Despite being a big city, Nagoya has a kind of country charm. Many people in Japan see Nagoya as only one of a series of shinkansen stops between Tokyo and Osaka, but Nagoya has much more than that to offer both the temporary visitor and the long term resident. If you're looking for foreign books in English or in other languages, there is both Maruzen and Kinokuniya as well as an excellent used books store. If you like to eat out, Nagoya has a variety of very good Japanese and foreign food restaurants, including Thai, Indian, Brazilian, German, Chinese, Mexican, etc. All of the good things and many of the bad that come with any large population city can be found here.
Transportation is also convenient in Nagoya.
Being in the central area of Japan, its pretty easy to pick up and go somewhere else if the urge strikes you. The JR shinkansen has a major stop at Nagoya station. There are also JR, Meitetsu, and Kintetsu long distance buses and trains that go all over the country. About 30 minutes from Nagoya station is the Nagoya international airport with flights all over Japan and throughout the world. Also the Chubu international airport which is currently under construction now near Ise will be very convenient for Nagoyans.