名古屋 Vacation, スタート！

Reading: ---
Listening: Love Song, m-flo loves Bonnie Pink

Craving: garlic bread

Wednesday, March 21
Before the rising of the sun, Chris and I were finishing our packing and fighting the morning chill on our way to my local train station. Dim lights could be seen in several homes, and I envisioned devoted wives preparing breakfasts of miso soup, rice, and natto for their commuting husbands. The two of us opted for musubi and bottled drinks from the convenience store. We stepped onto a 5:22 am train and began our long journey north, involving a series of transfers, occasional nodding-off, hours of Nintendo DS-time, and a nauseatingly cramped ride from Maibara to Nagoya.

My first sight of early morning Shijimi Station.

After depositing our luggage at the Miyuki Station Hotel—our base for the next four nights—we had our first breakfast at the nearby Denny’s. I had been craving a Western-style breakfast of fluffy eggs, fried meats, and buttery pancakes, and I finally got it, along with freshly squeezed orange juice with pulp.

Fueled for the day, we caught a train to the Tokugawa Art Museum and Gardens. The gardens, with the delicate gravel paths, placid koi pond, and flowering trees, were beautiful, but I hated the excess of large, deranged pigeons. The bird-free museum, however, houses wonderful displays of Tokugawa family weaponry, tea ceremony instruments, and kimono, as well as an extensive doll exhibit. I ooh-ed over the tiny trousseaus, dishware, and musical instruments—closely resembling the items we observed throughout the museum—created on small-scale for the dolls. Other exhibits on the grounds feature (replicated—the original appears only once a year) prints from The Tale of Genji as well as illustrated editions of the Tales of Ise and other traditional works of Japanese literature.

The entrance gate to the Tokugawa Art Museum and Gardens.

Scary pigeons, go away.

Dirty Chris, with musubi in hand and finger in nose.

Green birds are cute.

We love flowers!

We checked in at the hotel before catching the subway to Nagoya Castle. We made our way through the exhibits informing tourists on the history of the castle’s famous golden dolphins (しゃち) perched atop the roof. We snacked on yakisoba and a melon freeze at a small kiosk before heading off to Italia Mura.


I call this picture "しゃち, Rear End."

I fell asleep on the brief ride to Italia Mura, an Italy-themed (complete with canal) entertainment mall located on the bay of Nagoya. I bought a baguette and a bottle of olive oil as Chris snacked on a strawberry crepe. We ate at an Italian buffet, where I gorged myself on roast beef, rotisserie chicken, and risotto. The rotisserie chicken, my favorite, had a crisp, herb-crusted skin and a lusciously moist interior. We returned to our hotel around 9:30 pm, full and exhausted after a busy day.

The Italia Mura mascot. Chris thinks he's demented-looking, but I think he's cute.

A view atop the canal. Feel free to hire your own Italian gondola driver.

Thursday, March 22
I struggled in waking Chris up, but we eventually made it to Denny’s for another breakfast. This morning, we trekked out of the city for Inuyama (犬山), a slightly distant town located along the Meitetsu Line.

Despite some confusion over the train routes—during which we found ourselves stuck at a country station—we found our way to Inuyama Station, where we discovered that we still had quite a hike to the castle itself. We walked alongside the green river running beneath the craggy cliffs atop which the castle is perched, photographing the wildlife (ducks and fish) and feeling a bit envious of the picnickers. I’m excited for cherry blossom picnics along the Minogawa (River) here in Miki.

The steep, uphill climb to the castle itself nearly killed me. How do the many elderly tourists make their way here? We struggled up poorly designed stairways through the castle, with the goal of reaching the viewing station at the top. Inuyama Castle is most impressive in that it is one of the few Japanese castles still in its original form.

A happy Chris and Kristine, despite being stranded at a middle-of-nowhere train station.

Inuyama Castle.

Chris recording his name in the Inuyama Castle guest book.

We next stopped at nearby Urakuen (Gardens) for a stroll and tea at Joan (如庵) Teahouse, allegedly one of the top three teahouses in Japan. Unfortunately, Joan was closed in preparation for a 茶会 (meeting of practitioners of tea ceremony) the following day, and we drank our tea at the lesser-known Genan Teahouse. After months of studying the elaborate ceremony in the classroom, I appreciated the tranquility of the authentic teahouses.

Our primary stop for the day was at Meiji Mura, a Meiji Era-themed park that houses an expansive array of buildings and homes done in the period architecture in a beautiful location beside Lake Iruka. Unfortunately, we arrived only two hours before closing, and found ourselves rushing through the park (and rain). Meiji Mura was my favorite stop of the trip: the park features over sixty structures, many originals, which can be viewed from the inside as well. The buildings feature period furniture and everyday items, many of which can be touched. The Kobe butcher shop displays an array of meats and houses a sukiyaki and shabu shabu restaurant. Inside the Red Cross hospital, we wandered through rows of cots, beside which stood medicine cabinets filled with bandages and bed-side tables supporting morning, afternoon, and evening meals.

I purchased a カレーパン, a crispy bread stuffed with spicy curry and wrapped in wax paper from a street vendor, and munched as we walked. At the sake brewery, I bought a cheese たません, a tasty cheese omelet seasoned with mayonnaise, sauce, and ginger sandwiched between toasted, savory sembei. This crispy treat was supposedly created as a specialty for children at a Meiji-period okonomiyaki shop.

We wandered quite far into the park, exploring the home of Natsume Soseki (author of Japanese literature such as Kokoro and I am a Cat), taking in an expansive athletic stadium (complete with the sounds of clattering kendo sticks), and happily photographing a Hawaii-style assembly hall of Japanese immigrants, before staff announced the closing of the park for the day.

Chris and I returned to Inuyama Station by bus, where we snacked on Lotteria “Free Furi” fries onto which various powdered seasonings can be sprinkled. We opted for the unusual (to Western palates, at least) butter-shoyu flavor. I sipped a vanilla shake, and we soon returned to Nagoya proper.

We next explored Midland Square, a luxury-minded shopping complex complete with Lexus showroom and all-high-end stores including Louis Vuitton and Dior. Chris and I stopped at the Midland Square Lawson, a convenience store with luxury in mind, where I bought garlic pretzels and a fresh fruit cup, a winning combination.

Unable to afford the pricey restaurants in Midland Square, we found dinner in the nearby Termina Building. We spent a long while searching for our meal since Chris was insistent on finally eating local Nagoya cuisine. We decided on a bustling izakaya filled with red-faced salarymen drinking after work. A tiny old woman clad in kimono took our order. Chris chose the well-known miso katsu, deep fried and breaded pork covered in a sauce made from thick Nagoya miso. I ate the 海老フライ (fried shrimp) set, and my shrimp arrived atop a bed of fresh cabbage, with slightly sweet dipping sauce. The main dish was served with a dish of hot rice, chawan mushi (savory egg custard filled with chicken and kamaboko), pickles, and Hatchō miso soup. Nagoya is famous for its Hatchō miso, distinct from other miso for its dark color and rich, earthy flavor.

Returning to the hotel, I treated my sore legs and feet to a hot bath.

Friday, March 22
I awoke Chris early to dress and leave for his day on a JET Program-sponsored tour of various Toyota facilities. For more on his activities, please see his blog.

Friday would be my “Solo Day,” my first day in a foreign city without Chris, and I had plenty of sightseeing in mind. Unfortunately, my grand plans unraveled there, and I promptly fell back asleep in the (stuffy) warmth of our room. I left the hotel at around 11:00 (!) and caught the subway to Sakae, a major shopping district within the city. Thanks to my super shopping sonar, I quickly found Lachic, a petite mall, immediately after exiting the station. I ate lunch at Soup Stock Tokyo, a tiny shop specializing in none other than soup. I opted for a lunch set which allowed me to sample two of the dailies. I chose a lobster-blue crab soup that contained little to no meat. The Japanese-style tomato-base was much sweeter than I prefer my seafood soups to be. I preferred the mushroom-hakusai (Chinese cabbage) soup, including thin strips of yuzu (a Japanese citron popular during winter), which lame as it sounds, made the broth taste like sunshine. A warm, pillowy roll (“muffin”) made the perfect accompaniment to the soups.

I wandered around the basement culinary shops, wishing that I had the luggage space to buy the dishware and foreign cheeses for sale. I instead opted for guacamole mix (in a flat package) and blueberry and chocolate bagels for Chris and I to eat later. I updated my journal alongside a foamy latte at Starbucks before finally leaving the mall to explore the surrounding area.

I had barely walked through the park and snapped a few photos when I found the Midwest Café, a tucked-away restaurant I had read about in a travel guide. Lunch No. 2? No problem. The café features an eclectic mix of furniture and decor. I sat at an old metal patio table atop an upright wooden lawn chair, but around me, artsy-type friends chatted on boxes, Plexiglass seats, leather sofas, and swivel chairs. I ate an egg-ham-cheese omelet topped with caramelized onions and sandwiched between two thick slices of freshly toasted bread. My sandwich was served with a side of bread-and-butter pickles. Everything was tasty, but I’d been craving saltiness, and the combined sweetness of the onions and pickles was slightly too much for me.

After a failed attempt to find tenmusu (more on this Nagoya specialty later), I walked through Sunshine Sakae, a newly remodeled shopping complex with an outdoor ferris wheel. Despite its exterior allure, I found nothing special besides the beautiful restrooms.

Back in Nagoya, Chris and I exchanged recaps of our day before meeting our friend Kay, a from-Hawaii (though originally New York), Gifu-based ALT. The three of us caught a packed subway (back) to Sakae, where we wandered around the quirky Robot Museum Shop and chic Oasis 21 (with rooftop water display) before searching for dinner. We ate at a pasta café, where for some reason, I couldn’t finish my salad, crab-broccoli cheese pasta, and side of pizza. We later talked more over coffees at a crowded Starbucks, where, hungry again, I indulged in a matcha frappuccino and a warm cinnamon roll.

Saturday, March 24
With Denny’s located perhaps twenty steps from the doorway of our hotel, Chris and I breakfasted there again before catching the subway to Nittaiji, a temple dedicated to friendly Japan-Thailand relations. The shops lining the road to the temple featured wooden elephant cutouts. At Nittaiji, we breathed in the thick smoke from the senko burning at the entrance before observing services being conducted for large groups of people inside. I bought omikuji (paper fortune), and we headed off.

Chris, in an attempt to ruin my picture of Nittaiji.

The rain poured down as we stepped out of the station for Atsuta Jingu, a shrine famous for (supposedly) housing the royal treasure sword, and we made good use of our 7-11 plastic umbrella. The downpour scarcely deterred the two traditional weddings in session, however, and Chris and I joined the small crowds that had noisily gathered around to watch. As we wandered through the puddles of the shrine grounds, we found a kishimen (a noodle style famous to Nagoya) noodle stand housed within a grove of trees. The 宮きしめん, with broad, flat udon noodles swimming in a rich broth, warmed our tummies as we watched the rain falling around us.

We next headed to Ōsu, where we offered money at Ōsu Kannon and witnessed the blessing of a BMW, before making our way through the Ōsu Shopping Streets. I happily browsed through the many vintage stores selling everything from quirky T-shirts (reading “Don’t Mess With Me”) to Popple backpacks (you receive five points from me if you remember the Popples). Chris and I walked through an alley lined with Chinese restaurants, which made me hunger for mabodofu and dim sum, but since we were looking forward to a good dinner, we kept moving.

Every once in awhile, 天むす(tenmusu) cooks from Nagoya appear at Shirokiya in Honolulu, and on those occasions, I make certain to buy myself a pack. Tenmusu is yet another famous Nagoya delicacy, consisting of bite-sized shrimp tempura wrapped in plump, moist rice and enveloped in a small strip of nori. Coming to the 天むすMotherland, I had been on the hunt for them, and on our fourth day, we finally found one of the city’s most famous shops. We bought two packs (five per) and continued on our walk north to Sakae.

Despite my having found the much-desired tenmusu, I felt grouchy on our walk through the pouring rain. We returned to Lachic, with me in desperate need of dinner. We decided on a restaurant specializing in ひつまぶし(hitsumabushi), a Nagoya specialty. Hitsumabushi essentially consists of a meal of unagi (eel) and rice, though what makes it special is that it can be eaten in three ways:

1. As is. Grilled eel over hot rice. Yum.
2. Add toppings of wasabi, freshly sliced green onions, and toasted nori strips.
3. Cover the eel rice with hot tea and/or condiments, and you've got a delicious ochazuke.

The unagi was the best I’ve ever eaten, with a rustic, smoky taste. I later watched the chef lay out lengths of eel, skewered onto wooden sticks, across a lively fire fueled by thick pieces of a charcoal-colored wood before dipping them into a deep, caramel-colored vat of sauce. Our meals came with salty pickles (love) and Hatchō miso soup.

うまい！Or as they say in Nagoya, うみゃ！

Following dinner, we stopped at the mall bookstore before checking out several other stores, including a Crocs shop and a Banana Republic. We made a sweets stop at the juice bar downstairs, where we shared a strawberry yogurt shake and a fresh muffin.

Back at Nagoya Station, we picked up omiyage from a crowded kiosk. In the interest of luggage space, I bought a box of ういろ(uiro), a sweet rice jelly produced in many flavors. Chris bought Hatchō miso-flavored Pretz. Yummy?

We relaxed to the World Figure Skating Championships for the rest of the evening, eating tenmusu in bed. I unwrapped my tenmusu package with the excitement of Christmas morning. Though we were hardly eating them warm and fresh, they still tasted wonderful and were paired perfectly with the accompanying tart pickles.

Chris fell asleep amidst the excitement of the skating program, and I packed my things as he slept.

Sunday, March 25
Chris did his packing as I finished off the second pack of tenmusu and watched Sesame Street. Oddly enough, Elmo sounds the same.

We checked out at 10:30 and made our way to the station, nearly dying beneath the weight of our bags. We searched numerous locker stations before finally finding an open cubby. For lunch, we searched the station towers, finding a popular shop specializing in miso-nikomi udon. Our udon arrived in steaming bowls, and we wore white paper bibs to protect our clothing from the inevitable splashing of the dark, heavy broth. We ordered the “ordinary” miso nikomi, which along with chewy white noodles included thin strips of aburaage (fried tofu) and fat pieces of leek and gobo. I left feeling content with our meal, though after the rich soup, I felt in need of a cold drink and dessert.

Any meal requiring the eater to wear a bib is a good one.

Chris and I rode to the lofty 51st floor of the towers, where we found a fancy-pants café with a beautiful view of the city. At our window-side seats, we shared fresh heart-shaped waffles, matched with vanilla and mocha ice creams atop beds of custard. The waffles sat in a shallow pool of caramel and chocolate with a confetti of white chocolate shavings. We sipped iced café au lait in tall glasses as we enjoyed our view of the city.

Feeling just full enough to move on, we visited the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Technology, which I liked much more than I thought I would. I led Chris through the exhibits of old weaving machines (Toyota originally specialized in mechanized looms), having taken a textile arts class in which we worked on traditional looms. I fell asleep on a cushy chair, however, as Chris wandered through displays of car engines, traditional car bodies, and “other car stuff."

Smile, you're surrounded by cars!

This guy is cool.

We stopped at Lucent Towers for dinner on the way back to the station, where we ate at Oyster’s Fisherman’s Beer Café. Chris and I shared a caesar salad and pizza, though we each ate a delicious butter-lemon clam chowder topped with whole clams. I munched on garlic toast, which I for some odd reason haven’t been able to get enough of lately. I attempted to order fish and chips, but was told that they had run out. Though we enjoyed neither, the pub specializes in foreign beers (mostly European) and oysters.

We finished dinner in time to make a 7:00 pm train back home. I usually enjoy train rides, but with our luggage packed around us, the rides felt unusually long. I slept from Nagoya to Maibara (thankfully, we had seats this time), but played on my DS for the remainder of the journey. Gaming technology keeps travelers sane.

We arrived back in Miki late, but we had such a great time in Nagoya that we’re already looking forward to our next visit! Thanks, Chris, for making the perfect travel buddy!