We left Hamamatsu Sunday night and stopped to stay at a hotel in Okazaki. We were now traveling with Shinya and Masako, and we all decided we were tired and to meet in the hotel lobby at 10 AM. We stopped for breakfast and then went back to Nagoya for some sightseeing. I admit that my photos weren’t as great or as plentiful for this day. I’m not a photographer, and by this time I was getting tired of constantly stopping to take photos and just wanted to enjoy what I saw. So, I apologize!
Our first stop was Nagoya Castle. We couldn’t quite figure out what the animal was that adorned the top of the castle and was a theme throughout. It couldn’t be a fish (they don’t have teeth), or a dolphin (they don’t have scales), but we finally figured out it was a tiger-headed dolphin. With scales. (Click on any photo to enlarge)
We saw this little character outside and took pictures with him
A reproduction of the golden dolphin
The walkway towards the castle
The castle, with the golden dolphin on top
A close-up of the walls
Inside the castle, on all 7 floors, were exhibits showing daily life in Japan at the time of the building and occupation of the castle, and fun exhibits for kids, and kids at heart!
One of the moats surrounding the castle grounds
After visiting the castle, we were hungry! Masako, who loves burgers, had suggested McDonalds, which we happily agreed to. Although Japanese food is good and it’s fun to try new things (well, some new things!) there comes a point when you become tired of not being able to read menus and want a familiar meal before embarking on more adventurous eating. We were there! The McDonalds had a few dishes not served in the US, such as a teriyaki burger, but overall, the food was familiar and tasted just like it did at home:
My first Big Mac in many years...it tasted just the same!
After lunch, we visited the Museum Meiji-Mura. It is “an open air museum for preserving and exhibiting Japanese architecture of the Meiji period (1868-1912).” Meaning a lot of the buildings there had been moved (yes, moved!) to the museum. It was a really interesting museum, but this was the point where I really fell down on my photography!
It was warm out, and I was wishing I had a tank top or maxi dress or something a little more comfortable than jeans and a cardigan. I had noticed on my previous summer trip that women don’t usually show more skin than what is covered by a T-shirt, so I dressed like everyone around me. Only in Japan would I wear a cardigan and jelly shoes (you can take the 80′s out of the girl…)
The first building we saw was the Imperial Hotel, formely of Tokyo and designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
Celebrities such as Charlie Chaplin and Marilyn Monroe stayed here!
The front desk
A kabuki theater
Our next stop was killing some time at a Japanese mall (again, these 80′s kids felt right at home!) The malls looked much like ours, but a pet store inside was quite a surprise!
A familiar sight!
Among the exotic pets for sale included a bat...
...and a prairie dog...
...and a sad looking wallaby. Can you imagine? "Honey, look what I picked up at the mall!" <doing doing doing>
We looked around at this mall but were unable to find something I was looking for, and Shinya and Masako very kindly humored me and took me to another mall where I could find this most coveted object: a Shu Uemura eyelash curler. They’re the best, and are no longer sold in the US
I bought two!
Next was dinner at Mr. Chicken Wing where Koichiro joined us.
The Mr. Chicken Wing character on a plate
Whiskey for grownups!
One of the things I love the most about the Japanese culture is that, while they expect you to take your professional (or judging) duties seriously, they are ready to abandon all pretenses and be silly afterwards. Even with a bit of a language barrier, we had a great time and were able to get each others’ jokes and silliness!
Such as making sculptures with food...
After dinner, we drove to the airport hotel where they’d put us up for the night in preparation for our return flight in the morning. Scott and I were sad, we’d both said many times throughout the day, “I can’t believe it’s almost over!” We weren’t ready to leave the country or say goodbye to our friends. We had really enjoyed our time with them and are looking forward to seeing them at Convention in Indy. We were ecstatic when we were invited to return, although no date is set, it can’t be soon enough!!
Food of the Day
An interesting offering found in the convenience store. There was lots of laughter when we explained what "nude" meant!
Sign of the Day
Cute, bunny-themed bathroom sign at Mr. Chicken Wing
Bathroom of the Day
The shower/bathtub room at the hotel. I've seen similar shower areas in houses, it has its own sliding glass door and is very spacious. I like!
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That was awesome. Thanks.so much for sharing.