Travel
Hotel openings and the new Ghibli Park have reinvigorated this Japanese city.
ByRebecca Hallett
Published November 3, 2023
• 5 min read
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).
With its high-rise buildings and broad boulevards, Nagoya used to be best known for its industrial heritage — a place to delve into the history of Toyota, which was founded here, or to browse museums housed in former factories. That changed late last year, when a more fantastical reason to visit sprang up just 30 minutes’ drive to the east: Ghibli Park. As the name suggests, the theme park is based around Studio Ghibli, the country’s most successful anime company, which rose to fame with titles such as Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle.
1. TIAD
Visitors keen to spot Studio Ghibli characters like No Face, or explore settings such as the house belonging to Satsuki and Mei in My Neighbour Totoro, have a choice of new hotels to bed down in after a visit to the park. These include the new TIAD, Autograph Collection, located in the spruced-up Hisaya Odori Park in central Nagoya. Many of its 150 rooms overlook the neat rows of trees and water features below. All are spacious and thoughtfully designed, with floor-to-ceiling windows and pops of colour — an ochre sofa here, a turquoise armchair there — punctuating muted tones and natural woods.
The views are equally sublime at the hotel’s Table for Tomorrow restaurant, where the terrace overlooks the greenery. The menu is built around local ingredients — think marinated bonito with aubergine fondant. At fine dining restaurant Shuhari, meanwhile, all nine guests sit around the counter to watch the chefs prepare a multi-course omakase menu. From Y39,661 (£217).
2. Henn na Hotel Express Nagoya Fushimi
The Henn na Hotel brand lives up to its name, which translates to ‘Strange Hotel’, with lifelike androids and dinosaur robots staffing its outposts across Japan. While somewhat less gimmicky, its most recent opening in Nagoya still uses technology to maximise comfort, from automated check-ins to steam closets to refresh your clothes. From Y8,400 (£46).
3. Lamp Light Books Hotel
This is a book-lover’s dream, where everything is designed with reading in mind. There’s a 24-hour bookshop and lending library, which includes titles in English, and all rooms have comfy armchairs in which to relax with a novel. The hushed, library-like vibe belies its central location. From Y10,499 (£57).
4. The Tower Hotel Nagoya
The centrepiece of Hisaya Odori Park is the Chubu Electric Power Mirai Tower, Japan’s oldest TV tower, which has twice been levelled on-screen by Godzilla. Based inside it is The Tower Hotel Nagoya, whose rooms — in a nod to the unique location — are bisected by steel beams and feature industrial touches such as polished concrete walls and bold, bright murals. Hotel guests get out-of-hours access to the tower’s observation deck. From ¥45,000 (£246), B&B.
Published in the November 2023 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK).
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