Nagoya Station Area Guide Meieki
Nagoya Station Meieki 名古屋駅
Nagoya Station (Meieki) is Nagoya's most important station and the area includes the JR Nagoya Station in the JR Central Towers, adjacent to Nagoya Meitetsu Station and Nagoya Kintetsu Station.
The soaring Twin Towers of Nagoya Station - the world's largest station building by area
JR Nagoya Station Building Twin Towers with the Hotel Tower on the left and the Office Tower on the right; the entrance to the Unimall underground shopping mall is in the foreground
Since the construction of Midland Square, Lucent Tower and Mode Gakuen Spiral Towers and the influx of office workers, shoppers and students this development has brought, the Nagoya Station area has rivaled Sakae and Fushimi as Nagoya's premier shopping and entertainment district.
Two more skyscrapers in the Nagoya Station area are under construction, the Dai Nagoya Building and the new Nagoya Terminal Building with a branch of Yodobashi Camera due for completion in 2016.
Nagoya Station Shopping
Each of the three stations in the Meieki area (JR, Meitetsu and Kintetsu) incorporates a large department store with luxury hotels in the JR and Meitetsu buildings.
The JR Station building consists of twin towers - the slightly shorter "hotel" tower and the taller, broader "office" tower. The hotel tower has a Takashimaya department store including a branch of Tokyu Hands, restaurant floors, the Nagoya Marriott Associa Hotel and a multitude of shops including Sanseido bookstore for English books and magazines. At the top of the office tower is the Panorama Salon with a health salon and spa, wine lounge and cafe.
The main concourse of Nagoya Station leads from the Taiko Dori exit on the south side near the Shinkansen tracks and the Silver Clock meeting point to the Sakura Dori exit on the north side and the Gold Clock meeting point. A Tourist Information Office is located in the concourse with maps, brochures and help on finding accommodation in Nagoya and beyond.
Meitetsu Station & Department Store, Nagoya
The Meitetsu Station building includes the Meitetsu department store with men's and mostly women's fashion outlets and the Meitetsu Grand Hotel. Outside the store is the giant Nana-chan statue, which is a popular meeting point and a Nagoya icon - big, bold and brash. The roof top of the Meitetsu department store has a beer garden in summer.
The Kintetsu Station Building includes the Kintetsu Pass'e department store with many women's fashion stores: Ingni, Cecil McBee, Olive des Olive as well as a branch of Tower Records on the 9th floor with English language magazines and a Hoshino Book Store on the 8th.
View of Nagoya showing the 170m-tall Mode Gakuen Spiral Towers and the Kintetsu & Meitetsu Stations
Takashimaya Department Store at Nagoya Station and the Gold Clock Meeting Point
Underneath Nagoya Station is a warren of more shops and restaurants including an avenue of outdoor brand shops: Fjall Raven, Mountain Hard Wear and The North Face. At the Taiko Dori exit is the underground Esca Mall leading to a branch of Bic Camera across the road which has bargain booze in its basement as well as multiple floors of electronic goods.
The Midland Square office and retail tower contains the new HQ of Toyota Corp as well as a number of brand name shops: Cleef & Arpels, Cartier, Celine, Chloé, Dior, Loewe and Louis Vuitton, a 7-screen multiplex cinema on the fifth floor (Tel: 052 527 8808), restaurants and cafes on the 3rd, 4th, 41st, 42nd floors and B1F and a viewing gallery on the 44th floor - the Sky Promenade - which is partially opened to the elements, so visitors can feel the wind and experience the sounds at around 240 meters above ground.
Yanagibashi Market, Meieki, Nagoya
Yanagibashi Fish Market (Yanagibashi Chuo Ichiba) is a small fish and fresh produce market located behind Midland Square and a world away from the towering office blocks around it. At night, this area has a number of pleasant bars, cafe and restaurants including recommended Spanish tapas and Italian-style eateries. If you want to escape the retail frenzy with Nagoya Station head out to this quieter and more relaxed space for some excellent sushi and a quiet beer or tea.
Just past the Kintetsu Department store at the crossroads of Meieki dori and Hirokoji dori is the Yamada Denki Labi electronics store and facing it on the other side of the street is the Meitetsu Lejac building which contains the Wellbe spa and capsule hotel, a McDonalds fast food restaurant, Doutor cafe, Pronto and a bowling alley.
JR Central Towers seen from the south exit of Nagoya Station
Nagoya Station Dining & Entertainment
The Meiki area is now one of Nagoya's best gourmet districts and visitors are spoiled for choice with hundreds of restaurants, fast food outlets, izakaya and pubs in the station buildings and in the surrounding streets and underground malls.
British style pubs the The Hub and The Cooper's Arms are close to the Sakuradori exit of Nagoya Station as are a number of informal izakaya on the streets to your left and right walking towards Kokusai Center subway station. The Choko Choko izakaya (Tel: 052 533 3003) near the Meitetsu Inn Nagoya Sakuradori specializes in Japanese sake and noodles in this area. Pub Oxo, another British-style theme pub is on Hirokoji dori near the Spiral Towers.
The 12th and 13th floors of the hotel tower of JR Central Towers is a busy restaurant area and on the 51st floor is Cafe du Ciel with amazing views on a clear day. The Nagoya Station building also has a branch of the popular Krispy Kreme American doughnut store, a McDonalds and a variety of cafes.
The Chikamachi Lounge is a group of European-inspired and Asian eateries in a passageway linking the Midland Square building with the Winc Aichi conference center.
JP Tower opened in 2017 and includes Kitte Nagoya - the Central Post Office and post office shop on the ground floor as well as a number of restaurants. Altogether around 40 stores, cafes and restaurants occupy space from the first basement floor to the 3rd floor. You can sample Nagoya's signature Ankake spaghetti here at a branch of Yokoi.
Nagoya Station Bus Terminal is here between JR Gate Tower Nagoya and JP Tower Nagoya at the Sakura-dori (East) Exit of JR Nagoya Station. Local Nagoya city buses leave for various destinations from the new indoor bus terminal.
Across Sakura Dori is the rebuilt Dai Nagoya Building with a range of stores, cafes and restaurant as well as a roof garden.
South of Nagoya Station is the district's red light area but there are also a good number of restaurants here with both Japanese and European-style food.
The Yanagibashi market - "Nagoya's kitchen" - has some excellent places to eat including Italian pizza and pasta restaurants and Spanish tapas bars. In summer there is a beer garden on top of the Marunaka Building here.
BIC Camera Store at Meieki
Hotels near Nagoya Station
The area around Nagoya Station close to both the Taiko and Sakuradori exits has a number of accommodation options ranging from exclusive, five star hotels such as the Nagoya Marriott Associa Hotel in the towers to cheap capsule hotels with the many, reasonably-priced western style business hotels dominating. The cheaper budget hotels are mainly on the south side of the station.
Recommended hotels in the Nagoya Station Meiki area include the 3-star Hotel Resol Nagoya, the Meitetsu Grand Hotel, the Castle Plaza Hotel, the Chisun Inn, the budget Toyoko Inn Nagoya-eki Shinkansen-guchi, the Meitetsu Inn Nagoya Eki-mae, the large Daiwa Roynet Hotel Nagoya Eki Mae, the basic and cheap Eco Hotel Nagoya and the Royal Park Hotel.
JR Nagoya Station (Meieki) district
Nagoya Station Map
JR Shinkansen Trains at Nagoya Station
Books on Japan Travel
Nagoya Station Meieki: read a guide to the Nagoya Station area with information on Nagoya Station shops, restaurants and hotels.
