Oz Mall: Open Air Mall Experience

Japanese Required: None to moderate depending on shopping

The Oz Mall is an open air mall located a short walk from Ozone station. The street is lined with a multitude of different shops, ranging from shoe stores to floral shops. To walk down the entire way and enjoy everything can take anywhere between ten minutes to half an hour or more depending on your interest. The main reason this is called Oz Mall actually has little to do with Ozone: there are several statues featuring scenes from The Wizard of Oz.

There are many statues of Dorothy, of course, but the one that I found most interesting was actually a little bit out of the way. Most of the statues are straight down along the street, but the one above was to the side and placed amidst a gorgeous display of flowers. I found it to be the best of the statues due to the pretty background. Aside from the statues, there were other displays of artistry (not least of which is the Oz Mall sign itself).

A prime example of this would definitely have to be a mural that was painted on the side of a three story floral shop. It was closed at the time that I went there, so I don't know how many of the floors are accessible to customers, but the mural was amazing. I've seen a few mural art paintings before, but most of them did not have the same  style. In my opinion, this was the most interesting of the things that can be seen at Oz Mall.

Overall, it was a pleasant experience, and the location lends itself especially well to someone interested in taking their significant other out on a date. The atmosphere is relaxed, and it's possible to have a leisurely walk around and explore a multitude of various stores before deciding to have a light snack at a cake shop / cafe or a full meal at a nearby restaurant.

Nagoya Castle: Modernized, but Historical

Japanese Required: Minimal
Cost: 500 yen for adults, free for junior high children or younger, with discounts for groups of 30 or 100
Good for: Groups, people interested in history, people that like art

Nagoya castle, despite its age, is not considered by many people I talk to as being a worthwhile place to go to because it has been renovated and changed. However, after having gone there, I believe it's still a great place. The major difference between Nagoya castle and other castles is it doesn't have the same feeling of age. This is contrasted with slightly more comfort, and the castle itself is reminiscent of a museum. When walking around the grounds, there's not many hints of the modernization that has happened elsewhere, and the greenery is beautiful.

Upon entering the castle walls, there's a separate area (the guest house) that has the rooms used in the past, and their decorated sliding doors, on display. With the very subtle lighting changes between rooms, each illustration is stunning. The colors in all of them are very vibrant. Animals were depicted in almost all of the pieces, but my favorite was of a tree. The lighting gave it an especially pretty glow that made it pop more then the others. The best aspect of it had to be the feeling that I was seeing the sun climb over the clouds thanks to the great positioning for the shaded and lighter areas.

The guest house is small, so going through it shouldn't take more than five to ten minutes for most people. After the gardens and the house, there's the castle itself. Nagoya Castle had six accessible floors when I went there, and each floor had something interesting on display. Displays ranged from old suits of armor and weapons to architectural models and works of art. I'm a big fan of old weaponry in part because of sense of permanency to them and in part because the way that the Japanese treated weapon creation as an art form led to many beautiful swords and spears. In addition to the works of art, a fair amount of actual history is explained in both English and 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.

Osukannon: More a marketplace than a temple

Japanese required: None

Cost: Temple is free to enter, Shopping options vary from a 100 yen store to a gemstone and jewelry shop (costs varying from 5000 yen to upwards of 3 million yen)

Good for: Everyone

There are two parts to Osukannon: the marketplace and the temple. The shopping street was the more interesting of the two experiences for me, so I'll start by talking about that.

The marketplace is runs the length of a street right outside one of the Osukannon temple exits. I had a lot of fun just walking up and down and looking at all the different shops. They were mostly clothes shops, but even the variety of clothing was interesting. It ranged from casual, more Western clothing (jean jackets, levi's, etc) to kimonos and full length dresses. Most of the clothing stores were surprisingly cheap (the kimono and dress ones being exceptions), ranging from 700 to 5000 yen depending on whether clothing was branded or unbranded.

There were a couple of stores that were unique: a wooden toy store and a gem / jewelry shop. The toy store had puppets, shape blocks, figurines, a rocking horse, and several other types of wooden creations. It's a small store (barely room for five people inside), but the variety was enjoyable.

I call it a jewelry and gem shop, but they had a much larger selection than that. In the shop, they sold life sized statues of dogs, paintings, necklaces, and a lot of other things that would take too long to even list. Even if you don't plan to buy anything, simply looking around is a treat all on its own (be careful, though: no pictures allowed). It's possible to spend five or more minutes just looking at all the things sold here.

A store that might be of interest for anybody looking for more general things would be the 100 yen shop. When I walked around, there was a variety of toys and things for children (ranging from small toys to magic card decks). They also sold stationary, pots and pans, normal dishes, and other household goods.

Aside from all of the different stores and such, there's also a large number of food stalls. Almost all of the stalls sell different food, including hot dogs (with Japanese toppings), ice cream, hamburgers, fruit smoothies, and more. The places have a small seating area, so it's simple to just stop at one, grab some food, and take a break after walking around.

I actually had no intention to stop at any of these places at first. Then I got called out to by a pair of very friendly Turkish guys (in English no less) working at a place called Mega Kebab. They talked with me for a while, made recommendations about what to order, and shared some information about themselves (in Japanese). In the end, I only had a coke because I had eaten earlier, but the food looked good and they were great guys.

One of them actually tried to set me up with a girl when a couple of them came into the shop. He initiated this by asking them if they're interested in foreign guys, if they liked being talked to while eating, and a bunch of questions about themselves. Then he turned to me and gestured toward them. Although it was awkward, I did talk with the girls a little before they left.

The temple was a very different experience from what I was expecting. Although the Osukannon temple is large, most of it isn't available to the public. When I walked through the different parts of the temple that were accessible, it took roughly fifteen minutes total. Entry to the temple is free, and there are a sizable number of events that happen there. It's worth it to go two or three times to experience festivals and flea markets. The temple sells candles made by the monks, from a small 500 yen size to a very large 2500 yen size. I don't know if they're scented or what they're made of, but you can find out for yourself when you go (they are on display). There are also several talismans and good luck charms for sale, and you can buy a bundle of incense sticks to burn in the temple.

On a normal day, the temple is rather boring to me, but I have also been there on a flea market day. When a flea market is going on, the temple courtyard becomes packed with stalls and people. The things being sold vary, but I saw Japanese style bracelets and Seto-style plates as well as children's toys and figurines. Just a warning to families: I did see some pornography on sale. Overall, the flea market took me an extra twenty minutes of just looking around all the stalls.

I quite enjoyed my experiences at Osukannon, and I would definitely recommend it for people who have a few hours to spare. It's an adventure if you're willing to be adventurous, and it's just a relaxing time if you want to relax.

Hidden Relaxing Spot near Fushimi / Yaba-cho: The Flow Café and Lounge

Japanese required: Advanced (katakana / hiragana and some kanji)
Cost: 500 to 2000 on average, per person
Good for: Anyone (1-4 people for the Flow Café is best)

The Flow Café and Lounge, which is located near Fushimi, is a great place to have a meal and relax for a while. It has a calm atmosphere, and the mood is suited to just taking a bit of time sitting with someone and talking.

When I went there for the first time, I went alone to the second floor and had an enjoyable lunch of pasta. Though the lunch set menu options were a bit limited (two pasta dishes and one rice dish), the food was good. The room they seated me in was lit via a covered window, so it was dimmer than outside. I found it very relaxing, and the comfortable chairs made it all the better. All of the seats are made of soft materials (leather, fabric), which makes it easy to just sit back and enjoy the music (which includes quite a few songs in English). The way the restaurant is spaced made it feel that I had my own private area even with several groups of people around me. I had some white sauce pasta with corn and broccoli for my meal. There was so much sauce that even after I had eaten all of my pasta, there was a small pool at the bottom of the plate. Since it was a lunch set, I also had a croissant and a small salad as an appetizer.

About half of the regular menu was made up of pasta dishes, but there weren't any pictures. Because of this, it would be very difficult to order without being able to read Japanese. You can order a variety of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. I had some orange juice. I would recommend it for eating alone or with one or two others. The restaurant is rather small, and most seating areas are limited to about four people.

The second time, I went to the first floor with a group, and we all spent about two hours talking and eating. We had a separate room from the rest of the restaurant, and it had soothing background music with comfortable, leather seats. The food was alright but not memorable. I enjoyed the atmosphere and company more than anything. The room we had was oval-shaped, so it was easy to have conversations with a lot of people without moving a lot.

 I went there on a Saturday, so the only menu options were Eggs Benedict or traditional Japanese food. I'm not a fan of Eggs Benedict, so I had a Japanese meal instead. The menu had pictures of the different Eggs Benedict dishes, but the normal menu did not have pictures for anything but desert when I looked at it. This would probably be best to take a date or some friends for lunch.

In the evening, the Flow Garden opens, which is an open-air bar / barbeque on the third floor. I've never gone there, but, if the set up is as good as the other two floors, then it'd be a great place to relax and have a few drinks.

Overall, a great place that has variety to suit anybody's interests.

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.