Japan’s dullest city tries to get party started but will anybody come?
Hope springs eternal among some local officials, but the nation’s fourth-largest city remains a mediocre-at-best destination, seemingly forever in the shadows of glitzy Tokyo and historic Kyoto
Halfway between the modern and ancient capitals of Japan, Nagoya has neither the glitz nor the glamour of Tokyo, neither the history nor the culture of Kyoto. Consequently, few tourists bother to stop, and city residents have something of an inferiority complex towards their more illustrious neighbours.
So the city came up with a scheme to instil a new sense of municipal pride in Nagoyans.
It called on members of the public to come up with a catchphrase to “enhance our brand image with citizens”, as Makio Yamada, head of the international relations division of the city’s tourism bureau, put it.
The winning entry of the “Nagoya – Increase the Attractiveness – Plan” was announced in early April.
Nagoya nante, daisuk i translates as “I love Nagoya,” but with “nante” acting as an added implication of something that has been underestimated, Yamada said.
“When you hear Nagoya nante, you assume that something negative will follow,” he added. “But in this phrase, a very positive word follows, prompting the question ‘so why do you like Nagoya?’ and starting a conversation.”