Like elsewhere throughout the world, local specialties are a matter of regional pride, and Nagoya has much to offer in this regard. Today we'll take a look at a handful of the many different sweet offerings you can find here in Nagoya, and nowhere else. And if you're just passing through or on a tight schedule, there's good news: these offerings are all available at establishments right at Nagoya Station, so you won't have to travel far to get what catches your fancy!

The first place we checked was Kanokura, a shop located in the first basement of Meitetsu Department Store. This shop carries cookies and other sweets themed after Nanachan, the giant statue that stands in the outdoor concourse outside Nagoya Station and has become an iconic symbol of the city.

I went for the Nanachan ichigo truffle chocolates – tangy strawberries coated in delectably creamy white chocolate.

Next time I want to try the white-chocolate wafer cookies!

Just a little way away in the same underground area below Meitetsu Nagoya Station is "Meitetsu Sweets Station" – a collection of shops devoted to confections, both traditionally Japanese and Western-style, including many local to Nagoya.

Here we opted for bite-sized uiro – gooey, gently sweet, and lightly flavored, this treat is known throughout Japan as a Nagoya specialty. The assortment we got contains a variety of flavors, including matcha green tea.

The next stop was KITTE Nagoya – a four-floor commercial facility in JP Tower Nagoya, just to the north of JR Nagoya Station. This facility bills its concept to be "Nagoya-ness and novelty," and comprises a collection of high-end shops and restaurants where you can find any number of uniquely Nagoya products, including many enticing snack and dessert selections.

One of these is “kaeru manju” – buns filled with sweet adzuki bean jam that are shaped like frogs. There was even a special springtime-only version containing white bean paste flavored with cherry blossoms.

There's also a version that has the froggy bun on a bed of custard – an exquisite burst of flavors!

Directly below JR Nagoya Station is ESCA, an extensive underground shopping arcade. Here you can find a number of shops that specialize in Nagoya souvenirs, including great variety sweet selections. Check out all the different choices available at this place!

Here we found Nagoya-themed sandwich cookies whose chocolate filling is made with matcha green tea, making for a grown-up flavor that combines understated sweetness with the rich pungency and slightly bitter tang of fresh-picked tea leaves. The filling provides a creamy counterpoint to the crisp cookie.

In addition to sweets, the Nagoya area also offers a variety of savory dishes that are unique to the region. One of these is kishimen noodles. These are made of wheat flour, like the udon noodles enjoyed throughout Japan and elsewhere, and they are prepared and served in a salty broth with chopped onion and other ingredients in much the same way, but unlike thick, round udon, kishimen noodles are broad and flat.

This snack is takes these flat, wide kishimen and bakes them to a sugary crunch. Light and delicately crispy, these are sure to please kids and adults alike.

Another shop in the subterranean ESCA complex sells jars of custard pudding made from the eggs of the Nagoya Cochin breed of chicken – a variety of poultry developed in Nagoya that's prized for the deep flavor not just of the meat, but of the eggs as well. Lusciously rich and flavorful, this custard has earned many aficionados among visitors to Nagoya as well as local residents

This has been a look at just a few of many kinds of the delectable sweet snacks and desserts that you can find only in Nagoya. And the good news is that you don't even have to leave Nagoya Station to find them!