Nagoya is a big city, so to get around you will probably need to use either city buses or the subway, or a combination of the two. The Me~guru sightseeing bus is useful for a loop around central attractions, while ordinary city buses provide direct services to many other parts of Nagoya. This article introduces both sightseeing and general city bus services.
The Me~guru Sightseeing Bus is convenient for many of Nagoya’s top sightseeing locations
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The Me~guru Sightseeing Bus
Nagoya has a special sightseeing route bus called the Me~guru, which runs a loop around many of the city’s main tourist attractions. The flat fare for a single ride is 210 yen for adults or 100 yen at the child fare. A Me~guru One-Day Pass provides unlimited rides for one day and costs 500 yen for adults or 250 yen for children. The pass also provides discounts and other benefits at participating tourist attractions, restaurants and shops. On days when Me~guru operates, it can also be used on the C-758 City Center Loop Bus.
At Nagoya Station, Me~guru departs from Gate 11 inside the Nagoya Station City Bus Terminal. From the JR Central Concourse, head toward the Sakura-dori Exit and the Golden Clock. Turn left before the clock, pass the JR Sakura-dori ticket gates and follow signs for the City Bus Terminal. The distinctive Me~guru buses have a bright gold sightseeing livery and are easy to recognize.
Me~guru normally operates from Tuesday through Sunday. It does not run on Mondays, or on the following weekday when Monday is a holiday, and it is also out of service from December 29 through January 3. Buses generally run every 30-60 minutes on weekdays and every 20-40 minutes on weekends and holidays. Check the current Me~guru timetable before traveling.
Two morning express buses leave Nagoya Station at 8:30 and 9:00 and run directly to Nagoya Castle, arriving 15 minutes later. A return express leaves Nagoya Castle at 14:23 and stops only at Chubu Electric Power MIRAI TOWER before reaching Nagoya Station. The 17:00 departure from Nagoya Station follows a shortened route and does not serve Nagoya Castle, Shikemichi, Noritake Garden or the Toyota Commemorative Museum on its return leg.
Tourist locations on or near the Me~guru route include:
- Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology, at stop 1
- Noritake Garden, served by stops 2-A and 2-B
- Nagoya Castle, at stop 4
- Tokugawa Art Museum & Garden, at stop 6
- Nagoya City Science Museum, near the Hirokoji-Fushimi stop
- Nagoya City Art Museum, near the Hirokoji-Fushimi stop
- Oasis 21 park and shopping complex in Sakae, near the Chubu Electric Power MIRAI TOWER stop
At the Toyota Commemorative Museum, Shikemichi and Nagoya Castle stops, check whether the bus is traveling away from or back toward Nagoya Station. Boarding in the wrong direction can add a long loop to the journey.
The former roadside Me~guru boarding point outside Nagoya Station. Current services use Gate 11 inside the City Bus Terminal
Nagoya City Bus
Nagoya City Buses are colored blue and can be ridden for a flat fare of 210 yen for adults or 100 yen at the child fare. Most buses are boarded from the front, with passengers paying as they get on and leaving through the rear door. You can pay with cash or with a prepaid IC card such as manaca, Suica or ICOCA.
The main exception is Key Route Bus No. 2. On this service, passengers board at the rear, leave through the front and pay when getting off.
Nagoya City Buses are colored blue
There is also a Nagoya City Bus & Subway 1-Day Ticket, which can be used on all municipal subway lines and City Bus routes, including the Me~guru sightseeing bus. It costs 870 yen for adults or 430 yen for children. The ticket also provides discounts and services at participating tourist sites and facilities around Nagoya. It can be bought from subway ticket machines, aboard city buses, at City Bus offices and Transportation Bureau service centers, and from some participating outlets.
The ticket is not valid on Meitetsu, the Aonami Line or other companies’ services. The elevated section of the Yutorito Line is also generally excluded.
A historical view of the former roadside city bus stops at Nagoya Station
Nagoya Station’s main City Bus Terminal is now inside the station complex, on the ground floor north of JR Gate Tower and west of JP Tower Nagoya. It has numbered gates for different routes, so check both the route name and gate before boarding. The Transportation Bureau publishes a current Nagoya Station bus gate map.
Useful Bus Services from Nagoya Station
For the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology, the simplest sightseeing option is Me~guru from Gate 11, which stops at the museum entrance. Alternatively, take the Meieki 11 city bus from Gate 5 to the Toyota Sangyo Gijutsu Kinenkan stop; the museum is about a 10-minute walk north from the stop.
For Noritake Garden, take the Meieki 13 city bus from Gate 6 and get off at the Noritake-no-Mori stop. Me~guru from Gate 11 also serves Noritake Garden West on its outward route and Noritake Garden on the return journey.
For Nagoya Castle, take Me~guru from Gate 11. The buses departing at 8:30 and 9:00 run directly to the castle in 15 minutes.
For Tokugawa Art Museum and Garden, take Me~guru from Gate 11, or take Key Route Bus No. 2 from Gate 10 and get off at the Tokugawaen Shindeki stop. The museum is about a three-minute walk from the stop. Remember that Key Route Bus No. 2 boards at the rear and collects the fare when you get off.
For Osu Kannon Temple, take the Meieki 18 bus from Gate 3 to the Nishi-Osu stop.
For Atsuta Shrine, take the Meieki 18 bus from Gate 3 to the Meitetsu Jingu-mae stop.
Bus gates and timetables can change, so confirm the current departure before traveling.
Article and original photos by Michael Lambe. All rights reserved. Last updated 13-Jul-2026.
