10 Best Things to Do for Couples in Nagoya

Nagoya has a unique breakfast culture known as “Nagoya’s morning” where you can have trimmings such as toast, eggs and salad simply by buying a drink and paying a small extra charge. This has now become something of a tourist attraction. Some coffee houses offer this service all day long, so just by adding about 100 yen to the price of a drink, you’ll also get a serving of Ogura-an toast (toast with sweet red bean paste), for example. The food items included may also be rice balls or miso soup.

If you want to do something a bit different, why not spend a day touring the finest morning service establishments? You could start by heading to Komeda's Coffee Honten, which has made Nagoya's coffee shops known throughout Japan, for a morning set (you only pay for the drink here!) that includes freshly baked toast with Ogura-an. Afterwards, head to Meito Ward and visit Gohan Café Beni, which serves flannel drip coffee, before 11:00 am and try the Asagao DXW set, which comes with a drink, Ajifurai (fried horse mackerel), rice balls, and even Aladashi (red miso soup)! To wrap up your tour, visit Lyon just beside Nagoya Station, which offers morning service all day long; with only a drink order, you can choose from 6 different Shime no Morning (concluding breakfast) options, including a pressed sandwich with Ogura-an!

No trip to Nagoya as a couple would be complete without a visit to the city's iconic Nagoya Castle! Although the castle tower is undergoing restoration until 2022, the 10-year restoration project of Honmaru Palace is now complete and open to the public. The luxurious and glamorous interior, with gold leaf at every turn, is amazingly Instagrammable. Nagoya Castle is not only worth visiting for sightseeing, but also for the delicious food.

A newly opened food entertainment zone called Kinshachi Yokocho is home to long-established Nagoya-meshi restaurants like Yabaton, famous for its Misokatsu (miso pork cutlets), and Yamamoto-ya Sohonke, specialising in Miso-nikomi udon (udon noodles stewed in miso), as well as up-and-coming restaurants featuring Nagoya's new cuisine culture. After enjoying a royally good time at the illuminated castle, why not head here for dinner? Access is via the Meijo Subway Line. Get off at Shiyakusho (City Hall) Station and you'll find Nagoya Castle immediately outside Exit 7.

Nagoya City Science Museum one of the city's main attractions for visitors. The reason? The planetarium, which boasts one of the world's largest domes (with a diameter of 35 metres) and the highest quality images. All sorts of day tickets are put on sale at 9.30 am on the day of the events, so come early in the morning to grab a ticket. If your trip schedule is already set, you can apply for a seat through the electronic application service of Nagoya City, which gives out some seat reservations by lottery.

The "Science Stage" is a talkshow with various events scheduled throughout the day. The museum shop offers a wide variety of interesting science-inspired items (everything from masking tape to notebooks). Nagoya City Science Museum is a 5-minute walk from Fushimi Station on the Higashiyama and Tsurumai Subway Lines.

The Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium, which has one of the largest outdoor aquariums in the world, is a highly recommended date spot. The aquarium has two buildings: the South Building, featuring Antarctica, and the North Building, displaying popular animals such as orcas and dolphins. The vast site, roughly half the size of Tokyo Dome, is home to many fascinating attractions.

If you're on a date, visit the museum in the late afternoon and enjoy the dolphin and orca shows, then walk around the Deep Sea Gallery in the darkness, watching uniquely evolved deep-sea creatures such as the rarely seen Murasaki-nuta-unagi (Purple hagfish) and Akagasa-ebi (Red squilla mantis shrimp). After your encounter with marine life, head to the nearby Oasis 21 for a romantic night view.

Osu Shopping Street and the surrounding area, which was developed as the temple town of Osu Kannon, is a classic tourist spot where you can experience the essence of Nagoya. Vintage clothing stores, souvenir shops and general merchandise stores line the street. But it's not all about shopping: the area is also famous for its eateries. You can buy Nagoya-meshi local soul foods such as kushikatsu with miso sauce, fried buns, juice and dumplings, and share them while enjoying a leisurely stroll.

Right next to the shopping street, Osu Kannon is considered to be one of the 3 great Kannon temples in Japan, and contains the oldest manuscript of The Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matters) along with other national treasures. The Omikuji (fortune telling slip) at the temple is often written as bad luck in the hope that you'll be able to make your own luck in life, so don't be surprised.

Noritake Garden is a facility complex operated by Noritake Company Limited, one of the world's leading tableware manufacturers. The former factory site adjacent to the headquarters is now home to a park, restaurants and a museum. Noritake tableware is of course used in the restaurants and cafes, and for more of the Noritake experience you can even try painting at the on-site crafts centre. In fact, you have half a day to spare, you can make your own tableware to commemorate your visit.

You might also want to shop for a pair of cups in your favourite design at Noritake Square Nagoya, where you can buy tableware directly from the factory. Access is a 5-minute walk from Kamejima Station on the Higashiyama Subway Line.

Shabani, a handsome gorilla, and Keiji, a siamang that screams at the top of its voice, are among the famous animals to be found at Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Garden. Children love the Asian Elephant House, the largest of its kind in Japan, and the Koala House, where they can observe koalas through the glass. A little-known but fascinating area is the Medaka World Aquarium. Here you can meet a wide variety of Oryzias, including Japanese medaka, and other protected species. If you want to see the animals in good spirits, be sure to visit during their mealtimes. Details of feeding times can be found on the website.

Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Garden is just a 3-minute walk from Hoshigaoka Station on the Higashiyama Subway Line. Admission is free for junior high school students and younger, and 500 yen for adults over high school age, which is very reasonable. Tickets can be bought in advance at convenience stores.

If you're at all into art, Nagoya City Museum of Art is a must. Designed by Kisho Kurokawa, a Nagoya-born architect, this modern art museum is located in the nature-rich Shirakawa Park in the centre of the city. The permanent exhibition gallery "Masterpiece Collection" features pieces from the 6,000 works of art in the collection rotated through 3 different periods based on different themes.

The "École de Paris" theme features Takanori Oguiss, an Aichi-born painter who spent most of his life in Paris painting Parisian landscapes, and other related contemporary artists, while the "Mexican Renaissance" exhibition focuses on Tamiji Kitagawa, a painter who was an active figure in the Mexican art scene, and modern Mexican art from the first half of the 20th century. Other collections include "Contemporary Art" and "Local Art", and all are filled with fascinating artwork. The museum's coffee shop, Sugiura Coffee, with its windows overlooking the greenery of Shirakawa Park, is a lovely place to enjoy a cup of some special brew while discussing the art you've just seen.

Built in the year 646, Atsuta Jingu is a historic shrine to Kusanagi no Tsurugi (the Kusanagi Sword), one of the Three Sacred Treasures (Imperial Regalia of Japan). The surrounding area is full of local foodie restaurants such as Atsuta Horaiken (serving original Hitsumabushi), and in the precincts you'll find Miya Kishimen (flat noodles) and Kiyome-mochi-so-honpo (Japanese sweets), so you'll have plenty to choose from. You can also take a refreshing stroll through the temple grounds, which cover 60,000 tsubo (about 20,000 square metres) and are dotted with spiritual sites.

One highlight is Mizuhame no Kami, located on the east side of the main shrine, which is also known as Oshimizu-sama (Goddess of Clean Water), because it's said that rinsing your skin with the spring water here will purify you. To get here, it's a 3-minute walk from Jingumae Station on the Meitetsu Nagoya Line. There are 400 parking spaces, so you're unlikely to have any problems if you come by car.

Located at the foot of Mt. Togoku, on the outskirts of northeastern Nagoya City, Togokusan Fruit Park is a unique fruit-themed agricultural park. The greenhouse showcases rare fruit trees, mainly from tropical and subtropical regions, with 104 varieties of fruit trees, including bananas, papayas, coconut palms, lychees and jackfruits. Around 190 varieties of familiar fruits such as persimmons, peaches, apples and pears are growing in the orchard.

Check the schedule in advance for harvesting experiences and seasonal events. You can also buy the freshest just-harvested fruits in the on-site shop. Next to the store, the Fruite Bar serves cut fruits, parfaits and freshly squeezed juices. The park is located in the mountains, so the best way to get here is by car.