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There are two ways to look at Nagoya, Japan's fourth largest city. One way is as a historic city with fortifications and a castle revealing the depth and range of the Tokugawa clan as the most powerful in all of 17th-century Japan. Another way is as a thriving industrial metropolis and home to some of the world's giant names in the automobile industry like Honda and Toyota.

Like most of the country's castle-towns, Nagoya boasts of its own grandiose bastion. Commissioned by Tokugawa Ieyasu himself, the Nagoya Castle serves as a silent testimony to the shogun's power and influence even in the early stages of the feudal days. More information and artifacts about the great revolutionary leader can be found at the Tokugawa Art Museum. On the fringes of the museum lies the Tokugawaen, a Japanese-style garden that used to be the quarters of a local daimyo (warlord).

Contrary to most beliefs, Toyota (one of the world's largest automobile manufacturers) did not start as a car maker. Instead, it was a looming factory. The Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology is where the company's textile plant used to stand.

When sunset strikes at Nagoya, it signals for the many izakaya (bars) and pubs in the city to flash their neon lights and crank up their stereos' volumes. Sakae's nightlife district is particularly a favorite among the city's working class.