This is a column where people who are both self-confessed “travel lovers” and “experienced travelers” introduce their “top picks” that they discovered when they stayed at NIKKO STYLE NAGOYA.

＜What is Nagoya Travel ?＞

“We want to create a guidebook introducing Nagoya, crafted by Nikko Style Nagoya,” General Manager Mr. Nishi contacted us. He wanted our hotel guests to experience not just the classic tourist spots like Nagoya Castle and Nagoya cuisine, but the real Nagoya enjoyed by locals. He shared his own experience of falling deeper in love with Nagoya as he discovered various shops and people (he was relocated from Tokyo as a representative of the pre-opening staff of this hotel), and he wanted our guests to feel that same passion. I still remember that enthusiasm.

While there are plenty of recommendations for delicious food and spots, the first thing I wanted to know was, “Why are you visiting Nagoya?” Unlike famous tourist destinations like Tokyo or Osaka, what were the voices of the international guests who chose Nagoya? Looking at the survey data, “location” was by far the top reason. It’s centrally located for touring all of Japan, making it easy to go east or west. They also cited good access from Nagoya Station to northern destinations like Kanazawa and Takayama. I was intrigued by the high ranking of “not crowded.” Tourist spots packed with people everywhere offer excitement but no relaxation. They prefer a city where they can stroll leisurely, with clean streets, safety, and convenience. And they want to experience the “ordinary Japan” that isn’t overly touristy. I learned they want to enjoy the “everyday” that Japanese people enjoy daily.

I have a Nagoya guidebook I’m creating as my life’s work , based on the concept “Favorites Over Local Specialties.”Nagoya people lack confidence in their own city. They’ll say things like, “Compared to tourist spots all over Japan, this city has nothing.” They lack confidence when asked to name famous local dishes, but if you ask, “What do you like?” they’ll proudly list their favorite spots and regular haunts. This guidebook was edited with the idea that these “favorite things” should be the city’s pride! Staying true to that concept, we’ve created a guidebook centered around the hotel, featuring walking areas nearby, recommended spots within Nagoya city, and short trips to pottery villages just an hour away by train. It’s a guidebook designed to help visitors enjoy the “everyday Nagoya” starting from the hotel.

This guidebook introduces about 50 spots, from morning coffee time to restaurants where you can leisurely enjoy the local food culture, shopping, drinks, and music. During production, we took a popular Taiwanese illustrator and an Instagrammer who shares solo time ideas to special cafes and bookstores for their feature columns. Their delighted smiles, saying, “This is exactly the kind of place I wanted to know about,” are still unforgettable.

Celebrating Nagoya’s 400th anniversary, this guidebook distills the appeal of Japanese travel that overseas visitors now seek—from food culture and history to subculture. We hope you’ll enjoy exploring Nagoya, a city rich with discoveries, with this book in hand.
Rereading the finished product, I can say we’ve created something so good it makes me even want to visit. With so many personal favorites included, that’s only natural.

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“Dai Nagoya Tours” plans and operates experiential tours that uncover the “surprisingly unknown” charms of Nagoya and the greater Tokai region. The idea to have their representative, the city expert Mr. Kato, create an original hotel guidebook solidified in early summer 2024. Initially, the list of spots Kato-san, hotel staff, and other passionate Nagoya lovers wanted to feature was more than double what ultimately made it into the guidebook.
From there, they narrowed it down to “places genuinely loved by locals and unlikely to fade away easily.” Kato-san’s team researched these spots, and it all came together in one book.

This guidebook, titled “What is Nagoya Travel?”, is only available at Nikko Style Nagoya.
We’ve paid meticulous attention not just to the content and design, but also to the specifications like size and page count. The slightly zine-like (booklet-like) feel is very much our style.
When you visit the hotel, please pick up a sample copy and take a look!