Batambanget – Hello Babaners (Readers of Batambanget.com), did you know that there’s an area in Batam called Nagoya?
Turns out, it’s not just Japan that has an area named Nagoya, Batam has one too.
Yup, this name, similar to a region in Japan, is a center for entertainment, shopping, and the Chinatown area.
The popularity of Nagoya in Batam has piqued the interest of Japanese people, especially those from Nagoya, Japan.
The origin of the naming of the central shopping and entertainment area in Batam, located in the Lubuk Baja District, indeed comes from the Japanese.
Especially those who worked for Japanese infrastructure companies that built several vital facilities in Batam in the 1970s.
In the 1970s, there was a Japanese company that built the Batu Ampar Port and Nongsa Dam; their workers referred to their drinking and eating places as Nagoya.
To this day, people still use that name, even though it has never officially been included in the official naming of areas in Batam.
The name Nagoya began to be used around 1978 and has been passed down through generations until now.
The popularity of the name Nagoya in Batam has also been heard in Japan, especially among the residents of Nagoya, the fourth-largest city in Japan.
In fact, at the end of 2017, a local television crew in Nagoya made a report to find out the origin of the name Nagoya in Batam.
The Nagoya area is believed to be the “Dragon’s Head” in Chinese mythology.
In the period from the 1980s to the 1990s, people visiting Batam, especially those from Jakarta, knew Batam as a paradise for branded fashion and electronics.
The shops in the Nagoya area sold these items.
Currently, shops in the Nagoya area sell fashion items, watches, bags, and perfume.
For your information, the area known as Nagoya starts from Raden Patah Street in front of the Lubuk Baja Police Station, extending to the Jodoh area or in front of the AP Premier Hotel, formerly popular as Novotel.
The Nagoya area becomes livelier during the celebrations of major Chinese festivals, such as the Chinese New Year, and there are usually lion dance performances.
For those of you who are visiting Batam for the first time and plan to go to Nagoya, it’s very easy.
From Hang Nadim Batam Airport to Nagoya, you can simply take a taxi, paying Rp 150,000, with a travel time of 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, from Harbour Bay ferry terminal to Nagoya, you can take an online taxi, paying Rp 50,000, with a travel time of 10 minutes.
As for accommodation, don’t worry, in the Nagoya area, there are many hotels to choose from, ranging from Rp 200,000 to Rp 700,000.
