By plane
Not arriving via Centrair Airport?
If you happen to arrive in Japan at Osaka's Kansai International Airport, Nagoya can be reached in no less than two hours by taking the Haruka limited express train to Shin-Osaka station, then changing to the Tokaido Shinkansen.
A small number of air flights operate daily from Tokyo's Narita Airport to Centrair Airport, for the benefit of international passengers. Otherwise, Nagoya is no less than three hours away by taking the Narita Express limited express train to Tokyo's Shinagawa station, then changing to the Tokaido Shinkansen.
Chubu Centrair International Airport ä¸é¨å½é空港 ChÅ«bu Kokusai KÅ«kÅ, Japan's third major international gateway, is on an artificial island 30 minutes south from the center of town. Facilities include two hotels, restaurants, a shopping concourse, and an onsen spa with views of the runways. Centrair opened in 2005, and this airport replaces the existing Nagoya airport, also taking over its IATA code NGO.
The best way of connecting between Centrair Airport and central Nagoya is the Meitetsu Airport Line. The fastest trains are called "μSKY" myuu-sukai and depart for Nagoya every 30 minutes. The journey takes 28 minutes at a cost of ¥1200: the ¥850 regular fare plus the mandatory ¥350 first class charge, also called the μticket ãã¥ã¼ãã±ãããmyuu-chiketto. Only first class cars are available on "μSKY" trains. Slower Limited Express trains, also operating every 30 minutes, offer both first class reserved and ordinary class non-reserved seating and take 37 minutes for the run to Nagoya.
Note that Meitetsu trains are not free for JR Railpass riders.
By train
Nagoya is located along the Tokaido Shinkansen route between Tokyo and Osaka. To the west are Gifu and Kyoto, and to the east are Hamamatsu and Shizuoka.
A one-way ride from Tokyo is about 1 hour, 40 minutes via Nozomi ¥10780 and between 1 3/4 and 2 hours via Hikari ¥10580.
From Kyoto, Nagoya is reachable in 36 minutes via Nozomi ¥5640 and between 36 and 55 minutes via Hikari or Kodama ¥5440.
From the Shin-Osaka station in Osaka, Nagoya is 53 minutes away via Nozomi ¥6380 and between 53 and 70 minutes away via Hikari or Kodama ¥6180.
Thru Nozomi trains from western Japan reach Nagoya from Okayama 1 hr 40 mins, ¥10980, Hiroshima 2 hrs 20 mins, ¥13830 and Hakata station in Fukuoka 3 hrs 20 mins, ¥18030. It is slightly longer via the Hikari service; you will need to change trains at least once, either at Okayama, Shin-Kobe, or Shin-Osaka.
If you wish to sacrifice travel speed for savings, you can take advantage of the Puratto Kodama Ticket ã·ãã£ã¨ãã ã¾ã¨ã³ããã¼ãã©ã³ Puratto Kodama Economi Puran (http://www.jrtours.co.jp/...) in Japanese, which offers a discount for Kodama services if you purchase at least one day in advance. You get a reserved seat and a complimentary drink on board. A ticket to Nagoya costs Â¥7900 from Tokyo 3 hours; 2 trains per hour, Â¥4100 from Kyoto 1 hour; 1 train per hour and Â¥4200 from Shin-Osaka 1 1/4 hours; 1 train per hour. A few early-morning Kodama trains cannot be used with this ticket.
Nagoya also serves as the terminal point for the hourly Wide View Shinano, a limited express train that runs from the mountain resort towns of Nagano and Matsumoto. Nagoya is reached in 3 hours and 2 hours, respectively.
Local trains from Tokyo take about 6 hours at a cost of Â¥6090, requiring several train changes along the way. However, trips on local trains are more valuable if you purchase and use a Seishun 18 Ticket during the valid time period: as low as ¥2300 per person if five people travel together. Otherwise, consider using a bus starting from Â¥5000, or step up to the bullet train for Â¥7900 using the Puratto Kodama Ticket.
Remember that the Japan Rail Pass covers all journeys described above, EXCEPT for Nozomi trains.
Nagoya is also served by the Meitetsu åéï¼ (http://www.meitetsu.co.jp/english/ and Kintetsu è¿éï¼ (http://www.kintetsu.jp/english/trans/index.html private railways. If coming to Nagoya from Osaka, a travel option that comes cheaper than the Shinkansen is a Kintetsu limited express service called the Urban Liner ã¢ã¼ãã³ã©ã¤ãã¼, which runs out of Namba station. The Urban Liner departs at 0 and 30 minutes past the hour, covering the journey in as little as two hours, but at a cost of Â¥4150 each way. The shinkansen, by comparison, makes the run from Shin-Osaka to Nagoya in under an hour for Â¥5670. Japan Rail Passes are not valid for the Urban Liner.