Nagoya

I have about 2.5 hrs at Nagoya station before my next train ride to Kyoto.
Any tips on how I should spend my 2.5 hrs please.

Thank you.

I have about 2.5 hrs at Nagoya station before my next train ride to Kyoto.

Why? There are train connections every 10 minutes.

Any tips on how I should spend my 2.5 hrs please.

I recommend to visit a site that interests you personally :) I myself would go to Nagoya Castle because I like castles, and Nagoya Castle is one of the most fascinating ones because its palace is currently being rebuilt:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3300.html

Alternatively, the Nagoya Station complex offers lots of shopping and dining, so you could go shopping or try some Nagoya specialties:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3315.html

There is also an observation deck in a nearby skyscraper:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3311.html

Other options:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2155.html

We arrive at Nagoya at 16.02

We could take the 16.27 Shinkansen to Tokyo or skip it and take the 17.27 one, having 1 & 1/2 hours to explore the Nagoya Station area.

Do you think it would be worthwhile?

Do you think it would be worthwhile
No: Nagoya needs a day or 2, ie more than just an hour or 2.
And the transfer from the 16.02 to the 16.27 would be easy, giving you enough time to see the famous clocks inside the station and maybe get some food/bathroom break in the Takashimiya department store.

Personally (and this is completely my opinion only) I'd hop on the earliest train and continue on to Kyoto. I spent a few days in Nagoya last year and unless I missed something I really didn't find it all that interesting. More time in Kyoto would be my preference.

Nagoya is not interesting in the least. It is a cheap place to chill if you are travelling for two weeks or more.

If not, as DM said, head to Kyoto

Coming from a person who loves Nagoya and has called it home for the past three summers, the 2 hour break won't give you time to do much.

You could go to the castle but you would have to rush through it to get back in time for your train.

You could also go to Sakae, a close by shopping district, but again, you'd have to rush back to get to your train.

I would just do the quick transfer, like someone said before, it gives you enough time to look around at the famous clocks and if you know where to go you can even take a look at the giant Nana statue (I think that's the name, I always forget) near the station too.

If you want to explore Nagoya I would just save it for another trip if you ever go back. It needs at least 2 days for the big attractions and more if you want to explore other areas that are outside the main city.

Go to the JR museum http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3314.html
Rated #21 out of 801 out of Japan sites.

It confuses me that people say XYZ place is boring. Just because popular guidebooks are heavily biased and miss heaps of stuff, you should not be put off. Currently I'm working out how to get back to Nagoya for several more days because I still haven't done many of the things on the list.

While I agree the JR museum would be great place to visit, the train ride there is about 25 minutes from Nagoya station.

If the traveling time to and from the museum is fifty minutes, it would give them only about a hour or so to explore the museum before they have to head back to Nagoya station.

I've heard people usually stay for more than a few hours each time they visit.

I guess if they want to squeeze in the museum while they are there it is possible, but I personally wouldn't like to rush through something like that.

Coming from a person who loves Nagoya and has called it home for the past three summers, the 2 hour break won't give you time to do much.
I would just do the quick transfer,
If you want to explore Nagoya I would just save it for another trip if you ever go back. It needs at least 2 days for the big attractions and more if you want to explore other areas that are outside the main city.
I totally agree. We go to Nagoya every trip, as we have family there: but it depends on your interests.
We love the Togugawa Art Museum, Toyota museum (even I enjoyed that, and I�fm not overly into cars), Nagoya Castle grounds in Cherry Blossoms, Noritake, walking around looking at the modern architecture etc and have other things planned for our next trip.(the new castle buildings for one h)ttp://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3300.html
It is a great place for day trips eg Inuyama, Ise Shrines, Takayama etc.
So yes, unless you can spend a few days, carry right on through.
Have fun!

While the JR museum is most excellent, there is another rail museum in Nagoya, on the other side of town. It's the Nagoya City Tram & Subway Museum, near the Akaike Station (station T20 on the Tsurumai Line).

The downside is that route 153 is between the station and the museum, making for a long walk to a crossing. You can see the area using Google Street View.

There is a Wikipedia entry for it, containing a link to the official site.

There is also excellent rail travel between Nagoya and Osaka Namba using a Kintetsu limited express. It's about 2.5 hours.

I think Nagoya has an undeserved poor reputation. I actually think it's more interesting than Osaka and much better for families. It has the world-class railway museum, Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Garden, the Port Aquarium (which has dolphin, whale, and beluga shows), and the Science Center, along with the castle, shopping, gardens, etc. Much better than Osaka and at the very least no worse.