sanpo

Thoughts from my walks //sanpo// as a Hawaii-raised girl living in Japan.  

[awalkwithtotoro]

IMG_2432 by swimmingsarah

Ordinary Japan is extraordinary.  These are the elevated subway tracks that ran right outside our housing during company training.  The first morning, the rattle of the first train woke me, but it just took a day to adjust.  In America, it would be considered a negative to be so close to the train tracks, but in Japan it’s just the way it is.  The regularity and reliability provides peace in the madness.  

[awalkwithtotoro]

On the streets near Kakuozan Station.  Nagoya, for a big city, has some of the quietest and wide streets.  The third (or fourth) largest city in Japan proved to be a palatable introduction to life in Japan.  The numerous subway lines were not confusing and there was much English being used in train stop announcements.  

[awalkwithtotoro]

DSC00963 on Flickr.

Surrounded by Nagoya skyscrapers, this ‘Oasis,’ is above one of Nagoya’s most popular shopping areas. I wanted to go to the Ghibli store. Of the large shopping areas I visited so far, all had a Ghibli store. Sakae, the area surrounding Oasis, is a very hip and lively neighborhood. We would later return to Sakae. Nagoya has six (?) subway lines—one of them goes in a circle. Except for when we tried to be creative and take a super scenic route, we got around Nagoya with ease. The subway day passes are a really good deal in Nagoya.

[awalkwithtotoro]

IMG_9714 on Flickr.

By 11 on a Sunday morning, a few shops opened and we enjoyed mitarashi dango (think small mochi with a shoyu glaze on skewers).

Ice shave was another popular offering from street vendors. This first week of October felt like a pleasant Summer.

[awalkwithtotoro]

Nittaiji Nagoya by Steve-kun on Flickr.

We gathered early Sunday morning in our training apartment to select the free day's destinations.  The company provided a helpful pre-training guide that listed popular sites and directions.

The promise of the street leading up to Nittai (Japan-Thailand) Temple in Nagoya resulted in it being our first stop.  When we arrived most of the shops were closed or the shopkeepers were busy sweeping their storefronts. 

[awalkwithtotoro]

IMG_9696 on Flickr.

Island love on Nagoya's streets.

I arrived in Japan on a Saturday night and training did not start until Monday. My roommate, BU friend, and I took off to the streets.

[awalkwithtotoro]

Welcome to Japan