When you first come to Nagoya, you might notice there is a train station inside the station, which is Meitetsu.

However, when you arrive at Nagoya station,  you will find there is another station with orange signboard "JR Nagoya Station". 
Don't get confused, because they are all Nagoya station!

So the largest station with a steel spiral-pyramid sculpture standing in front of it is the "JR Nagoya station."
You might have heard JR East Japan, JR West Japan due to the railway pass for foreigners.
The JR Group was operating by the government, but later divided and privatized into different companies.
The company who operates the railway lines all over Aichi, Gifu, Shizuoka, Mie etc. is the "Central Japan Railway Company (JR Tokai)",

For exploring cities outside of Nagoya, taking JR trains might be a good choice.
However, as the operating companies for each area are different, you might not be able to use the IC card across different areas.
I was once stuck in Shiga-ken (West Japan area) as I took the train with my IC card from Nagoya (Central Japan area.)
I paid in cash finally to get off from the station.

The Meitetsu, operating the airport rail link, is a private railway company operating railway lines among Aichi and Gifu.
For going to some smaller station within the 2 counties, taking Meitetsu will be the best way.
Meitetsu is also one of the oldest railway companies in Japan. The origin of the company was the Aichi Horsecar Company founded in 1894.
Also, the underground arcade - Meichika, is having its 60th birthday this year. You are able to enjoy the nostalgic feeling by walking around the arcade.

The Kintetsu, is another private railway company established in Osaka, operating railways all over Osaka, Nara, Kyoto, Aichi and Mie. Honestly, I am not very familiar with Kintetsu, but for visiting Mie and Nara, it seems to be quite convenient to take a Kintetsu train.

Another interesting thing is that you can find department store in the Nagoya station building of the railways mentioned above. Takashimaya in JR Nagoya station, Meitetsu Department Store in Meitetsu Nagoya station, and Passe in Kintetsu station.

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However, if there is a typhoon coming, or if it snows, or any kind of natural disasters, the railway above might be delayed or even stopped. In this case, you can choose to take the Nagoya subway, running underground.
The Nagoya Subway includes 6 lines and only runs within Nagoya city.
It stops at most of the famous sightseeing spots inside Nagoya city e.g. Nagoya Castle, Osu Kannon, Oasis 21 (Sakae) etc., and is connected directly to many of the shops, or buildings which prevent you from being wet due to the rain and snow, which is a wonderful way for hanging around the city.

There are also "Linimo" (magnetic levitation train) connecting the hills area in the east of Nagoya to Nagoya city.
But that will be another story so why not explore by yourselves!

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Hope the above information helps!

Please note that the content is based on information in Oct 2017. Please contact us or check the website of the companies mentioned above for latest information.