Where is Nagoya in Japan? Aichi's location and how far it is from Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka

Nagoya is the main city of Aichi Prefecture, almost in the middle of Japan's main island, Honshu. Aichi Now, Aichi Prefecture's official tourism site, describes Aichi as located in the heart of Japan. It lies between Tokyo and Kyoto/Osaka: Nagoya Station is about 1 hour 40 minutes from Tokyo by Tokaido Shinkansen Nozomi, about 40 minutes from Kyoto and about 1 hour from Shin-Osaka. Its gateway airport is Central Japan International Airport (Centrair), 29 minutes from Meitetsu Nagoya Station by Meitetsu μSKY. This article explains, step by step, where Nagoya is and how to get there from Japan's main cities and airports.

Where are Nagoya and Aichi Prefecture in Japan?

Nagoya is a city in Aichi Prefecture, which is roughly in the middle of Honshu, on the Pacific side. The Tokaido Shinkansen between Tokyo and Osaka runs through it: heading west from Tokyo, you reach Nagoya before Kyoto and Osaka. In other words, it sits right on the route of a Tokyo–Kyoto–Osaka trip. Nagoya Station brings together the Shinkansen, JR, Meitetsu, Kintetsu and the subway, making it a starting point for other towns in Aichi and for neighbouring prefectures such as Gifu, Mie and Nagano. The American magazine TIME chose Nagoya for its World's Greatest Places 2023.

How far is Nagoya from Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka?

Can you visit on a day trip from Tokyo or Osaka?

By Shinkansen it is about 1 hour 40 minutes from Tokyo and about 1 hour from Shin-Osaka, so a day trip for Nagoya Castle and Nagoya food is possible. But if you also want Inuyama, Ise, Takayama or Ghibli Park beyond Nagoya, a day is not enough, and some places, like Ghibli Park, need reserved tickets. With 1–2 nights in Nagoya, you can see both the city and nearby towns at an easy pace. Stopping for a night on the day you travel from Tokyo to Kyoto or Osaka also means no travel time is wasted.

Which airport should you fly into?

The international airport near Nagoya is Central Japan International Airport (Centrair) in Tokoname, Aichi. According to Meitetsu's official site, Central Japan International Airport Station to Meitetsu Nagoya Station takes 29 minutes by μSKY or 38 minutes by Limited Express, with a fare of 980 yen (first-class cars such as μSKY need a 450 yen μticket). For domestic flights, Aichi Now lists about 1 hour 50 minutes to Centrair from New Chitose, about 1 hour 20 minutes from Fukuoka, about 2 hours 10 minutes from Naha and about 1 hour 15 minutes from Sendai, which makes Nagoya easy to combine with Hokkaido or Okinawa. On arrival day you can even go straight from the airport to Inuyama by Meitetsu without passing through Nagoya (57 minutes by μSKY).

Where is the centre of Nagoya?

For travellers, Nagoya has two centres: around Nagoya Station and around Sakae. Sakae is 2 stops from Nagoya Station on the Higashiyama subway line. Inside Nagoya Station, Nagoya Umaimon-dori has 17 restaurants, including Misen, Yabaton, Maruya Honten and Ekikama Kishimen, so you can try Nagoya food as soon as you arrive. Sakae has the Chubu Electric Power MIRAI TOWER, which in December 2022 became the first tower designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan. Osu, south of Sakae, is a shopping-street district; in a City of Nagoya survey, 40.8% of foreign visitors went there.

What is Nagoya food?

Nagoya has its own local dishes, known as Nagoya meshi. Yabaton, the miso katsu restaurant, was founded in 1947; its Yabacho Honten is 5 minutes' walk from Exit 4 of Yabacho Station. Atsuta Horaiken, the hitsumabushi restaurant, was founded in 1873, and its official site says eating hitsumabushi with condiments or as ochazuke became established in the Meiji era. There is also Taiwan ramen, kishimen noodles, tebasaki chicken wings and tenmusu, and ESCA, the underground mall at Nagoya Station, offers takeout too.

What can you visit from Nagoya?

• Nagoya city: Nagoya Castle (the Honmaru Palace is open; the keep is closed as of 3 November 2026), Osu, Sakae and Atsuta Jingu
• Ghibli Park (Nagakute, Aichi): Higashiyama subway line and Linimo, or Meitetsu bus. All tickets must be reserved
• Inuyama (Aichi): about 25 minutes by Meitetsu. Inuyama Castle, a National Treasure
• Ise (Mie): about 1 hour 20 minutes by Kintetsu limited express or JR Rapid Mie. Ise Jingu
• Takayama (Gifu): about 2 hours 20 minutes on the Limited Express Hida
• Shirakawa-go (Gifu): about 2 hours 30 minutes by highway bus from the Meitetsu Bus Center. World Heritage thatched villages
• Kanazawa (Ishikawa): as little as 2 hours 9 minutes via the Limited Express Shirasagi and the Hokuriku Shinkansen, changing at Tsuruga (JR West)

How many foreign visitors go to Nagoya?

In the Japan Tourism Agency's 2025 survey, 6.9% of foreign visitors to Japan went to Aichi. That is far fewer than Tokyo (50.8%), Osaka (41.3%) or Kyoto (29.7%), so it is not yet overcrowded. It varies by country: 20.2% of visitors from Vietnam went to Aichi. In a City of Nagoya survey of 463 foreign visitors in November 2024, 80.3% said it was their first time in Nagoya, and 21.2% also stopped in Takayama, Gifu. Nagoya is also a gateway for trips on to the towns of central Japan.

What are the seasons like in Nagoya?

We have not verified seasonal temperature figures for this article, so none are given, but Nagoya has cherry blossoms in spring and autumn colours in autumn. Nagoya Castle has about 900 cherry trees of about 10 varieties, and at Korankei (Toyota, Aichi), a well-known autumn-leaf spot, the 2026 Maple Festival runs from 1 to 30 November (Aichi Now). When choosing your dates, check that year's bloom and foliage information on official sites.

Where is convenient to stay in Nagoya?

If you will use the Shinkansen and make day trips, stay somewhere with easy access to Nagoya Station. Central Nagoya has private stays in Nakamura Ward, west of Nagoya Station. House and Residence are 7 and 2 minutes' walk from Nakamura Koen Station, 4 stops (about 7 minutes, 240 yen) from Nagoya Station on the Higashiyama subway line. Stays is 4 minutes' walk from Taiko-dori Station, 1 stop from Nagoya Station on the Sakura-dori Line. Every stay has a kitchen, a washing machine (or washer-dryer) and fast Wi-Fi, plus a 10% long-stay discount.

• Stopping between Tokyo and Kyoto/Osaka? Stay in Nagoya →
• Things to do only in Aichi →
• From Centrair airport to your stay in Nagoya →

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