Motoyama

Motoyama (本山) is a district in Chikusa-ku (千種区), a ward in the east of Nagoya City (Nagoya-shi 名古屋市). It is located between Imaike and Hoshigaoka, and is close to both Nagoya University (名古屋大学) and Higashiyama Park (東山公園).

At the heart of Motoyama is a traffic intersection, underneath which the Higashiyama and Meijo Lines of the Nagoya City Subway (地下鉄) cross each other. There are six entrances to the subway at Motoyama station.

In the Motoyama area there is a Matsuzakaya department store (松坂屋), various restaurants and fast food outlets, karaoke and an interesting and tourist-free Buddhist temple (Tōgan-ji), home to Nagoya's largest seated Buddha statue.

Yotsuya-dori (四谷通) stretches from Motoyama station in the direction of the university, and houses a number of clothing outlets, as well as a large branch of Mujirushi Ryohin (Muji - 無印良品)

Motoyama is also famous for many so called zakka stores. On the Yotsuya-dori side of Motoyama are Plus and Mizuiro. On the opposite side around nekogahora-dori there are Hulot, Sahan, and the cafe Millou. Recently the zakka stores Moka, Ming Ming, and the zakka cafe Myshica have closed.

Motoyama is around 8 minutes by subway from the downtown Sakae area (栄), and around 15 minutes from Nagoya Station, popularly abbreviated to Meieki (名駅), with JR, Meitetsu, Kintetsu and shinkansen services to all of Central Japan and beyond

Coordinates: 35°9′50.5″N 136°57′49″E / 35.164028°N 136.96361°E