Immediately south of the JR station, beneath the Meitetsu department store, is the Meitetsu line terminus for trains to and from Inuyama and Gifu , while next door is the Kintetsu department store, with its Kintetsu line for services to Nara and the Shima Hanto region . Most long-distance buses pull in at the terminal at the north end of the JR station.

Some 10km south of the train stations is the Nagoya-ko port area, where ferries arrive from Hokkaido and Okinawa. The quickest way to reach the city from the port area is to hop on the Meijo line of Nagoya's subway system . Nagoya airport , 12km north of the city, serves some 27 local and 30 international destinations, but it's nowhere near as high-tech as Narita or Kansai; expect delays during peak holiday periods. Buses run from the airport both to the JR station and the neighbouring Meitetsu Bus Centre on the third floor of the Melsa Building.

The first stop for information should be the Nagoya Station tourist information Centre (daily 9am-7pm; tel 052/541-4301), on the central concourse of the JR station. The English-speaking assistants can provide you with maps and guides to the city and help with accommodation bookings. Another useful place to drop by is the International Centre (Mon-Sat 9am-8.30pm, Sun 9am-5pm; tel 052/581-0100), on the third floor of the Nagoya International Centre Building , some seven minutes' walk east of the JR station, along Sakura-dori. Among the many services on offer here are an excellent library, English-language television, a bulletin board and the opportunity to meet English-speaking locals and arrange home visits. You can also pick up free copies of the glossy English-language monthly magazines Nagoya Avenues and Eyes , and weekly newspaper Chubu Weekly , all of which carry entertainment listings and features on local attractions.