Nagoya

Template:Japanese city Nagoya (名古屋市; -shi) is the fourth largest (third largest metropolitan region) and the third most prosperous city in Japan. Located on the Pacific coast in the Chūbu region on central Honshu, it is the capital of Aichi Prefecture.

History

The city was founded on October 1, 1889, and was designated on September 1, 1956 by government ordinance. The city's name was historically written as 那古野 or 名護屋 (also read as Nagoya), and as the city is located between Kyoto and Tokyo, it was also historically known as Chūkyō (中京, "central capital").

Sightseeing

Nagoya's famous sight seeing spots include Nagoya Castle (名古屋城, Nagoya-jō) and Atsuta Shrine (熱田神宮, Atsuta Jingū).

Nagoya jō was built in 1612. Although a large part of it was burned down by the fires of World War II, the castle was restored to its original condition in 1959. Nagoya-jō is very famous for two magnificent Kin no Shachihoko (金の鯱, Golden Orca-like fish) on the roof. They are often used as the symbol of Nagoya.

Atsuta jingū is known as the second-most venerable shrine in Japan. It enshrines Kusanagi no mitsurugi ((草薙神剣, the Kusanagi sacred sword), one of the three imperial regalia of Japan. It holds around 70 festivals in a year, and many people visit the shrine year-round. Also, the shrine has over 4,400 national treasures representing its 2,000 years' history.

A modern attraction is the Nagoya TV Tower and JR Central Towers of Nagoya Station.

Wards

Nagoya has 16 wards (ku):

Demographics

As of 2003, the city has an estimated population of 2,190,549 and the density of 6,710.21 persons per km². The total area is 326.45 km². Its metropolitan area extends into Mie and Gifu prefectures, with approximately six million people, only Osaka and Tokyo being larger.

Transportation

Nagoya is served by Chubu Centrair International Airport (NGO) in the city of Tokoname and by Nagoya Airport (Komaki Airport) (NKM) which is located in the cities of Komaki and Kasugai. On February 17,2005, all of Nagoya Airport's commercial flights (except for flights operated by J-Air) moved to Centrair. Nagoya Airport is now used as a general aviation and airbase facility.

Nagoya Station, the world's largest train station by floor area, is on the Tokaido Shinkansen, Tokaido Main Line, and Chuo Main Line, among others. The Nagoya Railroad and Kinki Nippon Electric Railway provide regional rail service to points in the Tokai and Kansai regions. The city is also serviced by the Nagoya Subway.

Economy

Nagoya's main industry is the automotive business, as many Japanese automotive companies are based out of Nagoya as U. S. automakers are based out of Detroit. Toyota is headquartered in the nearby city of Toyota. The Japanese confectionery company Marukawa is headquartered in Nagoya, as is the fine ceramics company Noritake. There is also a sizable aerospace and electronics industry in the area.

Nagoya is also known as the birthplace of pachinko.

Breakdown of Nagoya's GDP by economic activity
(from the 2005 city profile published by the City of Nagoya)

Service 26%
Wholesale and Retail 20.2%
Manufacturing 12.3%
Shipping and Communications 10.4%
Real Estate 9.8%
Administrative Services Supply 5.9%
Construction 5.8%
Finance and Insurance 5.4%
Others 3.7%

The World Expo 2005, also known as Aichi Expo was held in the eastern hills of Nagoya in the neighboring cities of Nagakute and Seto. The event was held from March 25 to September 25, 2005.

Sports

Nagoya is home to several professional sports teams.

Club	Sport	League	Venue	Established
Chunichi Dragons	Baseball	Central League	Nagoya Dome	1936
Nagoya Grampus Eight	Football	J. League	Mizuho Athletic Stadium, Toyota Soccer Stadium	1939
Nagoya Barbarians	Rugby