Nagoya Photo Diary

2 years ago, a few days before my solo exhibition in Tokyo, I made a life changing trip to Nagoya as my first domestic solo trip within Japan. 2019 was a hectic year for me. I was going back and forth between what I needed vs. what I wanted In both a job, my artwork and my social circles trying to please the ideas that people wanted of me. A week before the opening of my show, I took a leap of faith and went on a trip to Nagoya.

I originally planned on a one day trip to Nagoya to attend a job interview thinking, maybe I needed a change of scenery away from Tokyo for work and start over in a new city again. One of those, ”leave in the morning, come back in the evening” trips by taking the Bullet train. It also gave me an excuse to ride it for the first time. However, since it would be my first trip outside of Tokyo on my own, I thought it would be best to spend a little while longer in a different city. You wont believe the looks I got from my friends and coworkers. So many people gave me puzzling looks. Me, a woman in her early 20’s, soloing a trip to a place like Nagoya for ”fun”? My managers at the time as well looked down on the idea, saying how the city was like, a “Businessman’s getaway”, not one meant for a woman, which those words surely made my blood boil. On top of me going alone too.

Even if they thought it was more of a place for solo business men outside of Tokyo, I was happily planning all the places I would get to visit, or at least planned on seeing. I was mostly excited to purchase my bullet train ticket. You’re able to purchase tickets for the bulletin train on the day of your trip but you run the risk of not getting a seat and standing the whole time with your belongings so Its best to buy a reserved ticket a few days before. I’m glad I did the later. A round trip ticket cost me about ¥12,000 (approx. $110 USD) and took me about 90 minutes from Odawara to Nagoya Station. Getting to my accommodations was also really easy since I booked an airbnb a couple stations away from the center of the city (For a reasonable price too). My host was also very helpful and contacted me throughout the whole time, even before arriving Into the city. I brought them Tokyo Banana roll cakes as a small thanks.

Even though I had a small list of things I had already planned to do while in the city, My host kindly gave me a map with his own directions to get to certain places, along with his recommendations of things I might like since it was my first time in Nagoya. The first thing he recommended was a small cafe for breakfast. It was already so late at night so I decided on visiting early in the morning for breakfast the next day.

My host knew the owner of the cafe. Cafe White (喫茶ホワイト), the name of the cafe, had been around since the Showa Era with cool table tops where you can play packman or digital mahjong. Not sure if they still could be played on but the novelty of it was pretty rad. The mama-san (a term used to call a female owner of a shop or restaurant) was really kind and chatty. Both her and her husband manage the small cafe. My host recommended I get the morning set which consist of a thick slice of Japanese toast stuffed with a creamy egg salad filling, your choice of coffee or black tea and konyaku jelly on the side. It may seem like a really simple set for breakfast compared to what I usually have at home but I really appreciated the simplicity of it. Handmade but with love if I could word it better. I was chatting so much with the owner (I believe her name is Yuriko-San) that I could have spent all day there. It was really sweet that she constantly kept telling me to be careful since I was traveling alone. Luckily my accommodations were only walking distance from the cafe so I was able to go back and change out into a suit for the interview in the later morning. I should have just left in a suit in the first pace but oh well,

Coming back after my interview, I changed out (because I didn’t want to be in a suit all day) and wore something comfy to go to Higashiyama Zoo & Botanical garden. It had been raining heavily the week prior to my trip so sky that day was really gloomy. Not to mention all the Cherry blossoms got blown off from when it rained. I snapped a couple of shots during my walk around the botanical garden of what was left. There was only One tree that managed to stay put during The wind and rain from the previous week so I was thankful for it to still be hanging on strong.

There’s a little Monorail that you can also ride to get from one side of the zoo, to the botanical garden and a whole mini lake where you can ride swan shaped boats that are powered by little foot pedals. Since there wasnt anyone around when I boarded, I got the entire monorail to myself. It was a peaceful and quiet ride with the lone staff member.

Very few people were around which I liked. I took a photo of the elephant because he seemed very photogenic. Speaking of Photogenic, I also saw the famous “Ikemen Gorilla”, or handsome gorilla, Shabani, who apparently is a gorilla blessed with good-looking genes in Nagoya and resides in the zoo. He’s nicknamed the handsome gorilla because he looks very photogenic in photos. I didn’t believe it until I saw it though. I remember seeing a program on NHK about him a long time ago with the mother of. My Previous significant other. Even when I mentioned that I would be going to the zoo to Yuriko-San during my breakfast, she asked if I was going to see Shabani. Unfortunately, I couldnt get a very good photo of Shabani that day. He was inside his habitat because It started to drizzle outside and was hidden a bit by one of the pillars inside. Though you could still go through and see him behind a glass window, it was hard to get a decent shot. I skipped the photo and admired from far away. I still have a photo of the elephant I took earlier so I was pretty content with that. The zoo‘s gift shop also sold some goods with photos of Shabani (it made me laugh so hard at the amount of handsome gorilla merch being sold). I bought a couple boxes of cookies with some nice photos of him printed on the box and gave it as a gift to a friend back in Tokyo, then kept one for myself for Laughs.

After the Zoo I headed back out to the city towards the famous shopping street Osu-doori. Its a long shopping street leading up to the biggest temple in the city, Osu-Kannon. It reminded me a little of the main road in Kamakura leading up to Hachimangu shrine except Osu is a lot more narrower and enclosed. Aside for being a great place to find a place to eat, do shopping hauls and picking up a few snacks to bring back to Tokyo as omiyage (souvenirs). Yes, I bought a lot of snacks that were miso katsu flavored, and Ogura toast mochi. Had lunch at a street side Vietnamese place (out of all the things I was craving in Nagoya at that time, it just had to be pho), then walked it off by heading down the road till I hit the temple. It was a huge temple. Reminded me almost of the temple in Asakusa with the big hanging lantern.

I remember meting someone there too. Another solo adventuring tourist who was acting a little too whacky around the smoke coming from the incense sticks that people would light and set standing in a shallow dish filled with sand. I think he noticed that I too wasn’t from around these parts since he immediately started up a conversation with me. Maybe it was my camera Hanging around my neck that gave myself away, not like I was really avoiding anyone n the first place though. I unfortunately didn’t have very much time to chat for long (and nor was I actually interested in what he had to say or offer), so I made my way to my next stop after leaving the temple.

I little way down from the temple and after taking a few detours though the alley streets, was a small cafe that served Japanese sweets with a variety of teas and coffee drink arrangements. There menu was small just like the space itself, but had a modern Edo period charm highlighted by the brick red toned wall and gold accents. Though it was a still a chilly Spring day, I opted for their specialty kakigoori; Finely shaved ice adorned with an assortment of toppings such as fruits and condensed milk. Since it was the tail end of strawberry season in Japan, my serving came with little little slices fo strawberries hidden under the layers of thinly shaved ice then a soft blanket of whipped cream on top and mountains of strawberries. It couldnt be tea time without a hot cup of traditionally roasted green tea (Houjicha, my favorite type of green tea).

Although I enjoyed my tea time in solitude, part of me really wished I had a companion to chat with. Normally I’d start up a conversation with the owner if I was seated near the counter or if they were close enough. Yet I had my own little table set up farther away from the bar seating. Maybe on my next Nagoya trip, Ill bring a friend to this place.

I planned on going to Nagoya Tower the same day but ended up not going because I think it was closed for something. That and I also got a little lost on how to actually get up to the actual building since majority of it was closed off (hence why I believe it was probably closed). I did get a couple pictures with my phone though. Close by was a building called Oasis 21, a place that my host recommended I visit dung the evening. It’s a building structure with shopping and dinning restaurants on the open basement floor. Then if you ride a short see through elevator to the roof, it lights up with rainbow lights and has water flowing elegantly everywhere to accompany the sounds of the city below. It was nice to see the city skyline that wasn’t Tokyo, yet felt a little similar to it, plus the trickling sound fo water and calming lights. I also got a nice view of Nagoya TV Tower right next door but since it didn't light up, it blended almost too well against the cloudy night sky.

With dinner time approaching, I headed towards the nearest Yama-Chan, a Nagoya based Izakaya or ”pub“ chain. I know there’s one in Shinjuku back in Tokyo but I specifically wanted to eat the Nagoya style chicken wings. That and there was no other niche place that I could find last minute. At first I thought it was a little dangerous for me to go out to drink on my own but I was seated at the counter and was able to talk a little bit with the workers for a bit. Of course I ordered chicken wings, 10 servings of them actually (So a total of around 50), and a few tempura musubis (somtimes called ten-musubi). Washed everything down with a couple glasses of umeshu on the rocks, my go-to drink at any Izakaya. By the time I finished it was already a little past 9pm And I made it back to my host’s place at 9:30.

The next morning I was determined to wake up early to visit Nagoya Castle and cruise around city hall where a lot of historical monuments and buildings were. I was especially excited to visit the castle because it was where the Tokugawa Shogunate (Japan’s first military government founded by Tokugawa Ieyasu) was then relocated to. Im not much of a Japanse History nerd but I do love stories and learning of the times that happened during the warring states period, also known as the Sengoku-jida. When I took Japanese history classes in University, I always was fascinated with Tokugawa Ieyasu more than notable warlords such as Oda Nobunaga or Dante Masumune.

From what I can remember, Ieyasu had orders to build Nagoya castle for his son and had a knick for covering the entire inside of the castle in gold leaf. It was beyond beautiful and I’m really glad I got them up close in real life. I dont think the photos I took can really show how beautiful the rooms were in person the striking gold was against the warm wooden frames.

Most of the time I spent on the castle grounds were actually inside the castle admiring the Gold leaf in almost all the rooms and sliding panels. I can understand why one of the nickname of Nagoya Castle was Golden Castle (金城 kinjou). There was gold almost EVERYWHERE. There was even intricate gold leaf designs on the ceilings. I was also able to go up to the tower where weapons and armory where kept. The staircase leading up to the second floor was narrow and the entire place was so dim that I feared falling through the holes If it wasn’t for the guide staff. The only sources of light were the opened windows and a single lamp which gave the whole inside a eerie mood. Though I was able to get a scenic shot of the castle from a distance.

My absolute favorite part was surprisingly not the inside of the castle but the two golden statues on the roof corners called Shachihoko, a mythical cross breed between the head of a tiger and the body of a carp (Japanese Koi). They are one of the first details you notice when looking at the castle from outside grounds. You can vaguely see the shimmer of gold belonging to the Shachihiko statues on the top of the room in the photo above.

This year, The two iconic Shachihiko that had graced the corners of Nagoya Tower will be taken down and be put on display in museums throughout the country to promote more tourism after the pandemic. Theyre quite huge statues and I had read that they had to be helicopter flown down to be removed from the top of the roof. I’m glad that at least those fish will be traveling around and people will get to see them up close.

After exploring much of the castle grounds, I took a brisk walk around the garden, admired the cherry blossom trees that were in full bloom (another tree that had survived) and attended a tea ceremony inside the tea house located on the farthest corner of the well kept flowers and trees.

By the time I left the castle, it was a little past noon so I continued my walk around city hall and the station. For one thing, City hall station (市役所駅 shiyakusho-eki) has this staircase leading up from the subway to the ground floor where you can see Nagoya castle drawn on the steps if viewed at the right angle. Not to mention the huge gateway when you leave or enter the station looks like traditional Japanese estate doorways much like the one used for Nagoya Castle. And since the castle is surrounded by a huge mote, I took the time to admire the coexistence between modern city buildings and well kept nature complimenting the castle walls.

My final hours I took the subway again downtown for an early dinner. One thing I really waned to eat was Misokatsu: Your typical Japanese tonkatsu but instead of the usual Demi glacé taste, its accompanied by a sauce made from red miso paste as a base. Nagoya is known for its rich red miso and taste distinctly different from the usual miso we consume. The aroma and flavors are deep with a slight nutty fragrance. Aside from finishing up any shopping I wanted to do, I went up to Misokatsu Yabaton in Sakae. Apparently, theres all these different ways to eat Misokatsu. For my first time, I got it done the original way: tonkatsu over a bed of rice and shredded cabbage salad accompanied by some pickled vegetables. My server even offered to pour the special misokatsu sauce over my cuts and was compliant when I wanted to take a few photos. Probably one of the best meals I had in Nagoya. I was so sad to leave.

The next morning I woke up early and got ready to leave my host’s place. He sent me away with a couple gifts, one of them being so Nagoya red miso paste and Ogura toast inspired snacks. I was told that I could stay over any time, and not book through airbnb but through his business card which was really nice of him.

I also was able to visit cafe White again for breakfast and chat. This time, I had a pot of black tea with the usual stuffed egg salad sandwich and konyaku jelly. Normally, the jelly is really sweet but Knowing that I was leaving Nagoya, there was a slight bitterness after the last bite. I had mentioned to Yukari-san about my interview when I had first arrived in Nagoya. But as I was leaving, I told her that if I got the job, I would come visit often. And even if I didn’t, I would still visit the cafe if I was in Nagoya again. Fast forward a bit, I ended up not taking the job. In the beginning, the idea of working Outside of Tokyo sounded great but I would have been leaving such great friends that I made drug my time in University. Plus going through the hassle of moving the things from my apartment into a different prefecture was nightmarish.

I took the subway back to Nagoya station to ride the bullet train back to Tokyo. Since I was going to be heading straight to work by the time I arrived,I bought some tenpura musubis to snack on the ride. Half way through the ride, I ate them next to the window where I could see a clear view of Mount Fuji in the distance.