🐎 Horse-Shaped GPS Art Walk Through Historic Nagoya Districts 🗻
This GPS art course offers a unique way to combine New Year shrine visits with an immersive city walk through Nagoya. Starting from WINS Nagoya, the approximately 18-kilometer route traces the shape of a dynamic horse—the zodiac animal—on your GPS map, turning your walk into a meaningful and memorable experience.
WINS Nagoya is an off-track betting facility operated by the Japan Racing Association (JRA). Inside, visitors will find UMACA cashless betting machines, free seating areas, shops, and other amenities that make it comfortable to enjoy horse racing. Its convenient location also makes it an excellent starting point for exploring the surrounding neighborhoods.
The course connects a variety of historical and cultural landmarks, including Shiogama Shrine, known for prayers related to safe journeys and prosperity, and Nagoya Betsuin (Higashi Betsuin), a major temple of the Shinshu Otani-ha sect with deep roots in local history. Walkers also pass Matsushige Lock, a valuable remnant of Nagoya’s waterway heritage that reflects the city’s development as a logistics hub.
Cultural venues such as Higashi Betsuin Kaikan Hall and the Niterra Japan Specialty Ceramic Industry Civic Center highlight Nagoya’s role as a center of arts and industry. The route concludes near Sanno Onsen Kita-no-Yu, a popular hot spring facility where walkers can relax after completing the long journey.
The areas of Nakagawa Ward and central Nagoya once flourished around canals and river transport, blending religious districts with commercial activity. Today, this layered history creates a fascinating urban landscape. Completing a horse-shaped GPS art walk here symbolizes progress, strength, and positive momentum—making it an ideal activity to begin the New Year with energy, reflection, and a sense of accomplishment.
DETAIL (EXTERNAL LINK)
A PIONEER IN GPS ART.
1st work was authorized by Guinness World Records as “the Largest GPS Drawing”.
He is the only Japanese person to be featured in a Google documentary as an innovator. He is fascinated by the idea of drawing with GPS and has published more than 2,500 works.
