Little World of Man

Japanese Required: Moderate

Cost: 1,600 for adults and college students, 1000 for high school students, 600 for junior high, and 300 for children
Recommended for: groups, families, history buffs, people interested in eating food from different cultures

On one of my many attempts to visit Inuyama castle, I ended up at the little world museum of man. First off, let me say that I have no idea why, whenever I suggest visiting Inuyama castle, my friends always have some place in Inuyama that is "better."  According to H, it’s not worth visiting because  it's small, other castles are more interesting, and so on and so forth. Let’s see... I’ve been to Ukai fishing, water rafting, and the little world museum of man and outdoor museum of man throughout time.

The place is massive, so be ready to walk around a lot in order to see everything the place has to offer. Most of the outside exhibits are buildings showing how people lived in the past or small patches of flowers, which are lovely if you go when they are in bloom and do not allergies but not really impressive when compared to gardens you can see more conveniently elsewhere. The main reason I would suggest doing the walkabout outside is to experience food from many different cultures. Bring an appetite - there's at least five restaurants. The traditional exhibit halls were rather unimpressive to me with the exception of the hall of masks.

I really enjoyed variety in masks between cultures even though many of them revolved around the same ideas: demons, spirits, and gods. Looking at the make of the masks helped me feel like I was more truly connecting to the cultural and spiritual aspects of by-gone eras. Even with the same materials used (wood, most commonly), the textures and chosen colors and effects had such diversity that it was hard to believe that the masks and statuettes came from the same stuff. It gave me perspective that even with the same ideas, every person will have a different way to represent it.

All in all it wasn’t a bad of an experience and, if you know what to expect, can be quite enjoyable. I had the misfortune of going after eating a big meal. Don't make the same mistake I did! I think this is a good place for families, groups or exploring on your own if you have a day to kill and don’t want to spend all that much money.

The Shidax Karaoke Club Experience

Japanese Required: Some

I went to my first karaoke experience with a group of friends in the afternoon. I was actually very surprised by the room that we had. My mental image of a Karaoke place was darker and more in line with a bar that had a singing stage. Instead, the room was bright and comfortable, and people sang at their seats. My friends and I had Japanese-style brunch at the club: a boxed lunch of food with a drink and some miso soup. There was enough space for everyone to eat at their seats, and people kept singing even while the others were eating.

The machine to pick songs had both Japanese and English menus along with songs for both languages, ranging from old (more than a couple decades ago) to somewhat new (in the last five years). At first, I was very nervous about singing in front of other people, and hearing my voice coming from the speakers didn't help. As everyone sang and laughed in both English and Japanese, I warmed up to the experience. The atmosphere being so relaxed and comfortable brought me out of my shell despite my inability to sing well. In the end, I probably sang the most out of anybody in the group.

The karaoke atmosphere was a pleasantly different surprise, and I ended up having even more fun than I expected. Everyone sang at least twice, and we ended the day by singing some Christmas songs together. I would definitely recommend trying out karaoke to anyone that wants to spend a few hours relaxing with friends. After such a great experience, I really feel ready to sing more. Maybe next time I'll sing some songs in Japanese!

Tokugawa Art Museum and Garden

Japanese required: Some

Art museum cost (per person): 1200 for adults, 1000 for seniors (66 years of age or older), 700 for students (high school / college), 500 for children (ages 7-14)

Garden cost (per person) for non-local people below the age of 65: 300 for small groups / individuals, 270 for large groups (20 or more), 240 for huge groups (100 or more) - Note that the price is the same regardless of age

Cost for both: 1,350

Good for: Single people, couples

The Tokugawa Art Museum and Garden is a combination of both natural and artificial beauty. The garden is very beautiful and gives the feeling of being "away" from the noise and atmosphere of modern cities while barely being separated from the rest of Nagoya by a small wall. On the other hand, the art museum shows a wide display of human artistry ranging from swords to poetry. Between the two, I find the garden to be more of a place that I could visit several times and still enjoy.

The garden is big enough that, if you want to, you can spend about fifteen minutes enjoying one side, go to the museum, and save the other side for another visit. When I first walked in, I got a good view across a small lake (more of a large pond really). There were a lot of carp in the lake, and the sunlight actually reflected in interesting ways on the rocks (unfortunately, my camera couldn't catch the visual effect). The area around the lake includes several places to sit and a wide variety of trees. The most interesting aspect of the lake is probably looking across it: the way the sun hits the water is really enjoyable.

On one side of the lake, there's a sizable  number of trees with pathways leading through them. I ended up taking the most time here, in part because of a few waterfalls and in part because of the atmosphere being so serene. I waited until nobody else was around and sat down to just soak in the feeling of being there. There were seats directly in front of what was, in my opinion, the best of the waterfalls in the garden. The sound of the water combined with the sounds of nature was relaxing. I'd definitely recommend going to the Tokugawa garden by yourself or with one or two other people for a relaxing walk.

The Tokugawa art museum is a pretty interesting place. The first time I went there, I actually got lost because of the way the exhibits are displayed. You have to walk in a pretty specific order to make sure you see everything and reach the exit. The exhibits themselves ranged from very interesting to me to uninteresting. I found the displays of swords and other weapons from long ago to be enjoyable, along wit looking at old paintings and portraits. There were also a lot of beautiful dishes and ink stone holders. On the other hand, the displays of old Japanese poetry and novels and the like were dull because I am not yet able to read them. The old Japanese writing style looked messy to me, and the main art of it all is the writing. There were a few rooms with t.v. displays / audio recordings to explain things in Japanese as well. Although the museum's at least twenty minutes' worth of entertainment, it's not really someplace I'd recommend doing with other people.

Italian Restaurant: Gran Piatto

Gran Piatto in Hiroshima

Japanese required: Moderate
Cost: 800-2,000 yen per person
Good for: Everyone

Gran Piatto is an Italian restaurant found all over Japan. I have eaten there several times, alone and with large and small groups. The restaurant I go to (at Nagoya University) consistently has a pleasant atmosphere, and the waiting staff is friendly and patient. The menu (which is in Japanese) changes a bit between lunch and dinner, and even more if you organize a party beforehand.

I've tried a few different meals, both pasta and pizza, and I like the pasta a lot more than the pizza. Usually, pizza and pasta are about the same to me, but the pizza crust is too weak. Whenever I go to actually eat a slice, the oil-covered breading bends and basically dumps the cheese and toppings onto the plate. Having to carefully lift every slice up by both sides and roll it into a circle to be able to eat the pizza ruins the pleasure of eating it. The pizza tastes really good, but it's not worth it to me.

The pasta dishes, on the other hand, include a variety that is equally as delicious as the pizza without any of the complications. The pasta available changes depending on the day, but there's always a lunch set available which includes bread as an appetizer.

If you schedule a party, then the food will be a set course with free drinks. The serving style for a party is different from just a normal group: at a party, it's a family-style meal. There were at least three or four different plates of food that could have been considered a main course served throughout the party, and even with a group of roughly 15 people we couldn't manage to eat all of it.

With consistently good service, good food, and a soothing atmosphere, Gran Piatto is a restaurant I would definitely recommend to anyone looking for someplace to eat while in the Nagoya University area. It is my go-to place whenever I visit that part of Nagoya.

Eating Out: Ramen

  

Japanese Required: Moderate

Cost: Around 650-1,200 yen per person.

Good for: Single people, couples, groups up to four or six people.

I went out with a friend (C.) to walk around Ozone and see if there's anything we felt like doing or checking out. After walking around and talking for almost an hour, we decided to have lunch at a ramen shop. The majority of the seats were at the bar, with three tables near the back that could seat four. Since it wasn't busy, we were seated right away at the bar. We talked for a little bit before ordering.

 

 

I had some pork, clear broth ramen with fried rice as a side. The ramen and fried rice were both served hot, with the rice coming first. The fried rice was good, though I regret waiting to take a picture before eating because I prefer to eat it while it's hot. The broth for the ramen was tasty, and I really enjoyed the noodles. Usually, for the type that I got, I would add sesame seeds for the texture and a slight change in flavor. Unfortunately, there were no sesame seeds available. The service was prompt even with only two people on staff, and C and I both enjoyed our food immensely.

He had lunch set of pork ramen with a miso broth, rice, and fried chicken. It looked like it might have been even better than what I had. He added a bit of spicy sauce that was available to his soup. The sauce was about as spicy as normal pepper, so adding a little shouldn't be too bad for anyone who wants a different flavor but is afraid of burning their mouth.

Overall, the customer service was fine, the food was good, and the company was great. If someone asked me to recommend a place to eat ramen that I knew would have good food, I would recommend this place. I wouldn't recommend it for anybody wanting to host a party due to the limits on seating. Otherwise, this place is great. If you would like more information regarding the menu or prices, please visit their website: http://www.fujiichiban.jp/english/index.html

The Nagoya Aquarium: fish

Japanese required: Moderate (Must be able to speak to get in, the rest of the aquarium does not require Japanese)
Cost: Aquarium is 2000 for adults and high school students, 1000 for elementary to junior high students, 500 for children aged 4 and older. Three attractions and the aquarium costs 2400 for adults and high school students, 1200 for elementary to junior high, and are free for children aged 4 and older.
Good for: Anyone

Every time I've gone to a foreign country, or even a new place in a country, I try to go to the aquarium. Combined with going there once or twice with friends, I've been to the Nagoya Aquarium several times.The Aquarium's split into two parts: a northern building and a southern one. The displays between the two buildings are rather different: the larger animals (dolphins, orcas, beluga whales) are in the northern building while the smaller fish are in the southern building.

 I personally never really found the larger animal exhibits to be as interesting as the smaller fish at aquariums. Pretty much every aquarium will have dolphins, so they're not really anything new. One thing in the northern building that would have been extremely interesting to me would have been seeing some beluga whale babies, which was advertised on a sign. I was disappointed when I saw there were no beluga whale babies.

There's also the very common dolphin show, where they make the dolphins spin around in the water, catch frisbees, leap out of the water to touch balls suspended in the air, and the like. It might be worth watching a bit of the dolphin show even if you've seen the show many times to experience the slightly different ambiance of it being in Japanese instead of English. The seating area for the dolphin show is also the most comfortable place in the aquarium, so resting there isn't a bad idea even if you don't plan to watch the show.

The smaller fish exhibits were more interesting to me. There were quite a few fish that I'd seen before, but they were still interesting. There was a series of exhibits devoted to jellyfish, which is always fun. It was unfortunately too dark to take pictures of the jellyfish because a few of them glowed. There were also some long nosed fish (I don't know their name), which were fascinating when I first saw them and are still rather fun to look at. They hardly move in the water, but that only made it easier to look at them in a more close up environment, since they were held in a circular tank that I could look at from different angles.

The single most interesting exhibit for me was seeing an eel through a tank that had the under-ground portion visible as well. I've seen plenty of eels before, large and small, but I hardly ever get to see how they move their bodies below-ground. Their movements don't really change, but it's still fun to watch an eel swim up and down out of a hole for a few minutes.

The aquarium was quite a bit of fun for about two hours' worth of time. I'd recommend it for people who like dolphin shows, turtles, penguins, small fish, or have kids that they need to entertain for a while.

Kamimaezu: A Good Restaurant Experience

Japanese required: Moderate
Cost: 2000 yen or more per person
Good for: Single people, couples, small groups (up to around 4)

I went to Kamimaezu and had lunch at a restaurant located on the second floor of the Orchid Garden near the subway station (a post about the garden will come sometime in the future). The restaurant itself is pretty decently sized, and it has a few windows to look down at the orchids which gives it a more open feel. There are several tables, and all of them seat a maximum of four people.

I went there by myself, and it gave me a very similar feeling to the Flow Cafe: a nice place to just chill out and relax for a while. The servers were, as per the norm, friendly, and I actually talked a bit with one of them about myself and shared some other small talk while I waited for my food. I ordered some pasta with an oil base and a mix of greens and meat. When I first got the dish, I was a bit suspicious of whether I would actually like it or not. Although the presentation was lacking, I actually really enjoyed the pasta.

After I'd finished eating, a Japanese couple caught my eye. They were the only other customers in the restaurant at the time, and the woman seemed like she was interested in talking to me. I smiled and bowed my head toward her, getting a similar response, which led to her walking over and talking to me. She offered to take my picture, and I accepted. After that, she invited me over to sit at their table (which was only a couple steps away from mine), and I fell into having a conversation with them.

 

I spent perhaps twenty to thirty minutes chatting with the two of them, finding out more about them as well as sharing quite a bit about myself. The woman admitted that she actually wanted to talk to me but felt too shy because she doesn't speak English. Once I did a Japanese gesture toward her (bowing my head), she felt more comfortable with the thought that I might actually speak Japanese. Once she realized that I am actually fluent, she opened up and I feel like the three of us became rather friendly in a pretty short period of time. They even took a picture of the three of us using their camera and printed it out for me to have.

The most surprising part was what happened after all of this. They paid for my food. This kind of generosity is rare, but the woman explained to me that she really enjoyed meeting someone from a different culture and said it was thanks for being good company. When I told this story to my friends (Japanese or otherwise), they were all as surprised as I was. Not only did I get to have a fun time hanging out with a pair of friendly people, but they also paid my way! While the food was good, the company definitely topped off my experience.

Kiso River Boat Ride

 
Japanese required: Moderate
Cost: 3400 for adults, 1700 for children
Good for: Everyone

The Kiso river runs through Inuyama. Inuyama is a quaint rural village with many different things to do and see. You can easily visit this town many times and find something new every time. The kiso river boat is a great way to spend the day. The meitetsu train ride there from Kanayama is 39 minutes and costs 650 yen. The bus that takes you to the loading dock for the river boat ride is a 5 minute walk from the Meitetsu InuyamaYuen station east exit and has a nice waiting area.

The view from the indoor waiting area makes it ideal for a picnic. There are plenty of tables, and they sell beverages and snacks. I packed a picnic lunch and was able to enjoy the full meal while waiting for the bus. The bus to the dock leaves roughly every 30 minutes and my group decided to let one bus go before leaving. This allowed us to have the place to ourselves, and it would be romantic if you were on a date. If you speak Japanese, you can have a friendly conversation with the couple that runs the bus stop and learn about the woman's homemade ginger "dog candy." The actual boat ride is about an hour.

It is a very calm and relaxing ride with a few small "rapid" areas. The drivers know a lot, but they can only speak Japanese. Even if you don't understand what they are saying, the many sights are impressive and enjoyable. I would suggest visiting the website for anyone that doesn't speak Japanese but still wants to know the history and some of the information shared by the drivers.

Overall, it is an enjoyable ride and I would recommend it for anyone.

Jokoji: Hiking and the Temple

Japanese required: Moderate
Cost: Transportation from your location to Jokoji
Good for: Everyone

Jokoji is a great hiking area with many scenic views. The actual hiking is not particularly tiring, so it's good even for people who have kids or aren't very athletic. I went to Jokoji near the beginning of Winter, so the leaves were changing colors, and it was very beautiful. All told, the hiking along with the temple took about four hours. I went with a group of people, so it probably took longer than it would have if I was by myself.

At the Jokoji station (which took 20 minutes to reach by train from Ozone), there's a really good view that exemplifies the beauty of the area. To actually start hiking, you have to cross a bridge. The stream below had very clean looking water, and the rocks were practically shining in the sunlight. The view made me have a very optimistic outlook on the beauty of the rest of the hiking trip, and I was not disappointed in the least. If anything, the rest of Jokoji had sights that were more spectacular than the one at the beginning.

The hike up the mountain had mostly light inclines, and several locations had stone steps in place to make it easier (though I hate steps, personally). After a bit of hiking, there's actually a very gorgeous lake and park. The lake itself isn't very big, but the view across it to the park and the tree covered mountain behind it was really fantastic. The park also made for a great picnic spot: there were several groups of people picnicking, and my group did the same thing. The air was very clear, and it felt very refreshing to relax after walking for a while.

After enjoying the picnic, my group went to Jokoji temple. The trip to the temple was the hardest because there were actual stairs instead of just an incline. The multitude of steps made the tip up rather painful and exhausting whereas the hike up the mountain had been a kind of leisurely strolling experience. That being said, the temple itself was gorgeous. There were numerous places to get amazing views, there were traditional Japanese statues and altars, and the trees were alive with brilliant splashes of color. The temple was rather large, and there was even a large, open area with chairs near a small stand that sold some warm food. I had a rice cake stick covered in sesame seeds. Despite the journey up being rather painful, there were actually a lot of elderly Japanese people in the temple. Judging from the small parking lot that I ended up seeing while I explored the temple, it's actually possible to drive all the way up the mountain (though most seemed to have parked their car lower down).

The entire trip was very great, and it was nice to go with other people. I'd say this trip works best for groups of people or couples, as there's a lot of places that make for great shared experiences. If you like easy hikes, then going alone might be a great experience as well.

Chocolate Exhibition: the Story of Chocolate

Japanese Required: Moderate
Cost: 1300 yen for adults, 800 for students (cost of seeing the rest of the science museum is included)
Good for: Single people, couples, small groups

The Chocolate Exhibition was a temporary exhibit at the Nagoya City Science Museum that I managed to visit. I got a warning from one of the staff that let me into the exhibit that I could only walk in once: once I left the exhibit itself, I was out. The exhibit held a lot of different things for people to look at, and I enjoyed the many visual displays that ranged from actual, old items to pictures and text passages explaining what everything was (in Japanese). The history of chocolate was written in the passages, but even if you can't read Japanese, the exhibit an enjoyable trip. There were a few things that were designed to entertain children, but they came near the end of the exhibition.

While I enjoyed the exhibit, there was only one path. Because it was a bit crowded when I got there, I ended up feeling a bit pressured by the people behind me and slowed down by the people in front of me. This made it harder to get pictures, but I still got ones of the more interesting things. The fact that chocolate was mainly used as a drink, and the different cultures drinking it had special cups for them, was surprising. I almost always think of chocolate as a food first and a drink second. Some of the cups were very beautifully designed and reminded me of seto ware.

 

The exhibit didn't just have old cups and tools, though. There were also sculptures made of chocolate! Each of the animals in the sculpture above was made using a different type of chocolate. The vibrant and realistic coloration surprised me. There were other sculptures on displayed as well, and all of them were truly works of art with different styles. The different colors were probably made using different cacao beans. Cacao beans have an impressive range of colors, sizes, and textures. Some of them could fit easily in my palm while others were bigger than my hand.

 

The entire experience of the exhibit was one of the funnest I've had. Despite the fairly large number of people, I got to see everything in the exhibit as well as take pictures of the fascinating stuff. The end of the exhibit actually had a souvenir shop of sorts where they sold a large variety actual chocolate as well as a number of chocolate-based key-chains, pencils, and other paraphernalia. I would definitely recommend seeing this to anyone that has the opportunity. It's mostly suited for couples or people who are alone, and it is too small to fit a group of more than four and still have it be a group experience.

Quality of life: Manaca

In Japan, having a manaca saves time, energy, and money. The manaca card is an electronic charge card that can be used for trains (Jr and Meitetsu), subway, city bus, and the yutorito line. It can also be used at convenience stores, vending machines, and some restaurants. I mostly use mine for transportation.

With a manaca, I can just walk directly through the wicket (turnstile). This makes my travel time very consistent, whereas having to buy a ticket can mean that I end up waiting upwards of twenty minutes in line if I'm at a particularly busy station. In addition to this, using a manaca gathers points based off of distance traveled. The points can then be used to pay for subway travel rather than using actual money. My friend K told me she saves roughly 800-1200 yen a month off of the points she gets from her manaca. Because of the savings on time and money, it's worth it to pay the cost of getting a card (it's 500 to get the card, no other payments necessary).

I, on the other hand, bought an all line subway and city bus pass that does not gather points.  I pay a fee (with the amount varying depending on the duration of the pass) to be able to travel along any subway line or on the bus for free without recharging my card. The duration of the pass can be as short as one month or as long as six. You can choose to have a train pass or a subway and city bus pass.  Because I travel around Nagoya almost every day, this saves me 30% on travel. The student all line pass costs 9,990 yen for one month, including the bus. The regular all line pass costs 15,990, with an additional 2,000 yen for a bus pass.

Another advantage of using the manaca is that it simplifies riding the city bus. When you ride the bus, you always have to pay with exact change. This wouldn't be too much of a problem if not for the fact the automated change machine on the bus only gives change for 1000 yen bills. If you don't have exact change or 1000 yen, then you're stuck having to explain the situation in Japanese to the driver rather than simply getting off the bus. With a manaca, the money is taken directly from whatever you have on it, so you never have to worry about having the amount ready: even if you're out of charge, you can charge it on the bus.

The manaca is truly an all-purpose, convenient card to have. I would definitely recommend getting one to anybody who plans to stay in Japan for a lengthy period of time. It saves money, it saves time, and it streamlines travel.