Day Labor

Last week I accepted an invitation for an 'outing' without really knowing what I was going to be doing. I had met a very nice Japanese lady at a Meet and Greet one afternoon. The following day she called me and asked me to join her for an outing. Her English is pretty good, but she was not able to articulate exactly what we would be doing. With nothing to lose, I decided to blindly accept. After meeting her at a station close to my house, we rode the subway to the end of the line. Then we changed and got on a train and went another 4 stops. In the parking lot of this station there were about 10 other Japanese ladies. A couple had cars and they also had a couple taxi's waiting. I was  introduced to everyone (don't ask, cause I can't tell you all their names and roles within 'Garden Club') and my hostess, Yumiko, apologized about a dozen times, for inconveniencing everyone by bringing me last minute. (She later explained to me that no one was really inconvenienced at all, but it was 'the Japanese way' to apologize for any changes and unexpected situations.

This Garden Club is an arm of CCEA (Cross Cultural Exchange Association). There were actually a few other foreign women that arrived shortly after the mass introduction. Their names I can easily remember, Kathy from Hawaii and we will call her Lisa, a Boeing wife, from well, everywhere. She has been on about 5 different expat assignments to Italy and France and now Japan. By her accounts, she has been everywhere and done everything. She might have been interesting to talk to, if she wasn't so loud and truly crazy, (but that is a whole another story).

We went to a hibiscus farm and learned how this particular farmer was being innovative with the plant. By nipping off the bud and coring it, he is making hibiscus teas and jams. The buds can also be used in salads and cooking. To me, they had a sharp and bit sour taste. Not a big fan. overall, but the jam is tasty. Then again, you can make jam out of just about anything, right? Prickly pear cactus comes to mind.

Hibiscus Plant

Me pruning away.

Baskets of Buds

CCEA Garden Club

We 'worked' the field for about an hour by cutting the buds off the ripe plants. Then we washed the buds and used a tool that popped the seeds out from the bud. I am demonstrating below. This took about another hour or so. For some reason Gary found me attending this outing somewhat comical and is now referring to me as his "little hibiscus picker" all the time. : )

Me enjoying a refreshing Japan-sized glass (mini-size me!) of hibiscus tea.

After all the hard work, we went to a lunch at a lovely organic french restaurant. They served an 8 course meal that took over 2 hours! These ladies like their lunches out.

The name was Na No Uta meaning "Song of the Vegetables".

Mesmerized by Tokyo

We got up early and headed to Tokyo by bullet train on Friday morning. The Tokaido line runs up to 13 trains per hour (the busiest line in the world) and the trains roll in and out of the station exactly on time. Every time! The train can reach speeds of up to 185 mph and I think ours did. Everything was a blur for sure.

JR Shinkansen - pulling into Nagoya Station

We arrived in Toyko Station just under 2 hours later. After wandering around confused for a bit, we managed to find the subway line we needed. One quick transfer and a few minutes later we were in Higashi Ginza Station. Our hotel was only a 5 minute walk from there.

Dropped our bags off and had a quick room service snack before we headed straight to one of  the oldest areas of Tokyo -- Asakusa. Entered the Sensoji Temple grounds through the Kaminarimon Gate (shown below).

'Old Tokyo' shopping street and Five-story Pagoda

Huge incense burner. Japanese wave the smoke over themselves. They believe it purifies the body and spirit. This grandfather just lifted the boy up into the smoke and then set him back down.

We then took a cruise down the Sumida River. Past many bridges and the Tsukiji Fish Market. After returning to the hotel, we decided on Thai food for dinner and the concierge made us a reservation here at Bangkok Kitchen.  It was fabulous!

Saturday in the wee hours of the morning, I was awaken by Gary. I asked what time it was. He simply said, "It is ... just time". The fish were calling him. : )

The actual time was 0430. We took a taxi to the Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market(commonly known as Tsukiji Market), which is the biggest seafood market in the world. We got in line in hopes of being one of the few tourists that are allowed in to see the Tuna Auction that morning. It was our lucky day. We made it in the second group. The market wakes up early and is a crazy flurry of activity. Watch out for the men on motorized carts, cause they won't slow down for you to get out of the way!

Frozen tunas being set out for auction.

Multiple auctions take place at once.  Another auctioneer can be heard in the background. We loved this guy's sing-song style and the little dance he did. We have no idea how much each fish sold for, but it was entertaining to watch. We do know that the record price was $396,000 for a 722 lb Bluefin tuna last January, over $548 per pound. In the end, I was glad I went. It was a once in a lifetime experience! 

After then returning to the hotel for a short nap from 0730-0930. We got ready and headed back over to the Ginza Corridor. Where we ate the night before. There are many small cafes and restaurants to select from. We decided on this one. It was very colorful. Don't know the name, but it served Korean fare. I had yummy pork and rice, while Gary had a big bowl of spicy beef with udon noodle.

Korean restaurant. I match the decor!

We then ventured out again. This time, to Shibuya, which is famous for its scramble crossing, which stops vehicles in all directions to allow pedestrians to inundate the entire intersection. Three large TV screens mounted on nearby buildings overlook the crossing. The 2 story, Starbucks store overlooking the crossing is also one of the busiest in the world. The Shibuya Scramble is featured in the movie, Lost in Translation.

Young and fashionable shopping street in Shibuya. We saw some particularly creative outfits here!

Returned to the hotel for another quick nap. (I know! Age catches up with us all.) We changed for dinner and then headed to Roppongi. Roppongi is a much more 'western' area with many known restaurant chains.  

Hard Rock Cafe and Mori Tower in Roppongi Hills

Before dinner we had a couple 'happy hour' drinks at a Scottish expat's bar. We didn't eat at the Hard Rock, just took a picture. We actually ate a small Italian wine cafe. Parmesan risotto was delish, but Gary didn't care too much for his pizza -- that did have anchovies, but didn't have any cheese on it!

Last stop before heading back to the hotel was a small bar in Ginza called Prost Bar. We had stopped by the night before and really enjoyed the ambiance. It had a gorgeous wood countertop shipped from South Africa. While you don't tip in Japan, they often hit you with a 'table fee' when you least expect it. Friday night, no table fee...but on Saturday night to our surprise, there was. Maybe they just charge this to foreigners, who are leaving and probably never coming back?

Drinks 900 yen each, table charge 500 yen each, talking with the bartender about fishing lures used in Japan...priceless.

Well, we couldn't leave Tokyo without visiting the Emperor. So on Sunday morning, we took a walk through the Imperial Palace East Garden, in hopes that he would invite us in. Didn't happen. Guess he only opens the gate 2 days a year to greet his subjects.

The wall between us and the Emperor

After a sweltering hour in the sun, we headed back to the hotel for a little down time (you guessed it,  naptime, again)!  I then left Gary to relax a little on his own and I went out shopping.

On Sunday Ginza Street is closed to traffic. Shoppers rule!

Me and my first Ginza shopping trip. I hope there will be many more. Do I have any takers?

After shopping  and before heading to the train home, we needed refreshment.
We found refuge in the Sapporo Beer Hall which served German table fare (sausages and potatoes) and beer, imagine that.

We then sadly had to leave our new found love and return home. This brief interlude with Tokyo has made us definitely want to return again to experience its cosmopolitan flair. Old and new, traditional and modern meld together seamlessly to capture your imagination. We will definitely be going back.

Fall is here!

It was a very comfortable 22C (70F) yesterday and we got out and enjoyed the sunshine and cool breezes by taking a stroll through Tokugawaen Park.

History Lesson:
Tokugawaen was built in 1695 as a retirment residence for Mitsumoto, head of the 3 houses of Takugawa and second generation Lord of the Owari domain. The buildings were destroyed in 1945 during WWII. Then the over 100 acre area was used as a general park until 2004, when massive renovations created this lovely Japanese garden.

Gary with his 'man-bag'.

Gary dipping into the fountain of youth?

After all that walking, needed a little refreshment!

Birthday Weekend!

Our plans changed for my birthday weekend, because we got invited to go fishing! Activities on  my birthday weekend were many and varied.

Friday evening started out at OXO British pub for a happy hour drink. Gin and tonic!

Went to dinner at Sukontha Thai in Kanayama . My first dining experience sitting on the floor. Had a lovely bottle of Australian Shiraz and our favorite dish (#444)!

Following dinner we went to 'Shooters' bar, where you drink for free on your birthday!

Two more gin and tonics later, I was feeling very happy!

Saturday: We slept in! Rode our bikes 2.5 km to Osu around 12n. Gary got a haircut for 2,000 yen ($26). Ate lunch at a 'diner'. Then we wandered around the little shops for the afternoon.

Sunday! Rise and shine at 0400. On the rode by 0430 to drive over 2 hours south through the very green and hilly countryside and start fishing by 0730. Brought lots of snacks, but left the sunblock on the counter!

I caught the first fish.  A okii (big) red snapper.

Gary caught a 60 cm yellow tail.

 Other anglers from Boeing. 

 

Complete haul. Five red snappers and two yellow tails.


Made Japanese fried rice, salad and pan fried some fillets for dinner. Oishi! (tasty)

Outings and Day Trips

We haven't taken any trips outside the city yet. Our first will be to Tokyo by Shinkansen (bullet train), next weekend for my birthday. We won't be in 'Kansas' anymore. I have looked at the Tokyo subway map and it is easily 4X as big as Nagoya! We racked up enough Marriott Rewards points to cover a long weekend at the Marriott in Ginza! Maybe Gary will buy me a Louis V for my birthday present? (Ha...I think not!) I'll be sure to post highlights of our train travel and trip.

That aside, I have had loads of time to explore Nagoya and have found wonderful and interesting places worth a mention. Here are a couple of my faves, so far.

The town of Osu was first established in 1610 with the temple of Osu Kannon at the center. This area was the hub of theatre and entertainment  (sumo, kabuki, noh) Many playhouses were built in the late 1800's and early 1900's in this area. In the 1980's 6 streets were covered with high awnings (like Fremont Street in LAS) and a shopping 'arcade' was formed. These streets around the temple are lined with hundreds of unique "Mom and Pop" shops, nice second hand shops, veggie, fruit, & fish stalls, discount kimonos shops, an array of ethnic food stands and cafes, and more shoes than I have ever seen in one place! On the 18th of the month there is a 'temple fair' where hundreds of vendors set up booths on the temple square. There is a daily chant in the temple at 0900, 1100, 1300, 1500. In addition, the area has 5 or 6 mechanical puppet clocks that act out historical stories.

Osu Kannon Temple

One entrance to Osu shopping arcade

I also really enjoyed visiting Noritake Garden near Nagoya Station. This is the original location of the Noritake China factory and kilns from the early 1900's. The grounds now contain a garden, restaurant, meeting center, craft center (where you can design and paint your own piece of china), museum, industry center, retail store and outlet store. 

I was surprised to learn of the array of contributions that Noritake has made to many other industries such as; computer micro-chips and motherboards, motorcycle paint schemes, dental porcelain crown process, micro-filaments for communications technology- by sharing the technology and processes they first created and refined to adhere metal and paint to their china. Very interesting exhibits and most were in English! Best of all...it was all free to walk through and browse.

I didn't buy any china, as I had a 2 km walk back to the hotel. Maybe next time!

Main entrance

Original red brick factory building

Tree planted in commemoration of the visit of someone important 

(sorry, I forgot who though!)

Settling In

It is a very rainy, gray day here in Nagoya and a perfect time to give some attention to my blog followers who I have been regrettably ignoring for way too long. Suddenly I am very busy and having trouble finding time to sit down and write.

We moved into our apartment 9 days ago. Even though I DO have to make my own bed and clean my own bathroom, I am very much enjoying being able to grocery shop and cook. I am getting used to my 'camp stove' and mini grill and I have learned how to use some settings on my oven. Luckily the instruction book has pictures, so I just find one that looks like what I want to make (muffin = cupcake) and use the setting and cook time it shows then make adjustments, if needed. So far, I have made grilled steak and baked potatoes, spaghetti, soft chicken taco with fresh pico de gallo with lovely fresh veggies I got at a side street open air market just one subway stop away! Last night I made my first Japanese dish, Soy Pork with Carrot, from a recipe book of a Japanese cooking show host, Harumi. It turned out fabulous! Two hours later Gary was still commenting "That was a really good meal!"

How do you like my dinner plates? Got them at the 100 Yen store. Of course, we had to try to use our chopsticks too.

We have received all our furniture deliveries and the house is coming together. It still needs a few more decorations though, as it looks quite bare. I am having difficulty finding a very wide selection of accessories like rugs, sofa pillows, throws, etc. What I am finding is...shall we say, not very mature looking. Almost cartoon like flower patterns and very bold neon colors. I have my U.S. shopping scouts out ( Mom and Sister-in-law) and I am counting on them to know my taste and send me a 'care' package soon. ; ) Here are some apartment pics for all you non-FBers, who haven't seen them yet.

Master bedroom

Main area - Living, kitchen, dining

Kitchen

Guest bedroom

It is still scorching hot here..30C-32C lately and really humid. After 9 days with only having A/C in two areas, we went and pleaded our case due to our apartment size and layout and got approval for 2 more units for the other bedrooms. If we open all 4 doors, we think it will cool the 2-story entrance hall, as well. So potential guests, start planning your summer visits NOW... first come first served!

Summer is a great time of the year to visit (if you can stand the heat), as there are lots of festivals and activities going on then! I had to laugh at an article in the English version of the Japanese Times the other day. It was about the heat and humidity and how foreigners are surprised at how hot it is here. Although the translation went something like this. "Foreigners to Japan need to become accustomed to their own sweat. They must realize it is not something that just happens at the gym, but all day, every day in Japan in summer!" Ha ha. That says it all.

After walking at least 500 miles by now, and lugging bags of groceries and household goods through the subways like a homeless person, I finally have a set a wheels! School bus yellow was my color choice, just so I can be seen really well by oncoming traffic if I happen to enter the cross-walk at the wrong time. Gary is a bit paranoid about me crossing streets. (Ash, remember London?)  I liked the bikes with smaller tires, so I can maneuver around pedestrians on the sidewalks with more precision. As I will now have a greater radius of distance I can travel, I will be able to make it the 2.5km to the 4 story shopping complex without being so hot and tired by the time I get there, that I don't even want to shop! Also, a good alternative to driving and paying for parking on nights when we feel like having a couple of drinks at the local ex-pat hangout about 3km away! (Which is not easy to get to on the subway.) Gary also got a bike. His is the same model in blue. So Ash, we will have 'wheels' when you come to visit. Our shopping will only be limited by the amount we can carry in the really cute matching basket (and what will fit in your suitcase home)! 

Well, I got on quite a roll and I still have more to tell about my Japanese lessons and some outings I took around the city. So, look for that post soon. I promise to be more consistent with my blogging now that we are 'Settled In'. Amy 

Leaving Nagoya Station and heading to Kanayama

Today marks 5 weeks in Japan and in the Marriott at Nagoya station. After many deliveries and installations and multiple calls to our relocation specialist to translate our needs to the delivery men, we finally have our apartment in a close to move in condition. Just one more delivery with all our chairs, followed by a trip the grocery to stock the fridge and we will be able to move in. I guess it is time to make my own bed and start cooking again!

Nagoya Station will only be a quick 5 minute JR Chuo Line train ride away, but we will be spending most of our time in our new neighborhood of Kanayama. After eating out at least 50 times, I think I almost qualify as a restaurant critic, so here are a few of the culinary highlights of the Nagoya Station area (which include places we will be sure to take visitors to dine).

View of the main entrance to Nagoya station from the Concierge Lounge on

36th Floor, where drinks are always free!



Hub British Pub is the ex-pat hangout. The patio is great for people watching. 

Pa'ina Aloha Table - great ribs, ahi rice bowls and 350 yen happy hour drinks!

Our personal favorite. Sukontha Thai. Amazingly oishii (delicious)!