Aichi – Anne Goes to Places

Japan, Day 7: Atsuta

This is the last part of my 2018 autumn trip in Japan. There was a bit of a mix up with the schedule so I ended up having free time from lunch onwards. Good thing I read a lot about Nagoya so I decided to have lunch at Atsuta Horaiken. The place is famous for serving hitsumabushi since 1873.

NOVEMBER 27, 2018

This is the last part of my 2018 autumn trip in Japan. There was a bit of a mix up with the schedule so I ended up having free time from lunch onwards. Good thing I read a lot about Nagoya so I decided to have lunch at ATSUTA HORAIKEN. The place is famous for serving hitsumabushi since 1873. From the train station, it was a about a 10-minute walk to reach the restaurant.

However, when I got there, the employee stationed outside the resto told me that the waiting time was 50 minutes. I told him it was okay so he asked me to return during that time. There was nothing to do around their area – not even a convenience store to check out. So I checked if the revered ATSUTA SHRINE was nearby… and it was! I walked for 15 minutes and reached one of the side entrances. I was trying to find my way to Hongu, the main shrine, but all signs were in kanji so it was up to my gut feel again.

Lo and behold, I was right again because I easily found my way to the main shrine.

It is said that the sacred sword Kusanagi-no-tsurugi, one of the Imperial symbols, is enshrined here. Atsuta Shrine is also revered throughout Japan, ranking second only to Ise Shrine. This probably explains why the building in the main shrine looks like the one in Ise Jingu.

Atsuta Shrine is dedicated to Atsuta-no-Ookami who blessed mankind with love.

When it was 15 minutes before my scheduled lunch at Atsuta Horaiken, I left the shrine and made my way back to the restaurant.

The employee I met earlier gave me the thumbs up to go inside and wow, I was just blown away when I saw the garden and main door because it felt like I was entering an old but well-taken care of traditional Japanese house.

Inside the resto, I waited for a bit before I was accompanied by one of their staff to the 2^nd floor where a table was assigned to me. I ordered the hitsumabushi which was priced at (¥3,900). My meal arrived after about 20 minutes – big bowl with rice and unagi, small bowl of soup, pickles, small jar with ocha, and a container with nori, wasabi, and green onions.

Hitsumabushi consists of a big bowl of rice, topped with unagi, and there are three ways to enjoy this.

1) As it is – take a spoonful of rice and a slice of unagi then place them in the empty bowl

2) With the condiments – do #1 then add nori/wasabi/green onions

3) With broth made from tea and dashi – do #1 then add the broth

After trying all three, you may now enjoy the rest of the food with whichever method works best for you.

I used the small empty bowl the resto provided so that I can decide later on how I want to eat the remaining portion. But, I couldn’t choose only one so I did all of them repeatedly, without any particular order.

I didn’t get to finish the rice because the serving size was like good for two. ☹ I went back to the hotel afterwards to do a final check on my luggage then went to the nearby airport limo bus stop. The bus ride to Chubu Centrair was about an hour and I did a last-minute souvenir shopping – bought two sets of uiro from the famous Aoyagi Uiro.

Had ebi fry for dinner before my flight back to Manila…

Can’t believe one week in Japan just went by. During my first day, my thoughts were about having lots of days to explore Japan. By the last day, I was already thinking when my next trip to Japan will be. Still undecided where to go next but I am sure it will be another awesome adventure. ❤

Japan, Day 7: Totoro House

On my last day for 2018 autumn trip in Japan, I went to Morikoro Park which houses a replica of Mei and Satsuki’s House (My Neighborhood Totoro, 1988).

NOVEMBER 27, 2018

It was about an hour train ride from Nagoya to Ai Chikyu-Haku Kinen Koen Station. As soon as I exited the station, I already felt lost. All the other locals took the other exit so there was no one to ask which way I should go. I followed my gut feel then found an elevator going down. I rode it then saw a souvenir shop a few hundred meters away from me, which was already part of MORIKORO PARK. Yay! I asked for directions going to the bus stop – turned out it was on the other side from the GF elevator so I ran because I might miss it and it only visited the stop once every hour.

When I reached the bus stop, the bus was not yet there but it arrived shortly after 5 minutes. Aside from me, there was only a Japanese couple who were passengers. The obaasan tour guide and ojiisan driver greeted me with a big smile so I smiled back at them and greeted them “Ohayou!”. Obaasan tour guide was talking during most of the ride but I could not understand anything because it was in Japanese. 😦 I still looked at the spots she pointed at to let her know that I was her audience.

When we reached the stop for Satsuki and Mei’s house, I got off and followed the Japanese couple walking in front of me.

I successfully reached the ticket area then I showed the pass I bought at Lawson’s LOPPI and in exchange, I was given an ID and 2-page English instructions.

Fifteen minutes before the scheduled tour, our guide was orienting us with do’s and don’ts but I couldn’t understand most of it because it was in Japanese. I didn’t even know if A would explore the outside first while B would be inside the house or vice-versa. Haha! I just followed the locals with the same ID letter as mine so that I wouldn’t get lost.

A short walk from the orientation area, we could already see the famous house of Mei and Satsuki. Once we arrived, the guide said a few reminders then gave us the go signal to explore.

I went inside the house first and explored every part of the house. I opened all drawers and all cabinets I could find inside, which were filled with random items that seemed to belong to the Kusakabe family. Picture taking was not allowed inside the house but from the outside, you can take pictures of the interiors of the house.

My favorite part of the house was the working room of Tatsuo-san – messy but filled with lots of books and papers. That rocking chair was tempting to sit on but we were not allowed to enter this room.

Outside the house, I found a replica of the bus stop. There was no Totoro though. T_T I wish they placed a cardboard of Totoro holding a big leaf as an umbrella…

At the backyard near the kitchen area, I saw these kids having fun pumping the water. The little girl even held the pail in the exact same way Mei held it and peeked through the hole.

Some say that 30 minutes is too short for the tour but for me, that was enough time already. Maybe because I was a solo traveller as well so there was less time consumed talking to someone else. The tour guide was nice enough to take pictures of me in different spots of the place.

When the time was up, we were called by the guide and we went back to the orientation area. From there, I retraced my steps going back to the bus stop and waited for the bus that would take me back near the train station.

Quick fun fact before ending this post: the Studio Ghibli theme park will be built here in Morikoro Park and is expected to open in 2022.

Japan, Day 5: One Piece Store and Osu

Got off at Kintetsu-Nagoya Station after the Ise-Shima daytrip and before reaching the exit of the building, one of the elevators grabbed my attention. THERE IS A ONE PIECE MUGIWARA STORE IN NAGOYA!!!

I was greeted by a big space dedicated to Roronoa Zoro, my favorite character! Apparently, November was his birthday month so they had that special space for him.

NOVEMBER 25, 2018

Got off at Kintetsu-Nagoya Station after the Ise-Shima daytrip and before reaching the exit of the building, one of the elevators grabbed my attention. THERE IS A ONE PIECE MUGIWARA STORE IN NAGOYA!!!

Of course, I got on the elevator and went to the paradise of One Piece goodies. I was greeted by a big space dedicated to Roronoa Zoro, my favorite character! Apparently, November was his birthday month so they had that special space for him.

After getting my fix of One Piece goodies, I went for a quick visit to BIC Camera to buy the newly-released TESCOM 2-way Steam Hair Iron TPW 2826 (2-in-1 hair straightener and curler). It was a quick trip

I initially wanted to eat in a kaitenzushi (conveyor belt sushi) restaurant but was reminded of Gaburi Chicken restaurant so dinner was in Osu area.

Ordered their specialty karaage and a platter of yakitori to pair with drinks that resembled Chu-hi. I liked their food as it is but it was also good to dip in Japanese mayo.

That dinner was the perfect way to cap my fifth day in Japan. I still had a bit of regret not being able to eat sushi but that can be easily fixed with a good Japanese resto in MNL.

Japan, Day 4: Osu & Sakae

Finally the day to explore Nagoya – hello Day 4! This was more of a shopping day though so don’t expect cultural or technological tours. 🙂

In the morning, I went to Osu Shopping District and went around different anime shops such as Geepress, Mandarake, and Yellow Submarine.

Finally the day to explore Nagoya – hello Day 4! This was more of a shopping day though so don’t expect cultural or technological tours. 🙂

NOVEMBER 24, 2018

In the morning, I went to OSU SHOPPING DISTRICT and went around different anime shops such as Geepress, Mandarake, and Yellow Submarine. My only purchase was the earphone plugs I badly wanted ever since losing my Luffy plug 2 years ago. I also tried looking for a Sailormoon action figure for a friend but oddly enough, I didn’t find any.

When it was lunch time, I went to Maidreamin which is one of the popular maid cafes in Japan. It was my first time to visit one and it was interesting. I had the omurice with curry sauce but I didn’t know that they will draw on the omurice using catsup… uhm, talk about a weird combination with my curry sauce. I couldn’t say no because it might offend them so I just said the first animal I could think of – neko (cat). Good thing the taste of the curry overpowered the catsup!

Some of the customers ordered the set menu which included a dance performance from the maid of their choice. It was like watching a good solo JPop act (but I still have my own reservations on this).

Near Maidreamin was the giant maneki-neko, the landmark of Fureai Plaza. At different times of the day, there were different performers like this guy who was doing different balloon artworks.

Next order of business was to find Ocha no Kakien for my fix of green tea! It wasn’t far from the maneki-neko and they were having a free taste when we got there. I was supposed to buy matcha but they had it in powdered form – which I had no idea how to mix. ☹ I ended up getting a genmaicha+matcha combination of tea leaves for ¥600 (already tried it back home and I super love this!!!).

I forgot what I was trying to look for during this time but I remember seeing so many shops that cater to different shopping needs – shoes, clothes, caps, bags, food… you name it! Be prepared to have tired feet and empty wallets.

I saw a shop selling Cremia while finding the road going to Sakae. So even if it was autumn season, I still bought ice cream. I looove Cremia’s signature langue de chat cone.

I was also supposed to try Gaburi Chicken but still full from lunch so that visit was postponed.

Last stop for the day was SAKAE, which is the popular shopping and entertainment district of Nagoya. I went to PARCO to visit animate and try to find my sister’s Nyanko-sensei plushie request. It was a surprise not to see this in any of the anime shops we visited in Osu, especially since it had a recent movie release in Japan. Anyway, luck was on my side because I found two different plushies!

I also dropped by Tower Records. I initially planned not to buy anything but out of curiosity, I asked the staff for the CD shelf of LUCK LIFE and Kenshi Yonezu. Lo and behold, their shelves were facing each other.

I bought LUCK LIFE’S latest EP (Naru) and Kenshi Yonezu’s Lemon EP with DVD. So happy for Kenshi Yonezu because he has two whole shelves dedicated for his music. ❤

Spot flumpool – they’re on hiatus though ☹

No pictures anymore but after PARCO, I shopped for new coats in GU then spent a lot on food souvenirs in DonKi / Don Quijote (mostly Kitkat and instant noodles). Sad wallet but happy heart.

Back at the area of the hotel, I followed the staff’s instructions on where to find the nearest money changer. It was a surprise to find out that Kintetsu Nagoya Station a fifteen-minute walk. Perfect discovery because it would be an important train station for the next 2 days. Initially, I was thinking of boarding the train from Fushimi to Nagoya then walk to Kintetsu Nagoya. What a nice discovery!

Dinner was at CoCo Ichibanya where I got the hamburger curry with cheese. I liked that they have options on the serving size for rice since I don’t eat much rice.

That’s it for the first exploration of Nagoya!

Japan, Day 3: Korankei

Last stop for Day 3 was Korankei, which is considered as one of the best autumn spots in Chubu region. The place is very famous for momiji matsuri (autumn leaves viewing), and it is estimated to have about 4,000 maple trees of 11 types. Also, autumn night illumination is held every year from 5PM to 9PM wherein performances are held and lots of food stalls are set up.

Last stop for Day 3 was KORANKEI, which is considered as one of the best autumn spots in Chubu region. The place is very famous for momiji matsuri (autumn leaves viewing), and it is estimated to have about 4,000 maple trees of 11 types. Also, autumn night illumination is held every year from 5PM to 9PM wherein performances are held and lots of food stalls are set up.

NOVEMBER 23, 2018

The ride from Obara Fureai Park to Korankei took almost an hour. We took a different route (but only realized this when I left Korankei) – our van was the only vehicle on the road and we passed by mountains and lots of tall trees… to the point that I felt like we were going to a high place similar to Baguio or Sagada. LOL.

We arrived at Korankei at almost 5PM but the sun was almost gone by then! These were the only shots I got from Tomoebashi Bridge, which captured the scenery with the little bit of natural light left:

I walked along the pathway near Tomoe River then saw an uphill road to my left. A lot of locals were going up so I decided to follow… another mini hike for this day! It was quite a struggle for me because of my loafers’ slippery sole but I managed to reach the top.

There wasn’t much of a view because most of the surroundings were too dark to see already. The spotlights helped though in seeing the varying colors of the trees around us.

Overexposed – probably the worst picture I have in this trip haha!

After going back to the main road of Korankei, I noticed hundreds of lit candles along Tomoe River. I wanted to go there but there was a sign that only people who bought wishing candles can do so… what else to do but buy one, right?

There was a sign in kanji but I somehow understood that there was a photo contest for the wishing candles bought that was why the locals were busy finding the best angle. Some were trying to form a word or shape as a form of creativity.

View of Taigetsukyo Bridge from the riverside

I went around the area and once done with exploring, it was back to the main road of maple trees.

I wasn’t able to visit anymore other famous spots in Korankei such as Kojakuji Temple and the Koranbashi Suspension Bridge. ☹ It was already dark and the crowd was nauseating for me. I managed to find a big area with lots of food stalls but all of them had long lines and all dining tables were full. I decided to just go back to Taigetsukyo Bridge and cross it.

There were food stalls as well in this other side of Korankei and I fell in line in one shop because of the momiji-shaped food they were selling. I got the custard filled one because that one sounded delicious… true enough, it was good! I liked the sprinkled salt on top which contrasted the sweetness.

I walked while eating the momiji sweet – tabearuki (食べ歩き, eating while walking) is an acceptable behavior during festivals like this. I eventually found myself in another area with lots of food stalls. I saw takoyaki, yakisoba, candied fruits, okonomiyaki, omurice, and so much more food! How I wish that I could eat so much food during this time but my stomach wasn’t feeling well so I was only able to eat a set of 6-piece takoyaki. 😦

Interesting how they put the mayo inside each takoyaki

After dinner, I went to the bus stop for Toyotashi Station as the destination. It was only during this ride when I was able to confirm that we took a different route earlier that day. The bus arrived late at the train station because of the heavy traffic in Korankei.

Even if it was a very, very tiring third day, no regrets because the sceneries I saw were mesmerizing. Autumn in Japan is definitely a must!

Japan, Day 3: Obara Fureai Park

The bus ride from Senmi Shikizakura no Sato to Obara Fureai Park was about 15 minutes.

When we reached the park, I decided to follow the other locals and found food stalls. Perfect for my hungry tummy since I only had an onigiri for lunch. I checked out all the stalls and since it was very cold (less than 10C), I bought kishimen. Yay for my hiragana skills because I was able to read the stall’s food!

NOVEMBER 23, 2018

The bus ride from Senmi Shikizakura no Sato to OBARA FUREAI PARK was about 15 minutes. The rural area was a nice sight especially with shikizakura in full bloom.

Kishimen is actually one of Nagoya’s most famous dishes. Its broth is seasoned with tamari and it has flat udon noodles. Some of the common toppings are dried bonito shavings and thinly-sliced kamaboko (Japanese fish cake).

Kishimen — looks plain but broth is flavorful!

That hot broth hit the spot and definitely gave me warmth! I told the stall owner that her food was “hontouni oishii” (really delicious).

There was a stall with long line and I got curious what was sold there so I fell in line. I checked the stall’s name and read the hiragana park as “tamago” (egg) and saw in one of their smaller signs that they were selling “omelet”. I was still a bit cloyed from all the egg of the oyakodon (Day 1 dinner) so it was a bit of que horror when I learned this.

I decided to still buy one stick and I got fascinated with the machine they used to come up with the steamed egg on a stick.

True enough, I had a difficult time finishing one stick. Good thing there was that chicken sausage from another stall to serve as a taste breaker.

After eating, I went back to the parking lot and checked out the entrance area of the shikizakura area. I didn’t explore the place anymore because I was afraid of surprise uphill climbs and missing the last bus to Korankei.

After taking a few pictures, I saw a van beside the bus stop to Korankei so I asked the driver if it was going to that destination. He nodded his head and explained something in Japanese… so just to be sure, I went inside the hall center and found the three volunteers who were with us at the Senmi Shikizakura no Sato bus stop. I pointed to the van and asked if it was the correct vehicle to Korankei, and they responded yes. So yay, I boarded the “bus” and waited for 16:00 to leave.

Japan, Day 3: Senmi Shikizakura no Sato

Ever heard of sakura blooming during autumn? Well, that is not a fantasy because there is a place in Japan where this happens. The town is called Obara, which is popular for shikizakura (四季桜 four-season cherry blossoms), and not too far from Nagoya.

My destination for this trip was the Senmi Shikizakura no Sato — farther than the more popular Obara Fureai Park.

Ever heard of sakura blooming during autumn? Well, that is not a fantasy because there is a place in Japan where this happens. The town is called OBARA, which is popular for shikizakura (四季桜 four-season cherry blossoms), and not too far from Nagoya.

NOVEMBER 23, 2018

From Fushimi Station, the train ride to Toyotashi Station was about an hour. I bought food for breakfast but wasn’t able to eat it because there was a long line already at Bus Stop 1. It turned out to be the bus bound for Obara Fureai Park, the more popular spot for shikizakura. My destination was SENMI SHIKIZAKURA NO SATO, which was farther than the park.

I rode the bus with Kaminigi as the last stop, and the 1-hour ride became 1.5 hours due to traffic congestion in the Obara Fureai Park area. It was an interesting ride because there were more than five other Filipinos in the same bus. They were MA students who had no classes that day, and we ended up chatting for some time.

When the bus arrived at the Kaminigi stop, there was no English sign where to go to reach Senmi Shikizakura no Sato so I decided to follow where the locals were heading. The walk was about 10 minutes and even before reaching the park, I already saw a few shikizakura trees.

Upon reaching the highway, there were even more shikizakura so it was a sign that I was very near my destination. I crossed the road and then saw this:

Even at the base of Senmi Shikizakura no Sato, the landscape was so scenic that you would not be able to resist taking lots of pictures. Imagine seeing autumn and spring colors mixing together!

Autumn colors were present everywhere. 😍

I thought that it was just a big area with some stairs or slopes. What I didn’t know was that I need to do a long uphill climb to go around the whole park. So, uhm, I was wearing loafers… Hence, most of the time, I had to be really careful in walking otherwise I might roll down the slope. Haha!

But, all those slope challenges were worth it because I got to see shikizakura flowers up close. Shikizakura flowers are quite small compared to the spring sakura one. Still, that does not make them less beautiful.

Some other sights I enjoyed:

After making sure that I already covered all possible trails, I started my descent. Akala mo naman nag-hike nang bongga. Haha!

I was so hungry by the time I reached the food stalls and dining area. I checked if there was anything interesting but all stalls had long lines so I decided to just eat the onigiri we bought earlier. Before finding a spot though, I smelled a really nice citrus fragrance nearby and found locals eating a small yellow fruit. I decided to buy one since it was just ¥50 per piece.

After finishing my onigiri, I removed half of the peel of the fruit I bought. It was so juicy that my hands had juice drops everywhere. I took my first bite… and my face couldn’t help but twitch because of the sourness. I said out loud, “Ang asim!!!”. The group of four obaasans (grandmas) across the table laughed and told me “Suppai!!!” (sour). They were talking to me in Japanese and from the little I understood, they told me that the fruit was yuzu and it was really sour during this season. They told me “Gambatte!” (good luck) when I reached for my 2^nd and 3^rd slices. I responded to them with my basic Japanese skills – good thing they understood me saying thank you for cheering me and that the yuzu was really not sweet. They said goodbye as I was eating my 4^th slice… and after that, I decided to give up on the yuzu.

While putting the yuzu in the plastic bag, an obaasan from another table approached me and gave me wet wipes. Such a sweet gesture! I thanked her in Japanese and gave her a big smile as I wiped my hands clean from the yuzu juice.

I think I am really a magnet of ojiisans and obaasans (grandpas & grandmas) of Japan. 😊 I had cute and heart-warming stories as well last year – in Yasaka Shrine, Kyoto and Todai-ji, Nara (here).

After finishing, I climbed a long flight of stairs, which led to a small shrine:

In the middle of climbing the stairs, I noticed a nice spot with maple trees basking under the rays of the sun.

Trying to find the best angle…

Paid respect to the shrine at the top of the hill then started going down to catch the special bus going straight to Korankei.

I was waiting for the 14:01 direct bus to Korankei and I was lucky to meet three locals who were volunteers helping tourists in Obara. One of them can speak in relatively good English so she confirmed the bus schedule.

Being in Japan, everything was supposedly on time but all of us were wondering why the bus had not yet arrived even if it was 14:10 already. The volunteers started asking locals nearby and one of them even called someone on the phone. Apparently, that Friday was a holiday so the bus schedule is different from normal weekdays.

Plan B was to take the 14:37 bus going to Obara Fureai and from there, take the last shuttle going to Korankei. They apologized a few times but I told them not to mind it since Korankei was my last stop for that day anyway. What was more important for me was to see the autumn night illumination.

The volunteers eventually placed a note on this bus stop that the sched for that day is for holiday/weekends

The Toyota Tourism website (click here) provided an accurate bus schedule for those who were in interested in going to Obara and Korankei in 2018.

Once the bus arrived at 14:37, we rode it and I was surprised to know that it was a free bus. Yay! Story on my short stay in Obara Fureai Park will be on the next post. 😊