We rang in the New Year Japanese-style by going to a nearby temple. At first, I was a little hesitant. The language barrier made it a little difficult to understand what we were going to do. When we got to the temple, the festival-like atmosphere lightened the moment. We watched as people threw coins in hopes of prosperity in the coming year and burnt talismans in a great bonfire.
Wednesday was a quiet day. We spent it walking around our neighborhood, shopping for fun Japanese snacks and watching movies.
The next day we boarded the now-familiar train, but this time to the city of Nagoya. Our first stop of the day was Nagoya castle. The castle is partially under construction, but we were allowed to explore inside.
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| Painted screens |
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The base of the castle was built with stones. Some stones had symbols
carved in them to signify which family in the city had contributed and
transported that particular stone. |
From there, it was only a short subway ride to Oasis 21, a large indoor/outdoor shopping plaza complete with a skating rink! We ate Chinese food and crepes, and enjoyed watching a dance competition.
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| The view from the roof of Oasis 21. This is Nagoya TV tower. |
As we were walking around downtown Nagoya, we decided we needed to poke our heads into a Pachinko parlour. They can be found everywhere in Japan. Inside it reminded me of what I imagine Las Vegas to be like, except less fun. I didn't understand how to play the game; most people just looked half asleep.
We did some shopping to find ourselves some fun Japanese items and made the trek back to our little B and B out in the country.
Friday was our last day of sightseeing and also Greg's birthday. We had decided that our last day would be spent in Osaka, another large city near Nagoya. It was our longest train ride yet; we spent nearly three hours on public transit before we finally got to the Osaka Aquarium. The Osaka Aquarium is supposed to be one of the best aquariums in the world. The main attraction is two whale sharks! It didn't disappoint. My only complaint is a fairly common one since moving to Asia: it was too crowded.
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| Happy 27th Gregger! |
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| Whale Sharks! |
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| Biggest crab I've ever seen! |
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| Osaka Bay |
Afterwards, we headed by subway to Dotonbori, a district known for its food and shopping. We were hoping to do some people-watching as this area is also known for attracting a more alternative crowd (wild hair, costumes etc.) but I guess we were there too early in the afternoon.
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| The Glico "Running Man": an icon of Osaka. |
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| The crowds! That tunnel in the middle was a shopping centre. |
After a three hour train ride home, we ended the day with a mini birthday party for Greg courtesy of our Latin-Japanese hosts. We boarded a plane bound for Seoul the following day.
During our time as teachers in South Korea, Greg and I have been privileged to be able to do some travelling through Asia. This trip to Japan has been by far the most stress-free and uneventful (Remember that time we went to the Philippines and we spent most of the trip in the bathroom? Or remember our trip to China were we found ourselves in a pickle in an alley with a skeevy Chinese rickshaw driver?). I believe part of this is due to location. Japan is a very pleasant and safe country. It was easy to navigate, especially as we've spent a significant time in Korea and are accustomed to crowds and public transit. I feel I also need to thank our hosts (look up Casa Eco if you're heading to Japan!) who helped us immensely, as well as our co-workers. Travelling together is so much better than going it alone! Finally, I want to thank Shania Twain and Roxette for providing us with the most eclectic soundtrack ever for Japan.
* End thank you speech *
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