Japan 2009: Recap

So it’s finally done. After two months I finally made all those planned updates regarding my 2009 vacation to Japan. It was definitely worth all the trouble and expense to get to see so many people I hadn’t seen in years, and for the chance to visit more places I hadn’t seen before. After getting back, I made a promise to myself to make every effort to return in another three years, after I finish my Master’s program. This is both a “recap” post and a set of the best photos I took from the trip.

First, the links to each segment of the trip here:
    – Day 0-1 (Tokyo): returning, not just traveling
    – Day 2-3 (Tokyo): a funny thing happened on the way to Shinjuku
    – Day 4-6 (Kasugai/Nagoya): my second (or third?) hometown
    – Day 7-8 (Kyoto): the most perfect places to eat
    – Day 9 (Fukuoka): a little luxury
    – Day 10-12 (Nagasaki): the rich history of Nagasaki
    – Day 13-16 (Nagoya): full of nostalgia

I also updated the Kyoto post (“the most perfect places to eat”) after L corrected me on the name of the cafe where we ate (Housendo) and the name of the fish (hamo, or pike eel).

Second, here are some links to my Facebook albums with small versions of all the photos from the trip:
    – Tokyo
    – Nagoya/Kasugai
    – Kyoto
    – Nagasaki/Fukuoka

Third, and finally, here are some of my best shots:

More serious update next week, as I talk about the start of my Master’s program. KF

Japan (Day 13-16): full of nostalgia

The end of my trip, finishing off with a return to Nagoya and Tokyo. It only took me a month and a half longer than originally anticipated to update this!

Date: July 9th Location: Nagoya Brought to you by taiko

After staying the night in Kyoto, I said farewell to L the next morning and went to Nagoya again. This time, it was to visit my host family from 1999. I don’t have much in the way of pictures from this day, but it was rather packed–and it was great to be able to see so many people once again. This day was just full of nostalgia.

First, I arrived in the morning, and my host mother invited me to see a taiko rehearsal. (Again, I wish I had photos, but I don’t like disturbing folks by taking pictures in the middle of practice like that.) Thereafter, we went to a sushi restaurant nearby for lunch–where I got to meet my host father and his parents. (And again, it was great to be able to see them again.)

Last for that day, well, my host parents are still involved with AFS, the organization I went with to Japan and Argentina in 1999 and 2000. There was someone who was returning home that they were seeing off that afternoon, so I joined them–and, incidentally, I saw a familiar face that I hadn’t seen since 1999 (Mr. Ohyama, then then-regional director for AFS-Nagoya, who’s now much higher in AFS-Japan overall). There was that brief moment like:
O: Do you remember me?
Me: Um… …
Me: (recalls photos from ’99, goes wide-eyed) Yes! Of course!

I still have photos from back then, and I remember one in particular at the train station when we were headed to Shizuoka for three days–it was a group photo, with all the AFS Summer Stay folks and Mr. Ohyama in the front. Ah, memories.

Date: July 10th Location: Nagoya Brought to you by Nagoya Aquarium

This morning, we went to the Nagoya Aquarium–another place I hadn’t been to in ten years. It’s actually a pretty nice aquarium, right on the harbor and all. Two things stood out there. First, we saw a bit of feeding the beluga whales there (top photo). You might notice that most of the people who work at the aquarium are girls in their early 20s–at least, I did. That includes the ones feeding the beluga whales. They were cute. Second, we saw the dolphin show (bottom photo). Y’know, I would’ve felt a little guilty about seeing animals perform tricks for food. But then I remembered who was the dominant species on this planet. We ate at Red Lobster after that for lunch. It was pretty good, actually. Bear in mind, though, that the only similarity to the American Red Lobster is the name–no deep-fried popcorn shrimp and overcooked fish on the menu.

That afternoon, I took a trip downtown to the Toyota Towers. I’d seen these already on my way down (check a few entries ago), but I didn’t go up to the observation deck at that time. I figured, since I wasn’t there every day, it was worth the ticket cost to go up and take a look (something like $7 I think). And, well, there is a really lovely view of the city from there, including all the new buildings on the horizon. Here are a couple shots:

Date: July 11th Location: Nagoya/Tokyo Brought to you by Lotus 1-2-3

My last day in Nagoya… My host parents and I went to a local park for a picnic–the Health Park (rough translation) in Obu. Lovely food, lovely weather, and lovely lotus blossoms that were in bloom (see right). It gave me some time to reflect on the previous two weeks…

Anyway! Before I left, I had to snap one photo of Kyowa station–the station near my 1999 host family’s house. I say I had to since I took the same photo 10 years ago and 5 years ago:

1999	2004	2009

I arrived in Tokyo that afternoon, and checked into my hotel (a budget business hotel near Shinagawa). That night, I stopped by L’s place in Tokyo (different L than my friend in Kyoto–this is the one I hung out with two weeks prior when I first arrived) for dinner. Then it was a little last-minute shopping in Shibuya, and back to the hotel for the night.

Date: July 12th Location: Pacific Brought to you by ANA

And that’s that. I get up in the morning to catch the express to Narita Airport, board my flight, and get back home about 4 hours before I left.

Next post will be a “recap” with links to all the past entries, plus a few other thoughts. Thanks for reading. KF