What’s new in Nagoya
Several new attractions have opened in Nagoya since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. Below is a selection of some new openings that may be of interest to prospective visitors:
Ghibli Park
Ghibli Park is a new theme park about the popular animated movies by Studio Ghibli, which opened in the outskirts of Nagoya on November 1, 2022. The park will eventually consist of five separate areas, three of which opened on November 1, while the remaining areas are scheduled to open in autumn 2023 and by spring 2024. Park tickets need to be purchased in advance, and due to low daily visitor limits, it can be expected that getting tickets will remain a big challenge for an extended time to come.
Hisaya Odori Park
Hisaya Odori Park is a long park area sandwiched between a main road in the center of Nagoya and stretching multiple city blocks, similar to Sapporo's Odori Park. Like its Sapporo sibling, Hisaya Odori Park features a television tower, but for a long time the rest of the park has not been an overly attractive tourist attraction. This has now changed thanks to a major renovation of the park, which was completed in 2020.
The park was transformed into an outdoor shopping mall with about three dozen attractive restaurants and shops among the green space. It is operated as a Rayard Mitsui Shopping Park, just like the recently opened Miyashita Park in Tokyo's Shibuya district. Likewise, the TV tower underwent renovations and now contains a unique hotel.
Kusanagi-kan at Atsuta Shrine
Atsuta Shrine is famous as the site where the Kusanagi Sword, one of Japan's three imperial regalia is stored, but because the sword is not on display, it has been difficult for visitors to fully appreciate the shrine's importance. This changed with the opening of the Kusanagi-kan Hall, a very interestingly designed hall that displays some of the many swords kept by the shrine. It also allows visitors to hold some of the swords in a hands-on corner.
Outside the hall, a small park with pond offers an attractive place for taking a break as well as a small restaurant offering some local specialties, such as kishimen noodles.
Noritake Garden gets an AEON Mall
Noritake Garden is a pleasant park on a former factory by Noritake, a leading, Nagoya-based manufacturer of ceramics and ceramic-related products, such as tableware. In autumn 2021, a new AEON Mall opened next to the Noritake Garden and was named after it. The mall offers a wide range of shops, restaurants and other services.
BINO Sakae
This new shopping complex opened in Nagoya's downtown district of Sakae in 2020. Among its tenants are several luxury brands, restaurants and a relatively spacious Sony Store, displaying its latest product lineup.