On time for Obon [Osaka, Japan]

 
previous post: [Landmarks, Shops, Food, etc - Nagoya, Japan]

Andie and I went back to Osaka to meet up Ate Mel -to squat again, because we had a flight back to Manila the following day, early morning (ahwww) BUT YES, the Japan trip's not yet over! After that first Shinkansen/bullet train experience, Ate Mel, with her friend Ate Susan met us up in Shin-Osaka station (I don't know the name of the station).


Shinkansen - At Nagoya, on our way to Osaka

We road another train to few stations away, left our luggages again in a locker then spent the afternoon knowing their pinoy friends, who were hanging out at that moment at Mister Donut, Selcy. Kuya Bob, Ate Chris and baby were there by the way, it was a nice mini SOLV reunion. haha :)


me, kuya bob with lizzy, and ate chris :)

We bought last minute pasalubong items from the department store and the grocery then went out of the mall again, to see what everyone was waiting for -the "Summery Selcy" as the stage backdrop said. According to Ate Mel, it was some sort of festival to give honor to the departed. And they call that Obon -a week long celebration every mid-August I think, where they honor the dead (and travel a lot? it's a week long holiday! so it's just like Undas!) Lanterns were everywhere, and people, mostly elders were dancing around this huge red and white cloth:









During the dance's short break Kuya bob asked the teens wearing yukata if it's ok to have a pic with them. and they didn't mind at all, they even happily posed as Kuya Bob took the shot. haha! Thank you Kuya Bob, I have no guts to do that by myself haha! In the first place, I can't try that at all because I can't speak Japanese!



That's it, for the Japan trip finale, Ate Mel treated us to Noraya -a resto offering really yummy udon, served in all-cat stuff, haha so cute! After our dinner, we strolled around, then Ate Mel brought us to a nice spot within their village which has a nice view of the city.


cat on the chopsticks


cat bowls


hidden cat


even the tofu had a cat! hehe


strolling. a park had stones for foot massage!

The Japan treats didn't end up till the last minute though. At night, when we were packing our bags, we had green tea ice cream again (or was that popsicle?) which was cream filled, really yummy! For my breakfast the following morning, I had Onigiri or rice ball wrapped in nori, which we bought from the grocery the previous night. hehe.

Finally, Ate Mel brought us to Ibaraki station for the limo bus that will bring us back to the Kainsai International Airport. ahwww. thanks Ate Mel, I'll miss you! see you soooooon!


picture picture for the last time!

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Back in Manila:

my niece, Sophia
wearing the yukata, my pasalubong for her. hehe

Landmarks, Shops, Food, etc [Nagoya, Japan]

 
previous post: [The Hitsumabushi Night - Nagoya, Japan]

Anime!

It was blazing hot, and our bags were heavy, but we managed to maximize (I think) our last day in Nagoya. After leaving our big luggages in a locker in Nagoya station, Mazel brought us to an anime store which didn't give me much of what I was looking for, as I was looking for pokemon cards for my nephews. hehe. I was able to buy Naruto cards though, with an almost-porn freebie card, which of course I should just keep as souvenir. not for kids! hehe




these cars, and their owners are cool :)

TV Tower and Oasis 21

We strolled around and took a lot of pics within the vicinity of Nagoya's TV Tower and Oasis 21. I love Oasis 21's futuristic watery roof, which we didn't explore up close because one of us was afraid of heights :D but it's ok, I loved the pictures from afar and besides, it was really hot!


TV tower, ignore that fan I'm holding. hehe


oasis 21


zoomed in :)

Below were so many shops that made me giddy for pokemon cars (not CARDS. I never found them at all!) and miniature shinkansen (bulet train) models. Again, even if they were all pricey, I didn't want to regret not buying and so I bought some for my nephews. hehe. some stores had mascots for promotions, and that green round bubbly thing made my day:


"green round bubbly thing" hehe

Sushi Bar

Since I wanted to experience a shushi bar where there's a conveyer belt for all sorts of sushi, modeling right your very eyes to make you drool, Mazel and Adrian brought us to a sushi bar (and I can't remember the resto's name) just within Oasis 21. oooh Sushi Bar! my most awaited moment! I'll let the pictures and captions share my first sushi bar experience. hehe:


natto (soybeans) - too slimy, I didn't like


shrimp with fish eggs - I like!


salmon - I LOVE!


fish eggs - too salty, I like this
only when eaten with the pickled ginger hehe


okra - it just passed by, none of us dared to get it. hahaha!


octopus - gummy as expected, but I like!

There. generally, this sushi bar pleased me -though not as much as my breakfast the previous day, where I had karaage, rice, udon and kani salad in one order. well, I guess there are yet hundreds of sushi bars out there waiting for my review. hehe. but hey, really, I loved that thick slice of salmon!!! Anyway, I took pics of the bar, and the chef. good that he didn't mind. hehe.


the lower layer is actually for the clean tea cups.
I loved the powdered green tea by the way!


there, hi sushi master!

By the way, I was amused by how each was served on a color-coded plate to determine the price upon bill-out. Can you guess how much I ate? hehe:






Bye Nagoya...

After lunch we shopped for some more, also because Andie was looking for a ceramic knife, while me I was looking for the heel cream which my mom ordered. hehe. We got it all from the nearby stores then that's it, Adrian left then at around 2:30pm we were back in Nagoya station to get our luggages back and to bid hugs and farewell to Mazel, and Nagoya *sigh*.

Nagoya was a great experience, I had so much fun! I wish I could have that experience again -to stroll, shop and pig out in a foreign land, yet with someone as my personal interpreter. hahahaha! thanks so much Mazel, I don't know how I would survive Japan without you, Adrian, your japan-train-traveling-skills and your cozy home! :)

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The Histumabushi Night [Nagoya, Japan]

 
previous post: [Nagoya Castle - Nagoya, Japan]

Hitsumabushi is actually grilled eel (unagi) over rice plus chopped leeks (I think), some green veggies (I dunno what exactly), nori strips, wasabi and broth, all served separately.


unagi and rice


the greens


It all started when I told mazel that one of my main goals in Japan is to try unagi while andie, has been actually an unagi lover even before going to Japan. haha. Thanks to mazel's friends at church, they brought us to Sozaiya. It gave me not only that chance to try Hitsumabushi -where unagi's the main ingredient, but also to experience that usual Jap resto style where we had to leave our shoes outside our shoji-covered dining room :)


me and andie @ sozaiya


Contrary to my new found friends, who were never unagi fans, I loved my Hitsumabushi as it was so soft, it had that salty-but-sweet taste as in most BBQs, and it was served in an artsy and complicated way! hahaha. or it could be the combination of everything -the unagi, the greens, my ever dearest wasabi and the broth in one chomp!


all these equates to hitsumabushi


My last night night was superb, coz of the Hitsumabushi experience, the new friends and that short glimpse of Nagoya's night life. Anyway, just a bit of info: when you search for Hitsumabushi over the net, you'd find Nagoya commonly associated with it. Apparently, Nagoya is known for Hitsumabushi. Like: Osaka is to Takoyaki, Nagoya is to Hitsumabushi? haha seriously, my goal-to-taste-unagi had nothing to do with that Nagoya info. I was so lucky then, for the 2nd time! hehe.

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Nagoya Castle [Nagoya, Japan]

 
previous post: [Universal Studios Japan (USJ) - Osaka, Japan]

Nagoya castle was built during the era of Tokugawa Ieyasu. That's the most that I could remember. ehehehe! It was around 3 pm when we got here so we weren't able to explore much. One hour was just enough for us to check out a few floors and the viewing deck which gave a nice view of the entire Nagoya.


nagoya castle. I hate that fence!


self shot of me and andie, take one!


from the castle's top floor: zoom-in Nagoya for 100 yen!


to the exit...

More than the history, I appreciated the architecture itself, the solid blocks that made up the walls, the gardens, the benches for our tired feet, and the 320-yen macha (green tea) ice cream. okay I really should stop converting. hehe.


Andie, I grabbed! hehe I love this pic so much!


macha ice cream!
I like it, mazel hates it! hehe

Oooh there are souvenir shops btw, where andie bought a keychain (or cellphone bling?) of a dolphin that's biting stitch. yes, stitch as in lilo and stitch, and dolphin as in that golden dolphin (that's more of a fish for me) which symbolizes the authority of the feudal lords, according to wiki! hehe!

I'm not sure if the castle really closes by 4pm or it's just because there was some sort of event preparation -where we got to see some walks of Japanese wearing the traditional and colorful yukatas:







Here, Mazel taught me that the clothing's yukata, not kimono. kimono is to winter, while yukata is to summer. now that's some new info! anyway, I'm glad that somehow I saw 2 of the things I was looking for in Japan: culture and authenticity. hehe

entrance fee: 400 yen, 1 yen = ~0.50 pesos

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Universal Studios Japan [Osaka, Japan]

 
previous post: [On takoyaki and more - Osaka, Japan]

Universal Studios Japan (USJ) is the most tiring yet the most fun place we visited in Osaka. We spent almost the entire day falling in line and walking under the sun (it was a long weekend!) just to see 4 major attractions, but I can say each one was worth all the wait. but still quite not worth the price? hehe (entrance fee: 5800 yen! 1 yen = ~0.50 pesos).


The famous Universal Studios globe :)


andie, adrian, and mazel. and kirin. hehe


the old US aura. hehe

We got to see Terminator 2 3D, Shrek 4D, and the so cool Waterworld which was live and action packed! For the rides, andie, adrian and I were able to try Hollywood Dream the Ride -the roller coaster which didn't have loops BUT had high, steep humps and abrupt turns!


the live and action packed Waterworld set.
that plane is real! it flew in, ruining the steel wall!

The spiderman building-painting was a perfect place for our photo op, as much as the water street party which also allowed us to mingle with woody woodpecker, ernie, bert and elmo for a very short time. hehe.


that whole thing behind me is just a painting :)


water street party - I'm with woody!


water street party - ernie


water street party - elmo

I loved the stores which had so many cool items as souvenirs. And the food stalls, all had yummy treats! Though of course, the major RANT: everything's pricey in here, but as always, I tell myself -buy anything you could afford as you'll never know when's the next time!


me @ hello kitty's celebrity style store
I love that hello kitty plant!


we came in at 8 in the morning, then left at dusk!

Generally this place is fun, it indeed brought out the kid side in me! If given the chance, yes I'll visit USJ again. I'll forever be curious what's new with their techie productions! I warn you though, all movie narrations and dialogues are in JAPANESE! hehe [read more]