Overview
Nagoya's public transport is anchored by the Nagoya Municipal Subway (名古屋市営地下鉄, Nagoya Shiei Chikatetsu), a rapid transit system operated by the Nagoya City Transportation Bureau. It opened in 1957 and today comprises six lines with a total route length of 93.3 km (58.0 mi) and 87 stations, roughly 90 percent of which are underground. Under city regulations its official name is Nagoya City Rapid Transit (名古屋市高速度鉄道, Nagoya-shi Kōsokudo Tetsudō), and its mascot is Hatchii.
For a visitor, the system is smaller and simpler to grasp than the subways of Tokyo or Osaka. Your journey typically works like this: enter a station, buy a ticket or tap an IC card at the gate, ride to your destination, then either exit or transfer inside the paid area. Nagoya Station is the principal hub, served not only by the subway but also by JR lines, the Tōkaidō Shinkansen, Meitetsu and Kintetsu. Be aware that subway signage at Nagoya Station is not especially prominent — look for the Japanese characters 地下鉄 (chikatetsu), with a small "Subway" translation beneath them. Ticket gates are marked 改札 (kaisatsu) and transfers are marked 乗り換え (norikae).
The subway carries a large share of the region's rail traffic: together with suburban railways it forms a network of 47 lines in and around Greater Nagoya, of which the subway accounts for approximately 38 percent of the roughly 3 million daily rail passengers. The network serves all 16 wards of Nagoya except Moriyama, and reaches Nisshin — the only municipality outside Nagoya City with a subway station.
The network
Greater Nagoya's rail network combines the municipal subway with private and JR suburban railways, city buses, a guided busway, a tram-like sightseeing bus, and even ferries.
Nagoya Municipal Subway
The six subway lines are mostly independent, though the Meikō Line partially interlines with the Meijō Line and the two are operated together, giving five distinct services. Two lines run through onto tracks owned by Meitetsu, the region's largest private railway. The first two lines built — the Higashiyama and Meijō/Meikō lines — use standard gauge track with 600 V DC third-rail electrification; later lines were built to narrow gauge with 1,500 V DC overhead electrification.
- Higashiyama Line (東山線, Higashiyama-sen; yellow, H) — east–west through central Nagoya and the most useful line for sightseeing. Key stops include Nagoya Station, Fushimi (museums and a transfer point) and Sakae (shopping, Oasis 21, TV Tower).
- Meijō Line (名城線, Meijō-sen; purple, M) — a loop around central Nagoya, comparable to Tokyo's Yamanote Line, and Japan's first subway line to become a loop when circular operation began in October 2004. It connects to all other subway lines, with key stops at Nagoya Castle, Sakae and Kanayama (JR connections).
- Meikō Line (名港線, Meikō-sen; light purple, E) — links central Nagoya to the port area, serving Nagoya Port Aquarium, the Nagoya Maritime Museum and the Port of Nagoya.
- Tsurumai Line (鶴舞線, Tsurumai-sen; blue, T) — north–south, with key stops at Osu Kannon (temple and shopping streets), Tsuruma Park (cherry blossoms) and the Nagoya City Science Museum. It is jointly operated with Meitetsu from Akaike and Kami-Otai, giving access to Toyota and Inuyama.
- Sakura-dōri Line (桜通線, Sakuradōri-sen; red, S) — east–west, running slightly south of the Higashiyama Line and often less crowded. Key stops include Nagoya Station, Hisaya-odori (park, TV Tower, transfer to the Meijō Line) and Marunouchi.
- Kamiiida Line (上飯田線, Kamiiida-sen; pink, K) — a very short route of mainly local use with little sightseeing value; it is essentially an extension of the Meitetsu Komaki Line, to which it connects at Kamiiida. Key stops include Heian Shrine, Shiga Park and Kamiiida.
Suburban rail: JR Central, Meitetsu and Kintetsu
The subway is closely integrated with JR Central services, including the Tōkaidō Shinkansen, at several major transfer points. Nagoya Station is the principal interchange: the Higashiyama Line and Sakura-dōri Line connect directly via underground passageways to the JR Tōkaidō Main Line platforms and the Shinkansen concourse on the upper levels, with shared concourses, multilingual guidance, escalators and elevators.
- JR Central — the Tōkaidō Shinkansen calls at Nagoya (for Shin-Yokohama, Tokyo, Kyoto and Shin-Osaka). The Tōkaidō Main Line serves Nagoya and Kanayama (for Gifu, Ōgaki, Obu, Kariya, Okazaki, Toyohashi and Hamamatsu). The Chūō Main Line serves Nagoya, Kanayama, Tsurumai, Chikusa and Ōzone (for Kozoji, with a transfer to the former Expo Site, plus Tajimi and Nakatsugawa). The Kansai Main Line serves Nagoya and Hatta (for Yokkaichi, Tsu and Kameyama), and the Takayama Main Line serves Nagoya (Limited Express only).
- Meitetsu (名鉄) — a network across Aichi and lower Gifu, with subway transfers at Nagoya, Kanayama, Sakae and Ozone. The Tsurumai Line is jointly operated with Meitetsu from Akaike and Kami-Otai, and the Kamiiida Line connects to the Meitetsu Komaki Line.
- Kintetsu (近鉄) — connects Nagoya with Osaka, Nara, Mie and Ise-Shima, and links to the subway at Hatta and Nagoya stations.
Buses, guided busway and the Me~guru sightseeing bus
City route buses cover all of Nagoya, with main terminals at Nagoya Station and Sakae (the Oasis 21 terminal) and bus terminals at major subway stations. The Meitetsu Bus Center, at the south end of Nagoya Station, is the terminus for Meitetsu buses and highway buses. The Yutorito Line is a guided busway; note that the Weekend Eco Ticket is not valid on its elevated section.
The Nagoya Sightseeing Route Bus "Me~guru" is a dedicated sightseeing loop. It operates Tuesday to Sunday, closing on Mondays (or the following weekday if Monday is a holiday), and its One-Day Pass also gives discounts at tourist facilities, restaurants and hotels along the route on the day of use.
Ferries
Taiheiyo Ferry (太平洋フェリー, Taiheiyō Feri) runs overnight car ferries from the Nagoya Ferry Terminal at 40 Sorami-cho, Minato-ku, to Sendai (about 21 hr 40 min) and Tomakomai in southern Hokkaido (about 40 hr) aboard the SS Ishikari and SS Kitakami. To reach the terminal, a Meitetsu shuttle bus departs the downtown Meitetsu Bus Center (名鉄バスセンター) next to Nagoya Station from platform 22 on the 4th floor at 17:20, arriving around 17:55 (adults ¥550, children ¥280). You can also take the Aonami Line (あおなみ線, Aonami-sen) south to Noseki Station (野跡駅) and board a city bus to the Feri futo (フェリーふ頭) bus stop, a ride of 7 to 10 minutes.
Tickets & fares
Subway fares are distance-based and divided into zones. Adult one-way fares run from about ¥210 (1 zone) to ¥340 (5 zones), with children aged 6–12 paying roughly ¥100–¥170. Treat all prices here as approximate — they change, so check current fares locally.
Paper tickets are bought by fare amount, not by destination. Check the fare chart or network map above the vending machines, note the fare for your destination, select that amount on the machine (English menus are available on many machines), choose the number of tickets and insert cash. Insert your ticket into the gate on entry and collect it on the other side; at exit, insert it again. Regular tickets are retained by the gate, but some special tickets such as certain day passes are returned — remember to take yours back. If you travel beyond your fare, use a Fare Adjustment Machine near the gates before exiting. Transfers between subway lines are made inside the paid area: follow the "Transfer" signs and you do not need to exit the gates.
City route buses charge a flat fare of ¥210.
Passes and discount tickets
- Nagoya Subway 24-Hour Ticket — ¥760 adult / ¥380 child, giving unlimited rides on all subway lines for 24 hours from your first gate entry.
- Nagoya City Bus & Subway 1-Day Ticket — ¥870 adult / ¥430 child, unlimited subway and city bus use all day.
- Nagoya City Bus 1-Day Ticket — ¥620 adult / ¥310 child, valid on city buses only.
- Weekend Eco Ticket (Donichi Eco Kippu) — ¥620 adult, unlimited travel on city buses and the subway on weekends, public holidays and the 8th of each month (Environmental Conservation Day). It is valid only on city buses and the Me~guru sightseeing bus — not on the elevated section of the Yutorito Line, Meitetsu buses or the Aonami Line.
- Me~guru One-Day Pass — ¥500 adult / ¥250 child, unlimited rides for one day plus discounts at facilities along the route.
Passes are sold at a range of places: the i Center at Oasis 21, the Kanayama Tourist Information Center, subway station ticket counters, aboard city buses, stationmaster offices, Manaca ticket machines, dedicated machines at Nagoya, Kanayama, Fujigaoka, Nonami and Akaike stations, city bus offices, Transportation Bureau Service Centers and some commuter ticket sellers. Me~guru passes are sold aboard the buses, at the i Center at Oasis 21, at the Kanayama Tourist Information Center and at major travel agencies. Ticket holders often get discounts at tourist facilities, stores and restaurants.
Smartcards and tap-to-ride
Manaca is Nagoya's main rechargeable IC transport card, introduced in February 2011 and replacing the earlier Tranpass system in 2012. It costs ¥2,000 including a ¥500 deposit, leaving ¥1,500 usable, and is sold at subway station ticket vending machines. It works on the Nagoya City subway, city buses, the Me~guru bus, Meitetsu trains, the Aonami Line, the Yutorito Line and in TOICA areas. A bus-to-bus or bus-to-subway transfer within 90 minutes earns an ¥80 adult / ¥40 child discount, and mileage points can be put toward fares. TOICA, JR Central's card, is also sold at subway station ticket vending machines for the same ¥2,000 (¥500 deposit) and is usable in Suica, Manaca, ICOCA and SUGOCA areas, including Greater Tokyo, Greater Nagoya, Kansai and Greater Kitakyushu. Other major Japanese IC cards — Suica, PASMO, ICOCA, SUGOCA, nimoca and Kitaca — are generally interchangeable and work across most trains, subways and buses nationwide.
To ride, tap your card flat on the sensor at gates marked with the IC symbol; the card need not leave your wallet if it can be read, and the fare is deducted automatically on exit. If your balance is too low, the gate will not open — top up at a fare adjustment or recharge machine. Credit card touch payment is available at all subway stations (Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Amex, Diners Club, Discover and UnionPay, using cards, smartphones or wearables with a touch function), though some gates do not accept it, so ask station staff if in doubt.
Getting help
Station staff and ticket offices can help with gate problems, recharge issues and wrong tickets, and staff at major stations are accustomed to non-Japanese speakers, using simple English, gestures and translation tools. The Transportation Bureau Service Center at Nagoya Station is the official counter for ticket and pass questions, with limited English support. Help buttons and intercoms at the gates — often with a small camera so staff can view your ticket or card — are there for gates that won't open or card errors, and staff will typically direct you to the fare adjustment machine. Showing your destination on a map to staff is perfectly acceptable. For telephone enquiries, the City Bus and Subway Telephone Information Center is on 052-522-0111 and the Meitetsu Customer Center on 0570-02-5151.
From the airport
Chubu Centrair International Airport (中部国際空港, Chūbu Kokusai Kūkō; NGO) is Japan's third major international gateway, built on an artificial island about 30 minutes south of the city centre. It has two hotels, restaurants, a shopping concourse and an onsen spa with views of the runways.
The best way into central Nagoya is the Meitetsu Airport Line. The fastest services are the all-reserved "μSKY" trains, departing for Nagoya every 30 minutes and taking 28 minutes at a cost of about ¥1230. Slower Limited Express trains offer first class (reserved) and ordinary class (non-reserved) seating and take 37 minutes, with a standard fare of about ¥870. Japan Rail Passes are not valid on the Meitetsu, though you can exchange your rail pass voucher at either the airport or Nagoya Station.
Buses run hourly from Centrair to the Meitetsu Bus Terminal, taking about 1 hr 20 min for around ¥1200, and also stop at a few major hotels including the Nagoya Tokyu, Nagoya Kanko and Hilton Nagoya. For large groups, Tsubame Airport Limousine offers private van service seating six to nine passengers, with the cost depending on destination — a trip to Nakamura-ku, where Nagoya Station is located, costs about ¥12000. A taxi to Nagoya Station runs roughly ¥15000–16000.
Note that Nagoya Airport (also known as Komaki Airport; NKM) to the north of the city still handles regional flights by Fuji Dream Airlines from destinations including Aomori, Iwate, Niigata, Kochi, Fukuoka, Kitakyushu, Kumamoto and Yamagata, most code-shared with Japan Airlines. Shuttle buses connect it to Nagoya Station in 30 minutes for about ¥700.
Etiquette & customs
Japanese rail etiquette is generally observed on Nagoya's subway and buses, and following it will make your journeys smoother.
- Queueing — wait in the marked lines on the platform and let passengers off the train before boarding. Boarding order is respected even at busy times.
- Escalators — stand on one side and leave the other side for people walking past. Follow the local convention at the escalator you are on and watch what those around you do.
- Quiet and priority seating — keep conversations low and avoid phone calls in the carriage. Priority seating is reserved for elderly passengers, those with disabilities, pregnant travellers and people with small children; offer your seat if someone needs it.
- Eating and drinking — eating and drinking are not customary on trains and buses. Save your snacks and drinks for the platform or outside the gates.
- Rush hour — trains are busiest at peak commuting times, so allow extra time, keep your bag close and expect crowded carriages. If you are travelling with large luggage, avoid the peak if you can.
- On the platform — confirm your direction by line colour and letter, platform number and the name of the terminal station. If you ride the wrong way, get off at the next station and cross to the opposite platform — there is no extra charge.
Official links
Survival terms
- 地下鉄 (chikatetsu) — subway / metro
- 切符 (kippu) — ticket
- 線 (sen) — line
- 入口 (iriguchi) — entrance
- 出口 (deguchi) — exit
- 乗り換え (norikae) — transfer
- 初乗り運賃 (hatsunori unchin) — single fare / starting fare
- 一日乗車券 (ichinichi jōshaken) — day pass
If a gate refuses to open or your card balance runs low, don't panic — head to the fare adjustment machine or press the help intercom and a staff member will sort it out for you.