Japan Guide
Central Honshū
Arrival
The lines of three train companies converge on Nagoya, and their stations are all close to each other on the west side of the city. The main station belongs to JR and is where you'll alight from Tōkaidō Shinkansen services from Tokyo, Ōsaka or Kyoto. Direct JR services also run here from Takayama to the north and Ise and Toba, south in Mie-ken. Immediately south of the JR station, beneath the Meitetsu department store, is the Meitetsu line terminus for trains to and from Inuyama and Gifu, while next door is Kintetsu line terminus for services to Nara and the Shima Hantō region. Long-distance buses pull in at the terminal at the north end of the JR station as well as at the Oasis 21 terminal in Sakae.
Nagoya has two airports. All international and some domestic flights arrive at Central Japan International Airport ( 
0565/38-1195, 
www.centrair.jp ), commonly known as Centrair, on a man-made island in Isewan Bay some 30km south of Nagoya. Built for the 2005 Expo in Nagoya, the airport is a model of efficiency and has become something of a tourist attraction in its own right – locals visit just to sample its restaurants and bathe in its giant bath with a view of the runways! The high-speed Meitetsu Airport line connects Centrair with the city (28min; ¥850); there are also direct bus connections offered by both JR and Meitetsu to Nagoya (1hr; ¥1000) as well as several other cities in the region. A taxi will set you back around ¥10,000 and takes just as long as the bus. The old Nagoya airport ( 0568/28-5633, www.nagoya-airport-bldg.co.jp ), 12km north of the city, serves nine domestic destinations. Buses run from the airport both to the JR station and the neighbouring Meitetsu Bus Centre on the third floor of the Melsa Building (20min; ¥500). Nagoya-kō port, 10km south of the train stations, is where ferries arrive and depart. To reach the city from the port, hop on the Meijo line of Nagoya's subway system.