is the largest city in the
Chūbu region
The , Central region, or is a region in the middle of Honshū, Japan's main island. In a wide, classical definition, it encompasses nine prefectures (''ken''): Aichi, Fukui, Gifu, Ishikawa, Nagano, Niigata, Shizuoka, Toyama, and Y ...
, the
fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the
Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
coast in central
Honshu
, historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island ...
, it is the capital and the most populous city of
Aichi Prefecture, and is one of Japan's major
port
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as ...
s along with those of
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
,
Osaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...
,
Kobe
Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, w ...
,
Yokohama
is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of ...
, and
Chiba. It is the principal city of the
Chūkyō metropolitan area, which is the
third-most populous metropolitan area in Japan with a population of 10.11million in 2020.
In 1610, the warlord
Tokugawa Ieyasu
was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fel ...
, a retainer of
Oda Nobunaga
was a Japanese '' daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period. He is regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan.
Nobunaga was head of the very powerful Oda clan, and launched a war against other ''daimyō'' to unif ...
, moved the capital of
Owari Province from
Kiyosu
is a city in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 69,687 in 29,477 households, and a population density of 4,017 persons per km². The total area of the city is .
Geography
Kiyosu is located in far western Aichi Pr ...
to Nagoya. This period saw the renovation of
Nagoya Castle. The arrival of the 20th century brought a convergence of economic factors that fueled rapid growth in Nagoya, during the
Meiji Restoration
The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were r ...
, and became a major industrial hub for Japan. The traditional manufactures of timepieces, bicycles, and sewing machines were followed by the production of special steels, ceramic, chemicals, oil, and petrochemicals, as the area's automobile, aviation, and shipbuilding industries flourished. These factors made the city a target for
US air raids during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
.
Following the war, Nagoya's economy diversified, but the city remains a significant centre for industry and transport in Japan. It is linked with Tokyo, Kyōto, and Osaka by the
Tokaido Shinkansen
The is a Japanese high-speed rail line that is part of the nationwide Shinkansen network. Along with the Sanyo Shinkansen, it forms a continuous high-speed railway through the Taiheiyō Belt, also known as the Tokaido corridor. Opened in 1 ...
, and is home to the
Nagoya Stock Exchange as well as the headquarters of
Brother Industries,
Ibanez,
Lexus
is the luxury vehicle division of the Japanese automaker Toyota. The Lexus brand is marketed in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide and is Japan's largest-selling make of premium cars. It has ranked among the 10 largest Japanese ...
, and
Toyota Tsusho
is a sōgō shōsha (trading company), a member of the Toyota Group. Toyota Tsusho has a worldwide presence through its many subsidiaries and operating divisions, including over 150 offices, and 900 subsidiaries and affiliates around the world ...
, among others. Nagoya is home of educational institutes such as
Nagoya University
, abbreviated to or NU, is a Japanese national research university located in Chikusa-ku, Nagoya. It was the seventh Imperial University in Japan, one of the first five Designated National University and selected as a Top Type university of ...
, the
Nagoya Institute of Technology
The , abbreviated to Nitech (or in Japanese to 名工大, ''Meikōdai''), is a public highest-level educational institution of science and technology located in Nagoya
is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous cit ...
, and
Nagoya City University
, abbreviated to , is a public university in Japan. The main campus (Kawasumi) is located in Mizuho-ku, Nagoya City. Other three campuses (Yamanohata, Tanabe-dori and Kita Chikusa) are also located in the city. Nagoya City University has been r ...
. Famous landmarks in the city include
Atsuta Shrine,
Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens,
Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium,
Nagoya Castle, and
Hisaya Ōdori Park, and
Nagoya TV Tower, one of the oldest TV towers in Japan.
Overview
Etymology
The city's name was historically written as or (both read as ''Nagoya''). One possible origin is the adjective , meaning 'calm'
.
The name , consisting of ''chū'' (middle) + ''kyō'' (capital) is also used to refer to Nagoya. Notable examples of the use of the name Chūkyō include the
Chūkyō Industrial Area,
Chūkyō Metropolitan Area,
Chūkyō Television Broadcasting,
Chukyo University and the
Chukyo Racecourse.
Cityscape
File:Skyscrapers of Meieki (2016-07-07).jpg, Nagoya Station
is a major railway station in Nakamura-ku, Nagoya, Japan. It is one of the world's largest train stations by floor area (410,000 m2), and houses the headquarters of the Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central). Much of this space is located in ...
(2016)
File:Nagoya Night View.jpg, Nagoya night view seen from Higashiyama Sky Tower (2020)
File:Nagoya_(2015-11-03).JPG, Central business district
A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the " cit ...
of Nagoya viewed from Midland Square (2015)
File:Nagoya TV Tower1.jpg, Hisaya Ōdori Park (2020)
File:Seto Digital Tower and Nagoya.jpg, Nagoya and Seto Digital Tower from Mount Sanage (2016)
File:2016 Japan Nagoya 81 (33038233234).jpg, Sakae area (2016)
Geography and administrative divisions
Geography
Nagoya lies north of
Ise Bay
is a bay located at the mouth of the Kiso Three Rivers between Mie and Aichi Prefectures in Japan. Ise Bay has an average depth of and a maximum depth of . The mouth of the bay is and is connected to the smaller Mikawa Bay by two channels: ...
on the
Nōbi Plain. The city was built on low-level
plateau
In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ...
s to ward off floodwaters. The plain is one of the nation's most fertile areas. The
Kiso River flows to the west along the city border, and the
Shōnai River
The is a Class 1 river flowing through Gifu and Aichi prefectures in Japan. In Gifu Prefecture, it is also referred to as the Toki River (土岐川 ''Toki-gawa''); around the city of Kasugai in Aichi Prefecture, it is referred to as the Tam ...
comes from the northeast and turns south towards the bay at Nishi Ward. The man-made
Hori River was constructed as a canal in 1610. It flows from north to south, as part of the Shōnai River system. The rivers allowed for trade with the hinterland. The Tempaku River feeds from a number of smaller river in the east, flows briefly south at Nonami and then west at Ōdaka into the bay.
The city's location and its position in the
centre of Japan allowed it to develop economically and politically.
File:Nobi_Plain_from_Mount_Miroku.JPG, Nagoya and Nobi Plain seen from Mirokuzan ( Kasugai city)
File:Nobi Plain and Nagoya from Mount Sanpo 2008-9-24.jpg, View of the Nōbi Plain, Kiso Three Rivers and Nagoya from Mount Sanpo and Mount Yōrō
File:Aerial photographs of Nagoya Night view.jpg, Aerial photographs of Nagoya
File:Nagoya_Port_Aichi_pref_Japan01s8.jpg, Nagoya Port in 2013
Climate
Nagoya has a
humid subtropical climate (
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...
: ''Cfa'') with hot, humid summers and cool winters. The summer is noticeably wetter than the winter, although rain falls throughout the year.
Area
Wards

Nagoya has 16
wards.
Demographics

One of the earliest
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
es, carried out in 1889, counted 157,496 residents. The population reached the 1million mark in 1934 and as of December 2010 had an estimated population of 2,259,993 with a