Atsuta-jingū

Top choice in Nagoya


Although the current buildings were completed in 1966, Atsuta-jingū has been a shrine for over 1900 years and is one of the most sacred Shintō shrines in Japan. Nestled among ancient cypresses, it houses the sacred kusanagi-no-tsurugi (grass-cutting sword), one of three regalia that, according to legend, were presented to the imperial family by the sun goddess Amaterasu. There's a changing collection of more than 4000 Tokugawa-era swords, masks and paintings on display in the Treasure Hall.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Nagoya attractions

1. Treasure Hall

0.01 MILES

The Treasure Hall at Atsuta-jingū displays a changing collection of more than 4000 Tokugawa-era swords, masks and paintings.

2. Nagoya/Boston Museum of Fine Arts

1.34 MILES

This collaborative effort between Japanese backers and the Museum of Fine Arts Boston showcases a small but impressive collection of Japanese and…

3. Ōsu Kannon

2.45 MILES

The much-visited, workaday Ōsu Kannon temple traces its roots back to 1333. Devoted to the Buddha of Compassion, the temple was moved to its present…

4. International Design Centre Nagoya

2.74 MILES

Housed in the swooping Nadya Park complex is this secular shrine to the deities of conceptualisation, form and function. Design touchstones from art deco…

5. Nagoya City Science Museum

2.81 MILES

This hands-on museum claims the world's largest dome-screen planetarium, with some seriously out-of-this-world projection technology. There's also a…

6. Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium

3 MILES

Among Nagoya's most well-known attractions, this port-side aquarium features one of the largest outdoor tanks in the world, and the permanently moored…

7. Oasis 21

3.14 MILES

Oasis 21 is a bus terminal and transit hub with a difference. Its iconic 'galaxy platform' – an elliptical glass-and-steel structure filled with water for…

8. Nagoya TV Tower

3.23 MILES

Nagoya's much-loved TV tower, completed in 1954, was the first of its kind in Japan. The tower's central location makes its 100m-high Sky Balcony a great…