Most tourists bypass Nagoya en route to Kyoto or the shrines of Ise, but if you're visiting on business and have some free time don't just snooze in your hotel room: Get out and explore.
In a few hours you can visit Antarctica, meet a Greek goddess and take tea with a daimyo -- all in a manner of speaking. What's more, you can do all this with a volunteer "goodwill guide," who will point you in the right direction, and tell you about life in the "white city."
Nagoya's nickname is unfortunately due to a lack of greenery. In the full glare of summer an excess of concrete lifts the temperature to the gaman level. Fortunately, I visited in spring and the weather was balmy, the wisteria dangling picturesquely in front of the castle and an afternoon in the city looked promising.
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