Week 35: I

ITADAKIMASU: Japanese for "bon appetit"!

ITALY? A fake Italian village at Nagoya port.

I PRAY: At a Shinto shrine.

I WISH. Wishes tied to the wall at a Shinto shrine in Nagoya.

I DO. A wedding ceremony.

Why the Japanese aren't obese

It's Sunday morning, and where are a group of North Americans in Japan going to go if not Denny's for breakfast? With visions of giant stacks of pancakes, French toast and egg/sausage meals dancing in our heads, we enter the restaurant.

We were met with this tiny portion of mango pancakes:

With no butter or syrup, and the middle part of the pancake cut out, it wasn't quite the pancake experience that we are used to. But, when we left in the end, we really didn't feel hungry.

Do you think the Japanese are disappointed when they go to a Denny's in America and don't find miso soup on the breakfast menu?

Week 34: H

HISAYA-OODORI PARK. Located in the middle of the city, Hisaya-oodori Park offers a few moments of tranquility.

Poor Nagoya. One of their few big tourist attractions is the TV Tower located in the park.

Right across from the park you can find the futuristic Oasis 21, part bus station and part shopping mall.

HARBOR: The Nagoya Port features a ship that has actually been to Antarctica (the orange ship in the picture). Other than the Red Lobster in the background of the second photo, though, it doesn't have much to offer.

HOT and HUMID: I'm very worried about the summer months: "Nagoya, situated on a broad flood plain on the southern coast of central Honshu, is well known for its hot and humid summers, with the heat lasting from July to mid-September."

HORTICULTURE: The Bluebonnet Garden, a short ferry ride across from Nagoya Port, featured some lovely wilflowers.

HAPPY (early) May Day!

Sidewalk art

So, I was walking down this street in downtown Nagoya:

And I came across these great tiles:

Guess which one caught my eye first?

Of course, I'm not sure if they can compete with the manhole covers on the sidwalk:

Yes, I did look up after taking this picture and see three cars of people pointing at me, but come on ... a monkey manhole cover? How great is that?

Here's some real sidewalk art. I have a major case of container-garden envy:

Week 33: G

After a week in Japan I have yet to see GODZILLA, GEISHAS, or people playing GO.  I did, however, eat some GYOZA, which are really just jiaozi.

I've met a lot of GENKI GIRLS. GENKI is a great adjective which means lively, fun and enthusiastic. Many of the 84 girls in my classes who are studying to be future elementary school teachers are very GENKI. (GENKI, according to the Urban Dictionary, also refers to a fetish of having sex with squid, but I won't share a picture of that.)

One day we had GREEN TEA floats and green tea sodas. The floats were very good, but they don't make up for the terrible GREEN TEA tiramisu I had in China for Thanksgiving.

GOLDEN WEEK: April 29 and May 3-5 are holidays in Japan, and we've made our reservations for three days in Tokyo. (Maybe I'll see Godzilla there??)

GOODBYE!

Week 32: F

Week F brings us to Japan! Konnichiwa! I have arrived in Nagoya, the fourth largest city in Japan. With Toyota and Mitsubishi based here, it is called the Detroit of Japan (please insert Detroit-bashing joke here), but so far I have found it very pleasant. Today we went to the Nagoya Castle, the one big tourist attraction in town.

FIRST, a FEW F words in Italian, and then some in English.

FIUME: This little river and pathway is located just half a block from my apartment.

FOGLIE: We were so fortunate to arrive while the FOGLIE of the cherry trees were still in bloom. Rain is predicted for the next three days, so we raced out to take pictures of the cherry blossoms. You see that we were not alone in appreciating the blossoms. Whole families were picknicking in the park.

FLOWERS: Who knew that you could combine the treasures of Holland and Japan?

FISH, Koi. Well, I haven't had any fish (of the sushi variety) yet, so I thought I'd try to take a picture of the Koi fish in the pond.

FUTON: My (very) efficiency apartment features a futon, of course. I'm okay sleeping on the futon, but the jury is still out on the pillow. It is tiny and filled with what feels like beans. It is supposed to be good for my neck, but I'm not so sure.....

A walk to Maglione

Just three kilometers away is the little town of Maglione. With just 500 inhabitants, it would seem to be little more than a small blip on the map. However, beginning in 1985 a famous director (who lived here with his even more famous wife, the singer Milva) started an initiative called the outdoor museum. He invited artists to create al fresco murals on the walls of the town and sculptors to create public artworks. Every year, artists come and add a few new pieces. It seems that every place you turn you see a new piece of art. There are, at last count, at least 115 pieces floating about the town.  Here's a sampling.

Anyone care for an ESPRESSO?

Even/Especially one of the churches is decorated.

A little sculpture.

Drat the shadows. This is one of my favorites.

I love the mountains, so for me one of the prettiest sights in the town is the view of fresh snow on the Alps.