kusanagi No Mitsurugi '' ((草薙神剣, the Kusanagi sacred sword), one of the three
Imperial Regalia of Japan. It holds around 70 festivals in a year, and many people visit the shrine year-round. Also, the shrine has over 4,400 national treasures representing its 2,000 years' history.
A modern attraction is the
Nagoya TV Tower and JR Central Towers of
Nagoya Station .
Nagoya has 16
Wards (''ku''):
As of
2003 , the city has an estimated
Population of 2,190,549 and the
Density of 6,710.21 persons per
Km&2 . The total area is 326.45 km². Its
Metropolitan Area extends into
Mie and
Gifu prefectures, with approximately six million people, only Osaka and Tokyo being larger.
Nagoya is served by
Chubu Centrair International Airport (NGO) in the city of
Tokoname and by
Nagoya Airport (Komaki Airport) (NKM) which is located in the cities of
Komaki and
Kasugai . On
February 17 ,
2005 , all of
Nagoya Airport 's commercial flights (except for flights operated by
J-Air ) moved to Centrair.
Nagoya Airport is now used as a
General Aviation and
Airbase facility.
Nagoya Station , the world's largest train station by floor area, is on the
Tokaido Shinkansen ,
Tokaido Main Line , and
Chuo Main Line , among others. The
Nagoya Railroad and
Kinki Nippon Electric Railway provide regional rail service to points in the
Tokai and
Kansai Region s. The city is also serviced by the
Nagoya Subway .
Nagoya's main industry is the automotive business, as many Japanese automotive companies are based out of Nagoya as U. S. automakers are based out of Detroit.
Toyota is headquartered in the nearby city of
Toyota . The Japanese
Confectionery company
Marukawa is headquartered in Nagoya, as is the fine ceramics company
Noritake . There is also a sizable aerospace and electronics industry in the area.
Nagoya is also known as the birthplace of
Pachinko .
(from the 2005 city profile published by the City of Nagoya)
Service 26%
Wholesale and Retail 20.2%
Manufacturing 12.3%
Shipping and Communications 10.4%
Real Estate 9.8%
Administrative Services Supply 5.9%
Construction 5.8%
Finance and Insurance 5.4%
Others 3.7%
The
World Expo 2005 , also known as Aichi Expo was held in the eastern hills of Nagoya in the neighboring cities of
Nagakute and
Seto . The event was held from March 25 to September 25, 2005.
Nagoya is home to several professional sports teams.
Nagoya is also home of the
Shonai FC amateur football club.
Nagoya has several
Sister Cities :
Also town on
Batam Island,
Riau Islands Province,
Indonesia
