Monday was a holiday - Respect for the Aged Day - so Ashley and I took advantage of the 3-day weekend and traveled to Nagoya, a city in the Aichi prefecture of central Japan. Our trip started on Saturday morning when we took a taxi from AIU to the airport, which is only about fifteen minutes away. Thank you Reina for calling the cab for us!
I was stopped while going through security and asked if I had scissors in my backpack, to which I responded no. Upon being asked again, I gave the same response. Next I was asked if my backpack could be checked and I of course said yes. It was then, while security rummaged through my bag, that I recalled my pencil pouch's location in my backpack, as well as my scissors' location in my pencil pouch... whoops. Needless to say, that was the end of the scissors' journey. Luckily mine still continued.
After arriving in Nagoya, our first stop was at a restaurant called Sweets Paradise. Sweets Paradise, not specific to Nagoya, but actually a chain restaurant, is what's known as a tabehoudai (an all-you-can-eat-buffet). Be that as it may, while most tabehoudai in Japan are likely to serve savory items, the majority of options at Sweets Paradise are - as you might have guessed - are sweets. So yeah, of course that was our first stop. Unlike American buffets, the tabehoudai in Japan have time limits. So Ashley and I paid roughly the equivalent of $15 USD for 70 minutes in Sweets Paradise.
I was stopped while going through security and asked if I had scissors in my backpack, to which I responded no. Upon being asked again, I gave the same response. Next I was asked if my backpack could be checked and I of course said yes. It was then, while security rummaged through my bag, that I recalled my pencil pouch's location in my backpack, as well as my scissors' location in my pencil pouch... whoops. Needless to say, that was the end of the scissors' journey. Luckily mine still continued.
After arriving in Nagoya, our first stop was at a restaurant called Sweets Paradise. Sweets Paradise, not specific to Nagoya, but actually a chain restaurant, is what's known as a tabehoudai (an all-you-can-eat-buffet). Be that as it may, while most tabehoudai in Japan are likely to serve savory items, the majority of options at Sweets Paradise are - as you might have guessed - are sweets. So yeah, of course that was our first stop. Unlike American buffets, the tabehoudai in Japan have time limits. So Ashley and I paid roughly the equivalent of $15 USD for 70 minutes in Sweets Paradise.
We went and found our lodging after that at the Tsuchiya Business Inn. It was a short walk from Nagoya Station, so we found the location to be pretty convenient. Ashley and I were able to get a shared twin room for about $40 per night per person. We had a shared toilet and shower with everyone else on the floor. Frankly, I was a little bit surprised to see the one toilet on our floor was a Japanese style toilet (in-ground). However, I'd already tried them out before, and it cause me any problems. My main fear was accidentally stepping in the toilet, and luckily I never had to face that fear. That night we went out to two different nearby karaoke venues, both of which we stayed at for two hours. On the right is a picture from the outside of Karaoke Joy Joy, the first one we visited. |
On Sunday went to Nagoya Castle and Tokugawaen, a beautiful garden designed in the style most popular during the Edo period (17th, 18th, and large part of 19th century Japan). Currently the castle is undergoing restoration after being damaged in WWII air raids. Here is a URL with some quick info on what I saw: http://www.nagoyajo.city.nagoya.jp/honmarugoten/14_english/index.html
Enjoy the pictures of the beautiful screen paintings!
Enjoy the pictures of the beautiful screen paintings!
Nagoya Castle Pictures
Tokugawaen Pictures
Ashley and I spent time looking through Nagoya Station's many shops on Sunday night before eventually stopping at the American chain restaurant T.G.I. Friday's for drinks and the fried mac & cheese advertised on the sign that said, "Let's American Party." After finding guacamole on the menu, we of course added that to our order too. We also rode the SkyBoat ferris wheel that night and got a good view of some traffic. Before retiring to our hostel, we spent 3 hours at a third karaoke venue.
To finish this lengthy post, I'll leave you with a final story and a couple pictures from the city. Ashley and I bought pre-paid Manaca cards at the Nagoya airport as we were getting ready to leave on a train to Nagoya Station. (Manaca cards are kind of like Orca cards - for those of you from the Seattle area). Instead of purchasing an individual fare each time you use public transportation, you just swipe your pre-paid card as you enter or leave a station and the proper amount is detracted from your card. There is fee for acquiring the card, but the convenience is worth it to have the pre-paid card because you can really use it anywhere in Japan (subways, trains, even some vending machines). To get back from Nagoya Station to the Nagoya airport, it was going to cost 800 something yen, but my card only had 710 yen left on it, so I reloaded the smallest amount - 1,000 yen, thinking I could use the rest later during my study abroad. Well I swiped into Nagoya Station, but after arriving at the airport, I found that the chain attached to my purse and the case which carried my Manaca card was missing. So I talked to a station attendant who tried to assist me, but in the end I lost the card, the yen I had loaded on it, and still had pay for my fare from Nagoya Station. Hopefully I will stop losing things at the beginning and end of travel haha. |