Sunday, March 25, 2012

It Would be Raining: A Day at the Cafe in Nagoya

First of all, here are Yokohama pictures. And here are Nagoya pictures!

So I didn't really have much planned for Nagoya; I arrived extremely early and nothing really opened until 9, and my bus to Osaka left at 5:30. So I arrive at the unholy hour of 5:40, what better thing to do than pile into the over-crowded McDonalds? Nagoya Station is basically an airport because of all the Shinkansen that leave from there.

This is after finding a bathroom, of course, (which made you pay for the TP...really airport-station?) because I had to pee the whole bus ride, even though I went just before we left. The night bus I took from Hiroshima must have been the Ritz Carlton of night buses, because the one I took to Nagoya was just a straight bus without a bathroom. Yay.

So I hung out in McDonalds for a while before I headed to Osu Kannon Temple, mostly because it was open early. It was extremely quiet, and the stamp-book place was not open yet. So I went to a different McDonalds nearby and read my book for a while, until it was about 9, before I headed back. It was still closed :( But it was a very pretty place.

Since it was now 9, I could go other places! I went first to Atsuta Shrine, which is famous because it is (supposedly) where the legendary Kusanagi sword resides. It is regarded as one of items of the Imperial Regalia of Japan, which are the sword, the mirror, and the jewel. These three items are said to be proof of the emperor's divinity and that they are descendants of the sun goddess Amaterasu. So of course we wouldn't actually be able to see it. We've talked about it in class, so it was pretty cool to be there. I donated 500 yen to the lady who drew my stamp in my book (entry was free too).

Next, I subway-ed over to Nagoya Castle. It's not the original castle because it was destroyed by a bomber in WWII, but the recreations are excellent. I scaled 5-6 floors of stuff (and visited the observatory on top, where it was foggy, of course). There was another section still under reconstruction until 2018, and it was raining. But it was still really cool and interesting and huge. I also accidentally entered through the East entrance instead of the main one, which was fine, but it meant that I was travelling in the opposite direction of everyone else. (Gaijin XD) I also had a long walk back to the subway. But it was only spitting rain, and I was not buying an umbrella because I had enough to carry home.

There were also sakura blossoms starting to bloom! And I had my camera :)

At this point it was raining in earnest, and I was ready to go home and never spend money again. With 5 hours until my bus leaves, I return to the station. I make sure I figure out where my bus is leaving from, and find lunch. I get a bowl of kakiage soba (a HUGE noodle bowl, I don't know how people finish it). Then I camp in a very nice cafe for a couple of hours with my book until I can't drink anymore. It should be easy to find a bench to hang out on, right?

Sure, if i wanted to sit outside in the rain, but not inside. So a half hour later, I miraculously find a row of chairs in the market attached to the station and wrote some blog entries for a while. I didn't think I could hang out there for the last hour of my loitering, so I went to a different cafe in the airport-station and ordered a ridiculously expensive iced tea so I could sit and wait for my bus.

Aaaand of course, I accidentally sit in the smoking section.  Silly Japan still having smoking sections. So now I smell like a chimney; I am so ready to go. I go to the locker to gather my wares, and there was a cute old Japanese couple trying to figure out the electronic lockers. I, who had never used the lockers before, helped them do it. They were very nice and cute. Then I piled on the bus, which had a bathroom, but some idiot smoked in it (we could smell it), but luckily we stopped at a rest stop.

Finally, I was in Osaka Station! Almost there! However, for some reason, my train card wasn't working. (There are these nifty passes you can buy that you just load money onto so you never have to buy a ticket; it just automatically subtracts money) So at first I say hell with it and buy a ticket, and in Kyobashi I ask the lady to charge it for me, thinking that may be the problem. I switch stations and it is still not working. The man at Umeda Station said the card thought I was coming from Shinjuku, so he said I couldn't use it from Shinjuku (clear in Tokyo) and I walked away confused. I realized it must have scanned my train card on accident, because I had to use a different train card in Tokyo.

....How the hell was I supposed to tell that to the Station Master in Japanese? So I go to the Station Master and he tells me I need to go back across the courtyard to the other station so they can fix it, because that one didn't have trains in Tokyo. It took me a minute to understand him, and I'm preeeeetty sure he was getting a little pissed, but Japanese people don't get mad, so eventually I left without him getting angry, lol. I knew I knew the verb he was using, I just couldn't place it, so I didn't understand him fast enough for his liking, so he had to repeat himself a couple times. I walked over to the other station and they fixed it in like 2 seconds. Sigh.

Then I went to the next station and waited for the bus, and walked home in the rain.

I missed my futon <3

Big week coming up! Exams, exams, and more exams! And what better thing to do during the middle of exam week than to go to Hirakata Park, and amusement park not a half hour from here!

~Rosie

5 comments:

  1. Sounds like your adventure was awesome and full of win. I lol'd a few times reading this. Glad you get to sleep on your futon again (this sounds like a horrible sleeping arrangement btw).

    Julie

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    1. haha well I definitely slept with my bag in the hostel, and as I bought more and more omiyage, I had less and less space, so...I missed my futon. lol

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    2. LOL a good practice but hilarious picture. Seriously am I going to have enough room for CLOTHES in the suitcases I bring for your stuff?!

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    3. Lol there's not....that much....I will throw away like my shampoo and stuff so there'll be more space, and a pair of jeans just bit the dust, so yay, more space! XD

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  2. Hi Rose...Good to here your voice yesterday! Grandma's Birthday was fun,she was suprised! I think You mentioned Uncle Ron's so I'm not sure... but it was fun anyway. We missed You & Julie. Glad your enjoying Japan. Good luck with Mids... Love Dad Ps:Bucks in Final Four!!! Go Buckeye's !!!

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