My last full day here and the weather is beautiful. It actually has been beautiful the whole time I have been here except for the Saturday that we were in Hiroshima.
Today Mom and I took our time and enjoyed walking around Nagoya, looking at all the cherry trees that were open that were not when I arrived.
Later in the day I took a walk around my Parent's neighborhood to look at all the historic Temples. I was able to go on some of the grounds and see how serene the gardens are, even in the city once you are tucked back in a Temple garden you forget you are in modern day Japan.
For dinner we chose the English pub in Fushimi, what a hoot. It just confirms how much European influence is here. We were treated by our waiter Ichiro to some very traditional Japanese food. First sashimi and boiled shrimp. Now once again I will stress the food reservations that I have, but here I am in Japan and was being given food as a gift. I had to at least try it I got My Mom to try it as well and that is a major milestone. The Ahi tuna was fantastic ( yes John I tried it and liked it!) I was not so adventurous with the shrimp, because they still had eyes and legs and that is just creepy! Next Ichiro brought us fish that I thought was the fins but Mom and Dad think otherwise. It was fried then baked maybe but over all it was the consistency of shoe leather (not that I am a connoisseur) and tasted exactly like a fish stick, not bad. Lastly was a bowl of little pickled plums, they are kinda fuzzy still and have pit in the middle. These things were what made me almost loose my cookies, they are about 4 times saltier than a green olive and are really squishy. Main course was a small salad with the most amazing dressing, steak, potato wedges, and veggies. Not to be outdone by our appetizers Ichiro then brought us assorted dessert tarts. A pear almond and sweet potato, yummy!
Next stop PACHECO!! WOW! This for you that do not know is almost like a slot machine but instead of trading your coins for money you trade for prizes ie: 24 packs of beer, laundry soap, ramen. The parlors are very loud and smoky but I really wanted to see it.
THIS IS JAPAN/AMERICAN IDOL!!
Lights...go
Music..go
Yes folks we sang Karaoke, sorry it was not the kind that you can record a video of.(apparently that is in Korea) Dad took us to a Karaoke parlor and just so happened to run into some of my Dad's colleagues. We were the only 6 that sang:) Silly Americans. 3 Japanese ladies came in and ordered some food and had a couple of drinks but left after that and at the end a Japanese couple came into have drinks. Now I don't know about you but I don't think that a Karaoke parlor is where I would pop into have a couple of drinks, and expensive ones at that compared to some of the other places you could go and possibly hear professional singers!
It was a great way to end my time here in Japan. I am looking forward to our return trip in August and even saved some sightseeing so that Brian and I could experience it together.
My parents have been very gracious hosts and have taken very good care of me as always!
Until my next adventure!
Amy
Friday, April 10, 2009
Thursday, April 9, 2009
April 9th
Spent the day with Mom and went to the Nagoya dome where the the Naogoya Dragons Baseball team play.
Dinner was at Japone with John Fish a colleague of my Dad's. We all enjoyed our dinner and at the end Koji, presented Mom and myself with gifts. Mom got chopsticks so she can practice her stick skills and I received a traditional badminton paddle that women use at New Year.
Dinner was at Japone with John Fish a colleague of my Dad's. We all enjoyed our dinner and at the end Koji, presented Mom and myself with gifts. Mom got chopsticks so she can practice her stick skills and I received a traditional badminton paddle that women use at New Year.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
April 8th
Today Mom and I had planned on going to Noritake for a couple of reasons.
A) It is a historic and beautiful place.
2) Brian and I have some very old (nearly 100 yrs) Noritake china that was given to us by my Grandmother for our wedding and we have some pieced we would like to replace.
D) Mom and I had learned that you could paint your own piece of china and have it glazed and shipped to you.
Victoriously Mom and I made the train trip to Noritake Gardens with out getting lost!!
The gardens are beautiful with streams and paths running all along the grounds of the old factory site. It is a very relaxing and serene atmosphere.
We took a educational tour of how ceramic helps us today besides eating off it. We then went to see about ordering other pieces of our china pattern. Armed with pictures, and my phrase book I attempted to explain what I was looking for. A phone call was made and 5 minutes later a english speaking employee arrived to let me know that Noritake could try and have an artist try and recreate the pattern but it would not look the same :( She did give me a list of replication companies and companies that specialize in finding older china pieces:) We made our way to the museum and were amazed at how many designs look like our pattern. I guess I was just being hopeful that around the next corner I would find the serving platter that matches. At the end of the museum they offer you a chance to paint your own piece of Noritake china. Ok so I thought the same thing too, maybe I could just paint my pattern myself! Ha Ha Once we chose our pattern Mom and I saddled up to the paint station and 2 1/2 hours later we were ready to have our works of art set in stone or rather porcelain! I am anxious to see how they turned out. I can only imagine something that Noritake said should only take an hour will me even more spectacular after 2 1/2, right? I hope that every time I visit I can do this and eventually end up with a set of dishes.
*This activity was so neat and at a reasonable price of about 32.00 usd for the plate and shipping to the states*
Another victorious train ride back to Shin sakae (where my parents live) and a nap to finish our day!
A) It is a historic and beautiful place.
2) Brian and I have some very old (nearly 100 yrs) Noritake china that was given to us by my Grandmother for our wedding and we have some pieced we would like to replace.
D) Mom and I had learned that you could paint your own piece of china and have it glazed and shipped to you.
Victoriously Mom and I made the train trip to Noritake Gardens with out getting lost!!
The gardens are beautiful with streams and paths running all along the grounds of the old factory site. It is a very relaxing and serene atmosphere.
We took a educational tour of how ceramic helps us today besides eating off it. We then went to see about ordering other pieces of our china pattern. Armed with pictures, and my phrase book I attempted to explain what I was looking for. A phone call was made and 5 minutes later a english speaking employee arrived to let me know that Noritake could try and have an artist try and recreate the pattern but it would not look the same :( She did give me a list of replication companies and companies that specialize in finding older china pieces:) We made our way to the museum and were amazed at how many designs look like our pattern. I guess I was just being hopeful that around the next corner I would find the serving platter that matches. At the end of the museum they offer you a chance to paint your own piece of Noritake china. Ok so I thought the same thing too, maybe I could just paint my pattern myself! Ha Ha Once we chose our pattern Mom and I saddled up to the paint station and 2 1/2 hours later we were ready to have our works of art set in stone or rather porcelain! I am anxious to see how they turned out. I can only imagine something that Noritake said should only take an hour will me even more spectacular after 2 1/2, right? I hope that every time I visit I can do this and eventually end up with a set of dishes.
*This activity was so neat and at a reasonable price of about 32.00 usd for the plate and shipping to the states*
Another victorious train ride back to Shin sakae (where my parents live) and a nap to finish our day!
April 7thl
Mom and I did more window shopping in Sakae. We went into Mikimoto which is a very fancy pearl shop and drooled over all the beautiful pieces.
Some things I noticed while out today is that if you are not careful you WILL get run over by a bike! I have yet to see an older car or a car with body damage on it. Japan is a lot like Europe in the fact that they like to take their time and enjoy, the cleanliness is amazing and the service you get any where is top notch.
We rode the train in to Fushimi and ate dinner at a small Korean BBQ. Similar to fondue you cook your meat and veggies on a very hot BBQ that is placed in the middle of the table. The meat in Japan is different than any other meat I have seen, perfectly marbled and always displayed beautifully. After ordering 3 rounds of meat and veggies we were still hungry. We decided to order a garlic rice dish that a table next to us had ordered. The chef takes cloves of garlic, and rice and puts it in a heated stoneware bowl and places a raw egg in the middle. The waitress brings it to your table and stirs the sizzling rice and egg together to cook the egg. DELICIOUS!
Some things I noticed while out today is that if you are not careful you WILL get run over by a bike! I have yet to see an older car or a car with body damage on it. Japan is a lot like Europe in the fact that they like to take their time and enjoy, the cleanliness is amazing and the service you get any where is top notch.
We rode the train in to Fushimi and ate dinner at a small Korean BBQ. Similar to fondue you cook your meat and veggies on a very hot BBQ that is placed in the middle of the table. The meat in Japan is different than any other meat I have seen, perfectly marbled and always displayed beautifully. After ordering 3 rounds of meat and veggies we were still hungry. We decided to order a garlic rice dish that a table next to us had ordered. The chef takes cloves of garlic, and rice and puts it in a heated stoneware bowl and places a raw egg in the middle. The waitress brings it to your table and stirs the sizzling rice and egg together to cook the egg. DELICIOUS!
Monday, April 6, 2009
April 6th
Today Mom and I decided to go to Sakae a neighborhood located about 5 blocks from my parents apartment.
The first stop was at a stamp shop to order a traditional stamp used in Japan that has your name on it in Kanji or Katikana. The stamp is used like a signature and is commonly uses on bills and banking. This task proved to be the hardest and even with my trusty book I was unable to explain my self to the shop owner what I wanted. In the end we had to call Mina san a young lady that works for Boeing and has helped translate and label my parents apartment.
In Sakae the biggest attraction is the high end shopping. One of the most popular is Mitsukoshi. It reminded me a lot of Harrods in London with a full service grocery store. But the gem is the pastry shop that has every kind of sweet and savory, buttery and sugary thing you may need. YUMMY!!!
Located in the very back of the grocery was Harrods Tea room, Coincidence? Mom and I decided it would be fun to do a traditional English tea, and had a very nice time with sandwiches and salads, and some of the best English tea I have ever had.
We then went to Tokyo Hans which is a store kind of like Michael's and Ace hardware all in one? I t is pretty hard to describe. The store it self is broken into 9 floors and all of them have something completely different. Beads and scrap booking. School supplies and hardware. Toiletries and sundries. sporting goods and men's furnishings. Women's apparel and household. A strange but neat place.
Located in the middle of Sakae is Central Park, it has gorgeous view s of the Sakura along with a creek that runs down the center of it. It is a relaxing place to view the trees and watch people.
WE stopped in to the Boeing office to say thank you to Mina and to check out the central office of Boeing.
Our last stop was Oasis 21 a large mall that has a cool flat glass roof with a art installation on the top that holds water. We did some shopping and I found some of the souvenirs I was looking to bring back.
Mom and I got dinner ready and I found myself walking to the corner store to buy vinegar for salad dressing and ended up with what we believed to be rice wine vinegar and another bottle of cooking wine. Not bad for going of the viscosity and not having any idea of what the labels say!
The first stop was at a stamp shop to order a traditional stamp used in Japan that has your name on it in Kanji or Katikana. The stamp is used like a signature and is commonly uses on bills and banking. This task proved to be the hardest and even with my trusty book I was unable to explain my self to the shop owner what I wanted. In the end we had to call Mina san a young lady that works for Boeing and has helped translate and label my parents apartment.
In Sakae the biggest attraction is the high end shopping. One of the most popular is Mitsukoshi. It reminded me a lot of Harrods in London with a full service grocery store. But the gem is the pastry shop that has every kind of sweet and savory, buttery and sugary thing you may need. YUMMY!!!
Located in the very back of the grocery was Harrods Tea room, Coincidence? Mom and I decided it would be fun to do a traditional English tea, and had a very nice time with sandwiches and salads, and some of the best English tea I have ever had.
We then went to Tokyo Hans which is a store kind of like Michael's and Ace hardware all in one? I t is pretty hard to describe. The store it self is broken into 9 floors and all of them have something completely different. Beads and scrap booking. School supplies and hardware. Toiletries and sundries. sporting goods and men's furnishings. Women's apparel and household. A strange but neat place.
Located in the middle of Sakae is Central Park, it has gorgeous view s of the Sakura along with a creek that runs down the center of it. It is a relaxing place to view the trees and watch people.
WE stopped in to the Boeing office to say thank you to Mina and to check out the central office of Boeing.
Our last stop was Oasis 21 a large mall that has a cool flat glass roof with a art installation on the top that holds water. We did some shopping and I found some of the souvenirs I was looking to bring back.
Mom and I got dinner ready and I found myself walking to the corner store to buy vinegar for salad dressing and ended up with what we believed to be rice wine vinegar and another bottle of cooking wine. Not bad for going of the viscosity and not having any idea of what the labels say!
April 5th
SUNSHINE!!!
We were expecting to have clouds and rain today in Hiroshima, that was a delightful miscalculation. After cleaning up and checking out of the hotel we were in search of coffee. In Japan there is no lack of coffee, tea, soda, juice or water. On every corner of every street there is at least 2 or more vending machines, one usually for hot and one for cold or a combo of both. But this morning we are looking for a Starbucks or McDonald's, (per the parents) not that I was apposed to this since the day before had ended in a culinary delight:) I was happy to see at the next corner the familiar green sign of home. The selections here at a Starbucks are very similar but have a little more English flair. I enjoyed a sausage/hot dog wrapped in a pastry, a nice latte while I watched families approach the temple across the street to give their offerings.
Once finished we headed to the Hiroshima Castle which was completely destroyed by the bomb. The ground of the castle are surrounded by a temple and a park that has the remains of the buildings that once stood there. All of this is surrounded by a very large moat.
The park setting around the castle is a beautiful way to see the cherry blossoms in full bloom.
During the Sakura season which is the time in Japan that the sherry blossoms are in bloom it is very traditional to have a Hanami party under the trees. This is a very old tradition where families gather under the cherry trees, in most cases the same tree every season, and have a very large picnic lunch. Today ended up to be sunny and beautiful and would have been a wonderful time for this. Yesterday we saw people trying very hard to do their Hanami party but the rain took the upper hand. I was told later that the first weekend in April is the most popular time to have a Hanami party.
Our trip back to Nagoya was again on the shinkansin and this time in true American form we took on McDonald's to eat on the way back. It tastes the same:)
Once back in Nagoya we got cleaned up and relaxed a bit and then decided to visit Japone, the Italian restaurant that I was originally supposed to surprise my Mom at. I know what you are thinking, Italian food in Japan. Let me tell you that the salad and pizza margarita that I had was outstanding. The pizza was on homemade thin crust and the sauce was delicious. the salad was a mix of leaf lettuce, shredded cabbage and sprouts with a lemon, ginger, and garlic dressing.
The head chef is Koji and he has 2 other employees, a younger girl named Tomo and a very shy assistant chef/pastry chef named Takumi. All of them have taken a great liking to my parents and treat them very well. Koji likes to practice his English on you and also has a great liking for Music. Neil Diamond, Bon Jovi, ABBA, Stevie Wonder. I was surprised to find that no one knew Dave Matthews so I will be taking my iPod with me on Thursday so they can listen. I am excited to share with them my favorite music.
We were expecting to have clouds and rain today in Hiroshima, that was a delightful miscalculation. After cleaning up and checking out of the hotel we were in search of coffee. In Japan there is no lack of coffee, tea, soda, juice or water. On every corner of every street there is at least 2 or more vending machines, one usually for hot and one for cold or a combo of both. But this morning we are looking for a Starbucks or McDonald's, (per the parents) not that I was apposed to this since the day before had ended in a culinary delight:) I was happy to see at the next corner the familiar green sign of home. The selections here at a Starbucks are very similar but have a little more English flair. I enjoyed a sausage/hot dog wrapped in a pastry, a nice latte while I watched families approach the temple across the street to give their offerings.
Once finished we headed to the Hiroshima Castle which was completely destroyed by the bomb. The ground of the castle are surrounded by a temple and a park that has the remains of the buildings that once stood there. All of this is surrounded by a very large moat.
The park setting around the castle is a beautiful way to see the cherry blossoms in full bloom.
During the Sakura season which is the time in Japan that the sherry blossoms are in bloom it is very traditional to have a Hanami party under the trees. This is a very old tradition where families gather under the cherry trees, in most cases the same tree every season, and have a very large picnic lunch. Today ended up to be sunny and beautiful and would have been a wonderful time for this. Yesterday we saw people trying very hard to do their Hanami party but the rain took the upper hand. I was told later that the first weekend in April is the most popular time to have a Hanami party.
Our trip back to Nagoya was again on the shinkansin and this time in true American form we took on McDonald's to eat on the way back. It tastes the same:)
Once back in Nagoya we got cleaned up and relaxed a bit and then decided to visit Japone, the Italian restaurant that I was originally supposed to surprise my Mom at. I know what you are thinking, Italian food in Japan. Let me tell you that the salad and pizza margarita that I had was outstanding. The pizza was on homemade thin crust and the sauce was delicious. the salad was a mix of leaf lettuce, shredded cabbage and sprouts with a lemon, ginger, and garlic dressing.
The head chef is Koji and he has 2 other employees, a younger girl named Tomo and a very shy assistant chef/pastry chef named Takumi. All of them have taken a great liking to my parents and treat them very well. Koji likes to practice his English on you and also has a great liking for Music. Neil Diamond, Bon Jovi, ABBA, Stevie Wonder. I was surprised to find that no one knew Dave Matthews so I will be taking my iPod with me on Thursday so they can listen. I am excited to share with them my favorite music.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
April 4th
We got up today and decided to take the Shinkansin (bullet train) to Hiroshima. The Shinkan as it is called here is so fast up to 180mph and you can still look out the windows and see the things pass by. I do have a bit of motion sickness and vertigo and the Shinkan did effect them as I suspected. I do suggest that if you have these problems to not sit next to the window. Once I moved it seemed to get better. While on the train they come by with a trolley full of food and drink, just like in Harry Potter! I got a pork sandwich off the trolley, it was a thick pork cutlet that was breaded and fried with a BBQ type sauce on it that was on white bread with the crust cut off and had a bit of mayo that had horseradish in it. It was very good! Oh for those of you that don't know I am a little picky about food so going into this trip I told myself that I was going to try it all! So far the sandwich was a winner.
We arrived in Hiroshima to rain, but that did not stop us from hopping on a VERY crowded trolley car. With no basis of how to pay and where to get off because everything is in Kanji! Dad and I decided that yes in fact we had to move to the front of the trolley to get off and pay the conductor and we also figured out what stop we needed! Yay us we were pretty good at this! We successfully got off the trolley and were at the site of the A-bomb Dome.
The A-bomb dome is a structure that is still standing after the bombing and is located almost directly underneath the hypocenter of the bomb.
To see this building and everything else around it is amazing! It is truly amazing that after 65 years anything is growing on these grounds! I was able to get some amazing photos despite the weather.
We went to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, this was a great place to learn about the effects of the bombing and just how fast things started. I found it interesting that at no time was there mention as to why Japan was attacked by the U.S.
and the roll that Japan played in WWII.
After the museum we walked the Peace park grounds and we were able to see the miracle of nature and all the growth since the bombing. This to me after the all the destruction and devastation is a miracle.
As we headed out to find dinner we decided that staying was a good idea and that in the morning we could go and enjoy the Hiroshima Castle.
For dinner adventurous me decided that we should eat at a noodle shop. Well after stumbling thru ordering with Dad and I trying our hardest with our English to Japanese phrase book we successfully ordered. I ordered soba noodles in broth with some veggies and what I thought were chicken skewers, and Mom and Dad ordered ton-katsu which is a pounded pork cutlet breaded and fried and served over rice with a gravy type sauce and an egg. Dinner arrived and Mom and Dad enjoyed their dishes and I was a little surprised at how fishy the broth was on my noodle dish. (I don't know why I assumed it would be a chicken broth?) The skewers came and there were 3 of them one was definitely chicken (a little under cooked but I ate it any way!) the other skewers were duck fat? and some sort of meat/fish ball? So all in all I did OK and ate a bit. I was not hungry when I left the restaurant and I am not sure if that was because I was truly full or that I lost my appetite during dinner?
After dinner we walked around the underground shopping center and looked at all the cool shops. We took a cab from there to our hotel that we booked right in the underground mall at a information desk! He He
We arrived in Hiroshima to rain, but that did not stop us from hopping on a VERY crowded trolley car. With no basis of how to pay and where to get off because everything is in Kanji! Dad and I decided that yes in fact we had to move to the front of the trolley to get off and pay the conductor and we also figured out what stop we needed! Yay us we were pretty good at this! We successfully got off the trolley and were at the site of the A-bomb Dome.
The A-bomb dome is a structure that is still standing after the bombing and is located almost directly underneath the hypocenter of the bomb.
To see this building and everything else around it is amazing! It is truly amazing that after 65 years anything is growing on these grounds! I was able to get some amazing photos despite the weather.
We went to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, this was a great place to learn about the effects of the bombing and just how fast things started. I found it interesting that at no time was there mention as to why Japan was attacked by the U.S.
and the roll that Japan played in WWII.
After the museum we walked the Peace park grounds and we were able to see the miracle of nature and all the growth since the bombing. This to me after the all the destruction and devastation is a miracle.
As we headed out to find dinner we decided that staying was a good idea and that in the morning we could go and enjoy the Hiroshima Castle.
For dinner adventurous me decided that we should eat at a noodle shop. Well after stumbling thru ordering with Dad and I trying our hardest with our English to Japanese phrase book we successfully ordered. I ordered soba noodles in broth with some veggies and what I thought were chicken skewers, and Mom and Dad ordered ton-katsu which is a pounded pork cutlet breaded and fried and served over rice with a gravy type sauce and an egg. Dinner arrived and Mom and Dad enjoyed their dishes and I was a little surprised at how fishy the broth was on my noodle dish. (I don't know why I assumed it would be a chicken broth?) The skewers came and there were 3 of them one was definitely chicken (a little under cooked but I ate it any way!) the other skewers were duck fat? and some sort of meat/fish ball? So all in all I did OK and ate a bit. I was not hungry when I left the restaurant and I am not sure if that was because I was truly full or that I lost my appetite during dinner?
After dinner we walked around the underground shopping center and looked at all the cool shops. We took a cab from there to our hotel that we booked right in the underground mall at a information desk! He He
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