Quote:
Originally Posted by steven
I personally like the Aichi region as well and think that even in the big city areas, it's not as 'big-city' as the other major cities in Japan. It doesn't feel as hectic for some reason.
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I think it has to do with space. (Tokyo and Osaka are seriously everything crunched into some tiny and tight spaces...) And to do with planning after the war.
Nagoya was the backup city for the capital, and the city planning reflects that. I actually think it still IS the backup city for the capital. Should Tokyo suffer some huge disaster, Nagoya will be the administrative center for Japan.
When huge areas of the city were destroyed by bombing, large streets were cleared and larger open spaces secured. The streets are wide and spacious, and there is a lot less of a feeling of being crunched into tiny spaces.
It`s wonderful for living and getting around, but... Tourists want to see cramped, tiny, "old" Japan... What is actually pleasant to live in is of little concern. So Nagoya is a wonderful city to live in but not somewhere "cool" to visit on a tour. Older, historical and scenic parts of the city exist, but they`re not "better" for sightseeing than Tokyo or Kyoto. So nobody bothers with Nagoya.
I don`t really mind - I`d rather not have to fight through crowds of tourists to visit historical spots... But still it sucks that there are so many negative opinions of the city just because it isn`t super-crowded Tokyo, or temple-o-rama Kyoto.