Getting Lost

In the middle of the two weeks of training I had the Sunday off. New friend Johnathan and I decided to set out. The goal in mind was the Tokugawa museum. It involved a train ride to the down town area then a bus ride. We decided to make a small shopping excursion while down town and wanted to visit a book store. The welcome guide from work directed us to one near the bus stop. But when we get there the book store is no more. Instead the mall had replaced it with an art gallery. Happy with this substitution we explored the art gallery.

After getting to see the wonderful works of art. We continued our journey hopping on a bus and heading on our way. But it was the wrong bus. We ended up at a far off bus depot. With some time to kill before the next bus leaves we walked over to a little trendy cafe built in the middle of some farm land. Johnathan is a bit of a coffee expert and immensely enjoyed his drink, while I enjoyed my lemonade.

Arriving back at the depot, we were sitting, waiting, chatting about music. Finding out we both played trombone in high school band. When the gal next to us chimed in that she too played trombone in high school. In the middle of rural outskirts of Nagoya sat three former trombone players. Kotone was very nice. A university student, hoping to live abroad in Europe. Her school turned out to be not so far from our apartments.

Parting with Kotone, we changed directions. It was becoming too late for the Tokugawa museum, so we decided on Inuyama Castle, which is in an neighboring city. We arrive at Inuyama City, with the castle on the horizon. A quick check with a posted map of the area and we set off. But the route we take was the wrong one. Lost again we end up in a random shrine and cemetery.

At the cemetery, there was a giant stone slab with an ancient edifice carved into it. Johnathan has an interest in ancient language and attempted to translate a bit but the stone was too weathered and the language too arcane to properly understand. By now it was starting to get late. We've found ourselves by the riverside where we saw a unique sight. Fishermen were out, sailing with huge burning hearths for light. And the strange sight; they were using trained birds to catch fish! We stopped in a piano bar, where the waitress explained that it is a tradition in these parts and they were making a show of it! Tourist could ride in the boats with the fishermen. The area so famous for it, that fishing with birds is featured on their sewer manhole covers. On a side note, the piano bar was fantastic. We were hungry and I ordered their curry, Johnathan impressed the staff with his Japanese skill and was served a special off menu item.

At the end of the day. We had a terrific time just getting lost. Every time we took a wrong turn we kept moving forward and found something unexpected and fun.

Day One

Flying took about twenty hours, after the layover. My flight changed at Seoul, Korea, and I got to see the sun rise over the mountains beyond the airport. Touching down in Japan, passing through immigration was easy. I had all my paperwork prepared. I was picked up by Lawren. He drove me, and co-worker Izi, to our temporary apartments. Lawren gave us the nickle tour, pointing out where head quarters is in Nagoya, popular spots to eat or cut loose. But it was all too much for me at the time. I was in Japan. Everything was written in Japanese. They drove on the other side of the street. It felt like a physical pressure. Like I was under water. It was a thrill.

I decided I wanted to hit the ground running for the first day and start by exploring. Luckily my roommate, who had arrived the day before, had it in his mind to make a shopping trip to a popular part of town. I was happy to tag along and learn about my new surroundings. Jordan leading the way, we took the subway to the down town area and we found a nice mall. We enjoyed some sushi and sake. Then we hiked over to a more dense shopping area. Multi-level stores lined the street. Jordan was looking for a figurine of his favorite show, HunterXHunter, while I was happy to see the new sights. Jordan was ecstatic to find what he was looking for, I even found a small something that I liked.

Getting back to the apartment, we picked up some groceries. I made dinner and Jordan made cocktails. Before turning in I stood on the balcony looking out. I was on the ground floor and the balcony over looked a canal with the elevated train over it, some restaurants and small businesses on the other side. Small bats were swooping about picking off mosquitoes. People offering polite greetings as they passed by. I slept very soundly that night. It took three days before the sense of pressure wore off.

Flower Festival in Itako

I was able to make it out to the city of Itako. It is a beautiful small city that has an annual Flower Festival. Filled with gondolas and rickshaws. The street food was quite good.

On the last day of the Flower Festival they had a gondola filled with musicians. They were playing flutes and drums. Women wore traditional kimonos. It was a unique festival experience.

The people were so nice. A lady sat down and chatted with me in half English half Japanese about the festival as we sampled sweet pickled vegetables. With my fair skin, the sun had already made me very red and she thought I was red from sampling the sake. Hahahaha

New Start In Japan

Here I am. I've been in Japan a few weeks now and I'm starting to settle down. Training was a bit intense but now that I'm doing my new job I'm getting into the swing of things. Japan is very beautiful. So far I've seen Nagoya castle.

I've also gotten to see Atsuta Shrine.

I also got to see a museum.