Nagoya doesn't get enough credit as a destination, castle grounds are lovely and the food scene is underrated. Our hotel checkin took nearly an hour due to some paperwork mixup which was a slightly rough start. Everything after that ran smoothly though.

Chose Nagoya over the usual Tokyo Kyoto circuit and have zero regrets, it gave us a much calmer, more personal week together. Toyota Museum was surprisingly fascinating even though neither of us are car people, the history of Japanese manufacturing is told so well. TV Tower at sunset became our evening ritual, we went back twice just for the view over the city lights. For a couple wanting culture without the chaos of the bigger cities, this route just works.

We swapped the usual Tokyo-Kyoto circuit for a full week in Nagoya and have no regrets, it gave us a calmer, more personal seven nights. The Toyota museum won us over even though neither of us are car people, the story of Japanese manufacturing is told so well you forget the time.

Solid seven nights with a good balance of temples, history and modern city life; tea ceremony was the standout for us.

Nagoya Castle in the morning and the Toyota Museum in the afternoon made for such an interesting contrast, old Japan and new Japan in one day. Tea ceremony was unexpectedly moving, the whole ritual slows you down in a good way. Not many tourists here compared to Tokyo which we actually preferred.

The shrine at dawn and the TV Tower at dusk bookended our days perfectly and the tea ceremony was a real highlight. The only rough patch was arrival, our hotel check-in dragged on nearly an hour over some paperwork mix-up, though everything ran smoothly once we were in.