Things to do in Nagoya Station

Suesy was a great guide, friendly and knowledgeable, her energy made a rainy day much better. However hiking in the rain, I missed much of the scenery due to fog, was absolutely drenched as well. Proper rain gear and waterproof shoes are recommended for rainy days. Otherwise a cool experience.

A bird eye's view of Nagoya, especially area around the Nagoya Station and even Nagoya Castle. On days of good visibility, you can see a mountain or a few. I can see Mt. Ibuki during sunset. Visit on weekday for cheaper entry. Redemption is easy as the staff is readily available to help. Depending on your pace and interest, you can spend 10mins or even 2 hours here. There are seats around, drink vending machines and it is semi outdoor. My discomfort is the bbq smoke and smell from the open air restaurant.

Since these locations are over two hours from Nagoya by car, it is definitely worth joining a local tour. The guide was excellent—responsible, well-organized, and provided plenty of free time, which was more than enough for the visit. I loved the first stop the most, it is well worth the trip. The 'Silver Clock' meeting point is very easy to find, and the maps and suggestions provided by the guide were detailed and easy to follow. They also set up WhatsApp and WeChat groups to ensure seamless communication throughout the day.

Highly recommend this tour. We went in summer but it was still beautiful. Less time at the first stop with the Koi pond and more time at the lunch and shopping street would have been better. By the time we chose a lunch spot, we didn’t have much time to look in the stores. Overall an enjoyable experience with a guide who spoke 3 languages.

We booked for a Tuesday tour but was requested to move to a Wednesday tour so we had to move things around. It was okay though because the tour was worth it. Size of the group was small so no time was wasted on waiting on other tour participants. Vehicle used was very clean and comfortable for the long drive to and from Nagoya. Our tour guide, Eiichi, was very nice and accommodating to all of us and was able to communicate with everyone well. As a local, he was able to answer our questions about Nagoya, Takayama, and Shirakawa-go easily. He also gave great recommendations about what food to try. We were able to follow the schedule to the dot and got back in Nagoya in time for our evening plans.

◎ The timing was excellent; we not only explored three areas of Ghibli Park but also visited Japan's renowned Toyota Museum. The itinerary was very fulfilling. ◎ The round-trip bus saved us a lot of time we would have spent on transfers. The bus was quite comfortable, and I even fell asleep on the way back. ◎ Our tour guide was a very interesting Japanese gentleman, I believe his name was "Ushida Yasuhiro." On the way there, he patiently introduced the itinerary, counted heads, and kept the atmosphere lively. On the way back, seeing that everyone was tired, he started singing for us and even handed out song sheets (Ponyo's theme song, which Fan Xiaoxuan covered as "Doudoulong"). The trip was quite enjoyable. ◎ Ghibli Park is definitely worth a visit; it's Miyazaki's world everywhere you look. I spent a long time taking photos in the Ghibli's Grand Warehouse. At Mononoke Village, I didn't have the patience to wait in long lines, so I only spent about an hour there and rode the carousel 🎠. There were many tourists from Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, and they were all quite enthusiastic and willing to help take photos, which was very nice. ◎ Afterwards, we went to the Toyota Museum and saw many cars, souvenirs, and cultural exhibits. It was excellent.

Everything was really great overall. We got to everywhere we wanted/needed to be and the instructions got me where I needed to go. I do wish some of the finer points (like going to the information desk to pick up the tickets instead of just “B1 of Kitte” or a better guide for getting to the bus stop). Otherwise, super helpful to have everything bundled into one when I can’t buy tickets from the website directly.

Our journey today (Oct 07) along the Nakasendo trail from Tsumagojuku to Magomejuku was an unforgettable, bucket-list experience that made our 22,000 steps entirely worthwhile. Our exceptional guide, Eric, brought the ancient path to life with his thorough and fascinating insights into the region's rich history. Meanwhile, our wonderful driver, Mr. Ozaki, ensured we felt completely comfortable and secure throughout our travels. Walking this historic route felt like stepping back in time amidst stunning Japanese countryside scenery. I cannot recommend this incredible tour enough to anyone visiting the area! Thank you to Eric, Mr. Ozaki, and Snow Monkey Resorts!

Our guide for the day was the effervescent Kim and we were the only group that day so it felt like a private tour! The tour was paced well and never felt rushed. The driver was on always careful and the mini bus was great. Overall a lovely experience:)