Mizuho Ku

There are two subway lines that run through the ward: the Meijo line that circles city, as well as the Sakura-dori Line that goes out to Toshiage in the south, and up to the city center in the north, via the Nagoya International Center.

Going further afield, Horita Station is served by the Meitetsu Nagoya Main Line making it easy to get to Inuyama in the north and Toyohashi in the south, and having relatively easy access to the 153 highway, driving out to Toyota is pretty straight forward.

 

In the spring time, as the cherry blossoms bloom all across the city, the tree-lined Yamazaki river that runs through Mizuho Ward is an extremely popular location at which the locals gather to enjoy the pastime of ‘hanami’. Also along the river is the Nagoya University School of Pharmacology Medicinal Botanical Garden. While it is not in any way comparable to the Higashiyama Botanical Gardens in Chikusa-ku, it is still a nice little spot.

 

Being very much a local area, there are many traditional small shops and stores dotted around Mizuho-ku. However, if you are looking for western-style shopping there is a Valor supermarket very much central to the ward, a Seijo Ishii store selling international products and a large Yamanaka in Yagoto, not far from Haruyama. In the same area there is an Aeon shopping mall that stocks international goods, and in fact there are Aeon Malls also at Aratamabashi in the south and Atsuta in the west.

 

As with the shopping opportunities, dining in Mizuho-ku is very much centered around the local stores, with small outlets focused around the train and subway stations and the Nagoya City University. As well as the regular ‘izakaya’ bar restaurants and tiny mom-and-pop restaurants with cozy atmospheres and very few tables, there are plenty of family restaurants such as Gusto, Saizariya, Denny’s and even a McDonalds.

 

There is little nightlife in Mizuho-ku outside of the local restaurants. However, if you do want to party, Yagoto is were many university students hang out, nearby Kanayama has a few bars and karaoke outlets, and the city’s nightlife capital of Sakae is just 25 minutes away on the Meijo subway line from Aratamabashi, or on the Sakura-dori line from Sakurayama.

 

Aside from the Yamazaki river that bisects the ward, Mizuho-ku is perhaps best known for sports, in particular the Mizuho Rugby Stadium, which holds Rugby Union Games and is home to the Toyota Verblitz team. Near the stadium you can also find baseball fields and an athletic stadium.

 

From Haruyama, the Nagoya International School is a bit of a trek, being 40 minutes away by car and over 70 minutes by public transport, however the Aichi International School is much more convenient at 40 minutes by subway and only 20 minutes by car. If you have younger children wanting to go to Abroad International, it is only a 20 minute drive away, although by public transport, at around 40 minutes, it can be a bit of a pain.

 

See listings for properties available now for rent in Mizuho Ku on JapanHomeSearch.com by clicking this link (it will return only Mizuho-ku results), or browse the Nagoya Housing Cost Survey data below, which will give you a snap shot of what sort of expat housing is available in the area.