Japan’s ‘most boring city’ is anything but

The first time I came to Nagoya, the locals offered me their condolences. Sorry, they said, for having the misfortune of visiting the most boring city in Japan. It was an ominous way to start my stopover and after having a night that was anything but boring, I was inspired to come back and get to the bottom of what makes the city so maligned.

Nothing, as it turns out.

Nagoya doesn’t live up to its boring reputation.Credit: iStock

All those articles, all that fear-mongering, everything I was told about Nagoya was so blatantly wrong. It made me wonder if this was all a strategic ploy by the locals to keep us tourists away but no, the locals were friendly, welcoming, and more than happy to share the joys of their city.

I knew Nagoya was a good time when I arrived at the train station next to my hotel. I left the gate, walked about 10 metres, and found myself in an underground passageway lined with about a dozen tachinomis, or standing bars.

One of these tachinomis was run by a gaggle of old women. They were hidden behind sinister jars of fruit liquor, working in a space no bigger than a bathtub as they cooked food that would make Japanophiles weep and poured beers into frosty glasses. I hadn’t even made it to my hotel yet and I was already two beers deep, enjoying some of the best tamagoyaki (rolled omelettes), oden (hot pot), and sashimi of the trip.

This was not a boring experience. Quite the opposite, in fact, and was made even less so by the women behind the bar who kept cracking jokes at my expense. None of the eclectic regulars there spoke English, and my Japanese is mediocre at best, but we didn’t let that get in the way of our good time.

The famous Nagoya breakfast.Credit: iStock

If there is one thing that Nagoya is known for, other than being boring, making cars, and having a nice castle, it’s probably the Nagoya breakfast. It’s a breakfast meal whereby, after ordering a drink, you’ll receive a slice of thick-cut toast, a piece of fruit and half a boiled egg or something for free.

There are other fancy add-ons like adzuki beans and yoghurt but sometimes, all you need to soak up a train station-related hangover is buttered toast that comes for free with a gigantic vat of coffee.